Pasadena City Council/LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger Special Joint Meeting: November 9, 2026

The Pasadena City Council and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger held a special joint meeting on November 9, 2026. The main discussion concerned homelessness, housing, and behavioral-health capacity. Participants discussed Pasadena’s goal of establishing a year-round shelter and expanding housing and services; Supervisor Barger offered to meet with city staff about the shelter. A speaker reported that the county had approved an initial $2 million toward shelter development, while public commenters urged joint funding for the shelter, motel master-leased interim housing, public restrooms, and homelessness-prevention services. These proposals were discussed or advocated, not approved at this meeting. The city manager said staff would pursue county health and mental-health services for the Lincoln Villa development after exclusive negotiations with its developer are completed. The mayor also asked staff to check the number of VASH housing vouchers available to veterans, and asked staff to investigate a reported fence issue at Jackie Robinson Center. No contract awards or procurement votes were recorded.

The council and supervisor also discussed Measure ER revenue distribution. Supervisor Barger said a recent amended complaint no longer challenged the measure’s validity, which should allow funds to be released under its prescribed formula. Pasadena’s share was described as 23% of the formula’s 1% allocation for Pasadena and Long Beach—about $2 million to $2.5 million annually—compared with an earlier estimate of about $1 million. Council members raised concerns that this allocation would be small relative to Pasadena’s contribution and emphasized seeking county services in the city. Other discussion covered shortages of mental-health treatment beds and staff, potential federal approval to expand facilities, and regional coordination; no related spending or contracting decision was made.