Share: Efforts to pressure the Pasadena City College (PCC) Foundation to divest from major polluters and defense contractors are pressing on, but the path forward remains unclear due to the foundation’s independent governance, fears of professional repercussions among faculty, and a lack of concrete action in response to student protests and resolutions. Following a 300-person demonstration led by the PCC Anti-War Club in late April, PCC’s student government unanimously passed a resolution calling on the foundation to divest from companies involved in fossil fuels and …
With book banning on the rise, California risks following suit
Share: While Pasadena is pushing back on book censorship through participation in events like Banned Books Week, Huntington Beach, Fresno, and other cities across California are becoming the target of efforts to ban books in libraries and public schools. These cities are following a wider national trend in states like Florida, Texas and other predominantly conservative areas. “Book bans are incredibly effective,” said young adult author and national leader of Authors Against Book Bans (AABB) Maggie Tokuda-Hall. “They target places where books are most accessible—in …
PCC’s foster youth programs remain strong despite statewide budget cuts
Share: Despite the massive cuts coming to the California state budget, foster youth programs, including those at Pasadena City College will not face significant cuts to their budgets, one of the many upsides during Foster Youth Awareness Month in May. At PCC, the foster youth program has four separate branches, including Scholars Transitioning And Realizing Success (STARS), NextUp, the Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE), and Extended Opportunity Programs & Services (EOP&S). The revised California May budget, as of now, has seen a slight increase …
Attempted sexual assault takes place on PCC’s main campus
Share: On Sunday morning a female “non-PCC student” reported an attempted rape at Pasadena City College’s main campus on the open patio of the Circadian to the Pasadena Police Department (PPD). The victim was transported to Huntington Hospital for treatment following the incident, however it is unclear on the type or severity of the injuries, according to PCC Spokesperson Alex Boekelheide. The suspect has not been located or identified and an investigation is ongoing with both the Police Department on campus and the PPD. The …
Associated Students unanimously passes divestment resolution
Share: In a unanimous vote, the Associated Students at Pasadena City College passed a resolution that pressures PCC and the school’s foundation to divest from major polluters and defense contractors by July 2025. The vote comes a week after around 300 students demonstrated on campus calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the foundation’s investments in companies linked to Israel’s military and profiting off war. “The Associated Students of Pasadena City College calls on Pasadena City College Foundation to refrain from making …
Learning deficiencies persist in all levels of education post-pandemic
Share: As many classrooms across the U.S. have returned to in-person schooling, a wider epidemic of a student learning deficit has lingered, impacting students at all levels of their education, including at colleges across the United States, and here at Pasadena City College. According to a Gallup panel poll from 2020, within the first few months of the pandemic, 3 in ten parents had claimed that their children were already suffering from mental harm, while 14 percent of parents polled believed that their children were …
Pasadena Hilton hotel workers won’t give up fight to unite
Share: Pasadena hotel staff have been on strike since July 2023 fighting for a new contract agreement that would grant them health care benefits, livable wages, and policies to protect workers rights that would benefit their long-hour commutes and heavy workloads. As the largest hotel worker strike in the history of the United States rages on, The fight for workers rights at the Hilton Pasadena pushes further. Signs in front of the hotel read “¡EN HUELGA!”, “ON STRIKE!” in protest of unfair labor rights. The …
Activists successfully pressure Pasadena to pass ceasefire resolution
Share: The City of Pasadena officially passed a bilateral ceasefire stating a return of all the hostages still held by Hamas. On Monday, March 18, the Pasadena Convention Center was packed with an energetic crowd as the city council discussed whether the city should take an official position on the war in Gaza. Before the meeting started, a pro-Palestinian crowd gathered a rally with chants outside the Convention Center. Police presence was also heavy as crowds entered the premises, with passions running high, as constituents …
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 …
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 …