Hostile public comments disrupt structure of Academic Senate meetings

Share: Over the last several months, the Pasadena City College Academic Senate (AS) drew ire from a professor and one particularly derogatory student when they stopped publicly airing their meetings on YouTube, momentarily banning public comment on non-agenda items before moving them to the end of meetings. Like many public governmental bodies, the AS started livestreaming their meetings over YouTube as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic but sporadically live streamed, recorded, and published meetings before the pandemic, beginning as early as 2012. The AS …

Courier sweep! Our state journalism awards roundup

Share: This story has been updated to include links to our award winners This past weekend, The Courier attended the Journalism Association of Community College’s (JACC) regional competition in La Jolla, California. Writers and Editors attended workshops and other keynotes to learn more about the industry and also competed in several on-the-spot competitions. The competitions ranged from timed writing assignments to wider ranging video and social media components. The Courier managed to bring home 24 total awards across 15 competitions along with a mail-in contest …

Two new members to join the Board of Trustees in April

Share: Two new trustees have been elected to the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees along with one who returns after running unopposed in last week’s election. The two new trustees are James Aragon from Area 2, which encompasses Northern Altadena, the national forest and parts of Pasadena and Ryan Liu from Area 6 which includes portions of Arcadia, El Monte, Rosemead, San Gabriel and Temple City. Tammy Silver represents Area 4, which covers parts of Pasadena, East Pasadena, Temple City and San Gabriel, and …

Final approval awaits for PCC foster youth housing

Share: Pasadena City College is set to open a housing complex for foster youth in Pasadena near the Foothill campus to house PCC students in the foster youth program at the college. In late February PCC met with First Place for Youth to set the final details for the housing complex and added an additional ten to twelve units, up from the initial 6 units. The ten to twelve units won’t immediately be available when the complex opens. There was a lot of back-and-forth between …

PCC management seeks more bargaining power, pursues formal unionization

Share: The Management Association (MA) at the January Board of Trustees meeting announced that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721 submitted the MA’s intent to unionize to the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB). “SEIU Local 721’s ability to bargain effectively for our members coupled with our dedication to empowering all Americans is what makes our union a growing and formidable political force locally, statewide and nationally,” SEIU 721’s website said. “We recognize our value. We understand the direct correlation between effective public services …

After vote of no confidence, PCC gets extension on presidential search

Share: Over the last few months as Pasadena City College continues the process searching for a new permanent Superintendent-President, the Board of Trustees and the search firm assisting the college, AGB Search, has worked with PCC’s shared governance groups to shift timelines and address issues after a vote of no confidence was issued in late January. Despite the positive changes the Board and the search firm have faced continued criticism from PCC’s shared governance groups for how they had conducted the process, facing allegations of …

BLOTTER: Dude, where’s my car? Oh there it is

Share: Monday, February 26, 2024 12:53 a.m.: A female in a vehicle at the CEC campus in Lot C was seeking a place to stay for the night. An officer advised her of the no overnight parking policy and she left. 3:16 a.m.: A vehicle occupant in Lot 3 was looking for a place to sleep. An officer advised the driver of the policy and the person left the premises. 3:37 a.m.: An officer informed two females in a vehicle in Lot 5 that the …

Local voters feel privacy was violated in Pasadena district 3 mailer

Share: A recent mailer sent out by Justin Jones’ campaign over the weekend to Pasadena’s district 3 voters included a list of several local residents that supposedly officially supported his campaign, however some that appeared on that list do not support Jones and did not consent to having their full names and street of residence publicly shared. Jones was appointed by the city council in late 2022 after the unexpected passing of late council member, John Kennedy who had previously held the seat in district …

A comprehensive guide to free money at PCC and more

Share: As Pasadena City College returns for a new semester, both new and returning students have access to different types of resources, from free Metro passes to food assistance–-all provided at discounted cost or completely free with just a PCC student ID. One of the resources that students with ID can acquire on campus is the U pass that covers bus fare. Another is being able to rent books or Chromebooks from the PCC Shatford library. The big kicker comes outside of campus, where students …

PCC enrollment numbers for spring rise 16% from spring 2023

Share: Pasadena City College’s in-person and online student enrollment has reached a new high for the spring semester in the post COVID-19 era as the 2024 spring semester has rolled in, signaling an end to a time defined by a pandemic and a slow recovery to in-person education. This is also the first time since January 2021 that PCC has had a winter intersession. For the 2024 spring semester, a total of 23,431 students are enrolled in classes at the college, according to PCC spokesperson …