Story by Owen Hou
Staff Writer

Photo by Mac Shropshire
Staff Photographer

Mayor Janet Braun became the mayor of South Pasadena after her election in December of 2024. Since the election, she has had various plans and ideas set for South Pasadena for her term in office. Braun plans to fix financial report issues and improve infrastructure and housing.

The mayor identified five main pillars that the city should prioritize : finance, infrastructure, housing, operational efficiencies, and governance. For each pillar, multiple solutions and initiatives are possible for the city.

South Pasadena has encountered financial reporting issues for the last 10 years and as a result, the city is hiring consultants to help fix them, allowing the city to focus on other issues. Additionally, the city plans to gather a committee to oversee the financing of infrastructure projects.

“I’ve seen a lot of cities get a lot of other grants and funding, but we have not been able to do that because we have never put together the plan,” Braun said.

The city also hopes to rebuild and renovate individual places and landmarks. For example, the Arroyo Seco Golf Course, which first opened in 1955, is in need of repairs and replacements. However, restorations are predicted to cost around 26 million dollars total, with 12 million being budgeted for the first phase, as more efficient methods are needed to organize and finance the project.

The city additionally reimagines the South Pasadena Public Library and South Pasadena Senior Center as a  combined and modernized facility. The project aims to create a better experience for the community, conserve space and resources, and refresh the buildings’ designs.

Aside from community buildings, housing was another one of the mayor’s pillars of interest. The lack of available housing options combined with the growing population of South Pasadena creates a shortage of space.

“[South Pasadena is] a unique place because we’re eight miles from downtown, but we feel like a small town here. The biggest issue for us is [related] to housing and increasing population,” Braun stated.

The city is working on a housing initiative to fix the infrastructure, plan for the future, and construct additional housing for the city. Planning and zoning is close to finishing and a housing proposal will be submitted to the state near June, completing a majority of the work needed for the project.

City council also made changes to ensure its success in operation efficiency by hiring a new city manager, Todd Hileman, who was previously the city manager of Palm Desert and has had 29 total years of experience in municipal management.

Plans to re-empower commissions such as the Planning Commission, the Finance Commission, and the Public Works Commission are also on the rise, with the goal of increasing the efficiency of the city council.

“We’re at an exciting time in South Pasadena. We’re looking ahead to the future, and we’re bringing in a new team. We’re [also] looking for a lot of community input on a lot of projects and sort of how we want South Pasadena to develop over the next 30 years,” Braun said.