Fire, Wildfire and Emergency Response Parcel Tax
Pasadena
Summary
The council is weighing a parcel tax, likely based on developed square footage at $0.17-$0.24 per square foot, to fund about $230 million in fire improvements: a training center, new ambulances, a ladder truck, and rebuilding stations 33 and 37. It needs two-thirds voter approval and the decision comes August 3. Firefighters and fire management leaders urged the council to stay focused on it.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 10
- Last 30 days
- 3
Last discussed Aug 3, 2026.
Impact analysis
Roughly $230 million over ten years, costing a typical 1,600-square-foot homeowner somewhere around $270-$390 a year depending on the rate chosen.
All Pasadena residents and businesses who rely on fire and EMS response, especially neighborhoods near aging stations 33 and 37.
Property owners, including seniors on fixed incomes, would bear the new tax; the Apartment Association opposed any parcel or transfer tax.
Mentions & discussions (10)
Political Gumbo: We Endorse… – Pasadena Now
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Your guide to Pasadena Measure PFD: A special parcel tax to fund the fire department
Your guide to Pasadena Measure PFD: A special parcel tax to fund the fire department Los Angeles Times
City of Pasadena Measure PFD: What to know about the tax to support the Fire Department
City of Pasadena Measure PFD: What to know about the tax to support the Fire Department LAist
City Council Meeting: (Audio Description) - Aug 3, 2026
The council put a $0.19-per-square-foot parcel tax on the November ballot to raise about $22 million a year for rebuilding fire stations 33 and 37, a new ninth station, a training center, and new ambulances and equipment. It now needs two-thirds voter approval. A 14-year sunset and seismic retrofit guarantee were added to win support.
City Council Meeting: - Aug 3, 2026
A proposed $0.19-per-square-foot parcel tax would raise about $22.1 million a year to rebuild fire stations 33 and 37, build a ninth station and training center, and add ambulances and brush clearance. It goes to voters in November with a 14-year sunset and a low-income senior exemption. A typical 1,600-square-foot home would pay about $304 a year.
City Council Meeting: (Audio Description) - Jul 20, 2026
The council is deciding whether to send a parcel tax to voters to fund new fire stations, a training center, more ambulances and a ninth station. Homeowners could pay $272-$384 a year on a 1,600-square-foot home. The decision comes August 3, and it needs two-thirds voter approval.
City Council Meeting: - Jul 20, 2026
The council is weighing a parcel tax, likely based on developed square footage at $0.17-$0.24 per square foot, to fund about $230 million in fire improvements: a training center, new ambulances, a ladder truck, and rebuilding stations 33 and 37. It needs two-thirds voter approval and the decision comes August 3. Firefighters and fire management leaders urged the council to stay focused on it.
City Council Meeting: (Audio Description) - Jul 13, 2026
The council wants to ask voters this November to fund a fire package: rebuilding Stations 33 and 37, adding a ninth station, a new headquarters and a live-fire training center. Staff will bring back a detailed expenditure plan and rate by August 3. Nothing is on the ballot yet.
City Council Meeting: - Jul 13, 2026
Facing a structural deficit, the council is weighing new taxes for the November ballot. It unanimously directed staff to draft a fire-focused parcel tax covering station rebuilds, a new station, headquarters and a training center, and will revisit a parking tax next week. Housing advocates pushed a real property transfer tax for affordable housing instead.
City Council Meeting: - May 18, 2026
A speaker urged the council to fund the fire department with a standalone parcel tax rather than lumping it with public works, citing underfunding before the Eaton Fire and a state audit prompted by her advocacy.
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