Pasadena’s sole competitive City Council election next month is the first time a full District 3 term in office will be on the ballot since the death of former Councilman John J. Kennedy, the revered local leader who died during his term.
Kennedy won reelection in June 2022, but his death that year would lead to the City Council’s appointment of Justin Jones, a civil engineer whose family’s Pasadena ties go back more than 100 years, to fill the District 3 seat.
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The City Council reappointed Jones to serve out a shortened two-year term before Jones won a special election in 2024 to finish Kennedy’s term. At the time, Jones’ appointment was met with skepticism and some push back from members of the public and some on City Council who felt Brandon Lamar, the candidate who lost out to Kennedy in 2022, should be appointed to the seat.
Jones defeated Lamar in 2024 to retain the District 3 seat, which represents an area on the western and central portion of the city north of Colorado Boulevard, bounded by the 210 Freeway on the west, Washington Boulevard and Ladera Street on the north and Lake Avenue on the east. It covers much of the city’s downtown.
This year, Jones faces challenger Erica Muñoz, a housing navigator with Union Station Homeless Services.
“I thought I could bring just this technical expertise, this experience of community-driven knowledge of the city because my family has been here,” Jones said last week about why he sought the District 3 seat.
He said it’s never easy to replace someone after their death, and described Kennedy as a “giant in Pasadena.” Jones said he focused on meeting community members in his district where they were, with a goal of building a connection with his constituents.
“My ultimate goal is to leave the district better than I found it, and I think we’re making great progress,” Jones said.
He said District 3 constituents have brought up roadway improvements, street lights, traffic safety enhancements as examples of local issues that are important to them.
“It’s the quality-of-life issues that the residents in District 3 continuously bring up to me,” Jones said.
In addition, Jones said the broader goals of the City Council are in line with what is needed in District 3: affordable housing, expanding outreach and support to the unhoused population in the city and focusing on public safety and emergency preparedness.
Muñoz said housing affordability and displacement are the biggest challenges facing Pasadena’s future.
“District 3 has seen a large amount of new development, which has raised property values and rents, making it harder for existing residents to stay in their neighborhoods,” Muñoz wrote in response to Pasadena Star-News voter guide questions.
She said the city’s current approach to homelessness is “too reactive instead of preventative.”
“Too often, resources are focused on those already in chronic homelessness, while families and individuals who are one step away from losing their housing don’t get the support they need in time,” Muñoz wrote. “We also have to be honest about how funding is being used — too much goes toward administration and not enough directly into getting people housed.”