Colorado Boulevard Newspaper: Pasadena City Council Hears from Rep. Friedman, Hears Public Concerns
At its meeting on Monday, August 18, the Pasadena City Council heard from Rep. Laura Friedman regarding her proposed legislation and future plans for the city. The council also listened to concerns from members of the public on issues ranging from immigration enforcement to housing policy.
Rep. Friedman discussed two bills she recently introduced: the Restoring Essential Healthcare Act and the No Mask for ICE Act.
“I recently introduced the Restoring Essential Healthcare Act,” Friedman said. “We had over 130 co-sponsors, and this is a bill to restore the ability for Medicaid to fund clinics like Planned Parenthood that provide reproductive health care and abortion care. The No Mask for ICE Act, which I’m co-leading with a member from the East Coast, would prohibit federal agents, including ICE, from wearing masks and being unidentifiable in terms of their personhood, their name, and their office.”
During public comment, Pasadena resident Rachel Wing expressed alarm over recent ICE activity in the area.
“I’m horrified, as many of you are, I think all of you probably are, about the ice raids that are harming our city and its people,” Wing said. “Our neighbor, Carlos Roberto Montoya, died in Monrovia as a direct result of ICE’s reckless, lawless action. I trust that the council has directed RPD not to offer any aid to ICE, but I would like to see them do more to oppose them.”
Real estate agent Adam Bray-Ali raised concerns about rising fees and a lack of transparency in the city’s rental stabilization department.
“When the program began in 2023, the per-unit fee was about $91,” Bray-Ali said. “It rose in 2024 to $122, and now in 2025, it is increasing to $238 per unit per year, representing a 159% increase over two years. Unfortunately, that department still has not even confirmed how many actual rental properties there are in Pasadena. I was going to state that Pasadena deserves fairness, fiscal responsibility, and true accountability.”
The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 25