The Pasadena City Council member for District 3 will face questions of balancing the budget and how to use roughly 50 acres of land along an abandoned 710 Freeway extension.
Jordan Rynning
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The northern section of District 3 was the childhood home of Jackie Robinson and now is home to Robinson Park. The City Hall and Pasadena Memorial Park also are part of the district, across the 210 Freeway to the south. District 3 currently is represented by Councilmember Justin L. Jones.
What’s at stake in this race
The City of Pasadena is going to have some difficult choices ahead, including how to balance a budget with a growing structural deficit and how to use roughly 50 acres of land along an abandoned 710 Freeway extension.
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The three City Council members to be elected this year will join four incumbent council members and the mayor to make these policy decisions and much more over their four-year terms.
What does a City Council member do in Pasadena?
Sets policies and passes ordinances: think local rules, regulations and fees
Decides where to spend about $1.5 billion and how to pay for it by approving the city budget
Appoints members to committees and hires the city manager, city attorney and city clerk
Authorizes city contracts with labor partners and vendors
Decides how city property (such as the Rose Bowl) can be used or renovated
Here are some of the things Pasadena City Council members don’t do:
Decide who leads the Pasadena Police Department — the city manager does that
Choose who leads the Pasadena Unified School District — that’s the Pasadena Unified School District Board, and they’re directly elected by voters
As voters prepare for the June 2 primary, AirTalk host Larry Mantle speaks with candidates in longform, one-on-one conversations.
Fast facts about the Pasadena City Council:
After Measure PC was approved by voters in 2024, councilmembers are now limited to serving a total of five four-year terms
In Pasadena, the maximum salary for a City Council member as of June 2025 was $23,290.02
You will see a Pasadena City Council race on your ballot only if you live in Pasadena Districts 3, 5 or 7.
What’s on the agenda for next term:
Balancing the budget: The most recent city budget summary (for fiscal year 2026) highlighted that the city’s finances are “stable but strained” and that “growing deficits are forecast for the foreseeable future.”
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The 710 Freeway “stub”: In 2022, Caltrans returned about 50 acres of land to the city after a planned extension of the 710 was cancelled. The City Council will decide how to use the land and properties it owns there. The city has sold some homes on the land and the City Council will weigh a number of uses for the remaining property, including creating open space, building affordable housing or focusing on business uses.
Appointing a new city manager: The city manager has a lot of responsibility in Pasadena, and Miguel Márquez is retiring later this year once a replacement is chosen. The city manager oversees the city’s $1.5 billion budget, 15 city departments and about 2,200 staffers.
Negotiating major contracts: Not only is Pasadena in an ongoing lawsuit to keep UCLA football at the Rose Bowl beyond the 2026 season, but the city also is about to start a new round of negotiations with its 11 union labor partners. The City Council will give the final say on what can be approved in any new or amended contracts, and those decisions could change the services residents receive.
What it takes to win:
A candidate will win the election if they receive more than 50% of their district’s votes in the June primary. If no candidate breaks 50% in June, the top two finishers compete in a runoff election in the fall.
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The candidates for Pasadena City Council District 3
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Some candidates did not reply to our requests for images. Some did not have a campaign website and/or list of endorsements available online at the time of publication. We will update this guide as more candidate information becomes available.
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Justin L. Jones, incumbent/engineer
Justin Jones
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Courtesy Justin Jones
)
Justin L. Jones is the incumbent City Council member and a civil engineer at the L.A. County Department of Public Works. He served as chair of both the Environmental Advisory and Human Relations commissions in Pasadena before being appointed to the City Council in 2022.
Jones was chosen by the council to fill the seat of late Councilmember John J. Kennedy, who died in July 2022. Jones then was elected in 2024 to finish the remaining two years of the term. He now chairs the City Council’s municipal services committee and sits on the Public Safety and Housing committees.
Before Mayor Victor Gordo’s State of the City address in January, Jones highlighted his work with the mayor, colleagues on the council and community partners to support residents when federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding lapsed in October. He also has written in Pasadena Now to urge the city to acknowledge its history of racial discrimination and, looking forward, to consider carefully how it approaches opportunities with AI, large data centers and other emerging technologies.
Rep. Judy Chu has endorsed Jones, calling him a strong leader for Pasadena on “environmental issues, clean energy and the quality-of-life concerns that matter to our communities.” Jones did not respond to LAist’s requests to be interviewed.
Erica Margarita Múnoz is a housing navigator at Union Station Homeless Services in Pasadena, where she helps connect unhoused people with permanent supportive housing. She also works part time as a crisis interventionist, helping to bring youth to behavioral or rehabilitation programs, and as a paralegal. Múnoz told LAist she has lived in District 3 for most of her life and has a passion to see it thrive.
She said housing is her main focus. While she knows there are some housing resources currently available in Pasadena, she hears from residents who don’t know they exist, let alone how to access them. Múnoz said she would like to see the city be more effective at connecting people with resources and to make Pasadena a more affordable place to live.
Múnoz said that if elected, she would also work to bring more year-round programming for youth and additional resources to help seniors live comfortably in their Pasadena homes.
Independent or outside committees can raise and spend without limits — but they're barred from coordinating with a candidate. A chart will appear above when any outside committees have spent money to support or oppose a candidate in this race. Updated every Tuesday and Thursday.
How to get involved:
The City Council has scheduled meetings 5 p.m. every Monday at Pasadena City Hall — 100 N. Garfield Ave., Room S249.
Members of the public who attend City Council meetings in person or virtually are allowed up to three minutes to speak during a public comment period, starting near the beginning of each meeting — instructions can be found here.
The city generally posts agendas for City Council meetings by 6 p.m. the Thursday before each meeting — you can find them on this calendar.
What questions do you have about this election?
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Two candidates are competing to represent a part of the city that includes the Pasadena Playhouse, Caltech and Pasadena City College.
As voters prepare for the June 2 primary, AirTalk host Larry Mantle speaks with candidates in longform, one-on-one conversations.
