Pasadena property owners are being asked to pay an annual tax of 19 cents per square foot of their buildings to fund a long list of fire department upgrades, from earthquake-proofing two aging stations to hiring three dozen more firefighters. Measure PFD appears on the November 3 ballot and needs support from two-thirds of voters to pass, a high bar that has set off a pointed fight between City Hall, labor unions and elected officials on one side, and real estate industry groups on the other.
The tax would apply uniformly to residential, commercial and other properties based on building square footage, according to the City of Pasadena. For a typical 1,600-square-foot home, that works out to about $304 a year, or roughly $25.33 a month, per the city's official fact sheet. The measure is projected to raise approximately $22.1 million annually and would expire after 14 years.
Why City Leaders Say the Money Is Needed
Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin has said the department simply does not have the capacity to serve a city that is projected to keep growing over the next five to 10 years, as reported by the Pasadena Star-News. Augustin has also said Fire Stations 33 and 37 do not meet seismic standards, and both are considered too deteriorated to simply patch up. According to the Los Angeles Times, the city determined that stations 33 and 37 need to be demolished and rebuilt entirely because of their poor condition and seismic retrofit needs.
Rebuilding Station 33 is estimated to cost approximately $30.5 million, while Station 37 would run about $34 million, per the city's fact sheet. A brand-new fire station, which the measure would eventually fund as a ninth station for the city, is projected to cost approximately $37.8 million. Per the Los Angeles Times, Mayor Victor Gordo and the City Council asked Augustin to develop a plan for a more fire-ready Pasadena, and the department analyzed its own dispatch records to document the need for more resources before the Council voted in August 2026 to place the measure on the ballot.
The Eaton Fire Looms Over the Campaign
The push for new fire funding follows the Eaton fire, which killed at least 19 people and destroyed close to 10,000 homes and businesses in neighboring Altadena, according to a LAist voter guide. The Los Angeles Times reports the fire served as a wake-up call to Pasadena city leaders. Supporters point to the city's aging infrastructure as part of the problem: many Pasadena fire stations were built in the 1950s, and Augustin has said 911 call volume has increased tenfold since then, per the Times.
The department has also taken on responsibilities it didn't always have, according to the Los Angeles Times, including medical calls once handled by a separate emergency center, along with hazardous materials incidents and widespread brush fires. The Pasadena Fire Department describes itself as an “all hazard” response agency covering emergency medical services, fires and technical rescues, according to a 2022 city agenda report, and an earlier city report noted the department was supporting more than 18,000 annual service calls.
Where the Money Would Go
If approved, Measure PFD revenue would flow into a special fund restricted to fire stations, apparatus, equipment and staffing, per the city's fact sheet. Beyond rebuilding stations 33 and 37, the Los Angeles Times reports the city plans to use the money to hire 36 more firefighters, add a battalion chief, purchase another ladder truck and two additional ambulances, and build a training center alongside an additional fire station. The city's own timeline shows a new seventh rescue ambulance arriving in years three through five, with work on a ninth fire station beginning in year six or later.
Firefighters have long advocated for their own training center, according to the Los Angeles Times, since they currently train at a makeshift facility at a shuttered elementary school and must travel to Glendale, Alhambra and Santa Fe Springs for technical training. The measure would also fund year-round brush clearance in government-owned common areas — a task Pasadena Parks and Recreation currently handles but only has funding to perform part of the year, per the Times. The measure includes an exemption for qualified low-income senior property owners, along with requirements for independent audits and public disclosure of spending, according to the city.
Why Opponents Say Enough Is Enough
Not everyone is convinced another tax is the answer. The Pasadena Star-News editorial board and former city official William Paparian both oppose Measure PFD, according to the Los Angeles Times. Daniel Yukelson believes the city should fund fire department priorities through its general fund and cut costs elsewhere if necessary, telling the Times he disagrees with raising the money through the proposed measure. As executive director, Yukelson has also said rent control leaves rental property owners with few options to recoup measure-related costs, since Pasadena rental property owners are subject to strict rent control standards.
Opposition financing is coming largely from real estate interests: the Los Angeles Times reports the California Assn. of Realtors and the International Assn. of Realtors are primary financial backers of the No on Measure PFD campaign, while the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles also opposes the measure. The Times notes Pasadena homeowners already face 12 direct assessments and voted indebtedness tax measures beyond the general tax levy. Critics have also pointed to 2018's Measure I, which permanently raised the sales tax by 0.75% to fund general city services including fire and emergency services and keep fire stations open; it has since raised $147 million for Pasadena's general fund, though the Times reports the city has spent only a small portion of those funds on repairs and maintenance for stations 33 and 37. The Times reports the city committed roughly $20 million over the prior six years to upgrade apparatus and equipment and remodel two fire stations, which opponents say shows the city lacks sufficient budget discipline to justify a new levy — a characterization the city disputes, saying it lacks sufficient budget funds for further fire department needs.
A Fight Over Who Speaks for Firefighters
The campaign has also turned personal. According to the Los Angeles Times, the No on Measure PFD campaign described city-hosted informational sessions — which feature presentations from Augustin and other staff and which the city encouraged neighborhood associations and homeowner groups to host — as campaign stops in a press release. Consultant Matt Klink said the city has turned the fire department into the grassroots campaign arm for Yes on PFD, per the Times. Augustin has countered that he merely provided factual information so residents could understand their choices.
The Yes on Measure PFD campaign has accused the No campaign of running a digital ad and using website language suggesting local firefighters oppose the measure, according to the Los Angeles Times. Raffy Bitchakdjian said Pasadena firefighters do not support a No on Measure PFD position and called the opposition's use of firefighters' name and likeness deceptive, per the Times. The Pasadena Firefighters Assn. is the measure's largest financial supporter, the Times reports, and the measure has drawn backing from Mayor Gordo, the full City Council, state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and the United Nurses Assns. of California-Union of Health Care Professionals.
How Pasadena's Measure Compares
Pasadena's proposal isn't the only fire-funding parcel tax Southern California voters have weighed recently. Los Angeles County's Measure E, passed in 2024, levied a 6-cent-per-square-foot tax on certain property improvements and was expected to generate $152 million a year for the county fire department, which at the time cited a $1.6 billion budget and an $18 million projected structural deficit, according to LAist. Unlike Pasadena's measure, Measure E only needed a simple majority to pass. Pasadena's 19-cent rate is more than triple that county rate, and Measure PFD's two-thirds threshold means a smaller bloc of opposed voters could sink it even if a clear majority favors it.
If Measure PFD fails, the No campaign has argued that existing crews, apparatus and Pasadena's eight current fire stations would continue serving the community with available resources, according to the Pasadena Star-News. The Los Angeles Times reports Augustin has framed the stakes differently, saying there simply are not enough dollars in the current budget, which is why the question is going before voters on November 3.
