Meet the Mayor

Pasadena Mayor Victor M. Gordo is hard-pressed to pick his favorite local restaurant. “I think we have a great array of food and entertainment,” says the lifelong Pasadena resident, who immigrated from Zacatecas, Mexico with his parents as a young child.

In grade school and throughout his teens, Gordo worked as a paperboy for the Pasadena Star-News. He graduated from Pasadena High School and enrolled in Pasadena City College before transferring to Azusa Pacific University, becoming the first person in his family to attend college. He later went to law school at La Verne College of Law.

Elected for his first mayoral term in 2020, Gordo has since clinched his second term in office.

“My family has a handful of places we like to visit in Pasadena, but I would encourage people to explore a bit more the restaurants that have popped up in and around our city,” says Gordo. “Some of the smaller restaurants—and businesses—that are independently owned are truly amazing.”

Below, Gordo talks with Pasadena about key issues affecting the city.

A lot of street vendors–from coffee kiosks to fruit stands–have popped up in Pasadena over the past year or so. Can you speak to this trend?

Over 20 years ago, the city adopted a street vendor ordinance. At that point, we were ahead of our time. Now, some people have just discovered this ordinance for the first time and more and more people are utilizing it to establish small businesses. So long as these vendors follow the dictates of the ordinance and follow the rules set out by the Health Department, these businesses can add both labor and economic opportunity to our city pool. I know some of the food vendors myself, and they are creating economic opportunity.

Finding permanent homes for the unhoused in the Pasadena area remains a pressing issue. What is the local government doing to help solve this crisis?

The homeless population has decreased over the last few years, but regrettably, there are still people who find themselves homeless and we are continuing to utilize our entire team to address these issues. Our team comprises police officers, social workers, medical workers, firefighters, paramedics, and mental health workers. One of the challenges that we're facing is that some of the chronically homeless people that we are trying to assist are also struggling with other issues. Sometimes it's mental health, sometimes it's substance abuse, and sometimes they present with a dual diagnosis where they have both substance abuse and mental health issues. And that makes it very complicated. We are also working with local housing developers to construct and provide more permanent supportive housing for individuals in need.

What is the city doing to reduce gun violence in Pasadena?

We're taking a comprehensive approach to gang violence, and most of the crime [in Pasadena] is perpetrated overwhelmingly by gang members, so there’s the [law] enforcement component. We also need to do prevention and intervention, and that means keeping people away from gangs, and increasing opportunities for individuals to be productive, contributing members of our community. That means job training and job opportunities, recreation opportunities, and other social activities. There’s no question that there are too many guns on the streets, and in the hands of the wrong people.

Going forward, what will you do as mayor to support Pasadena’s public schools?

The school district is governed by a separate, elected board of directors. That said, I firmly believe in supporting our public schools. I like people–parents, and students–to be active participants in that discussion because we all have to do everything we can to ensure that kids who are in the public school system, as I was growing up, have every opportunity to be successful and contributing members of our community.

Rates of antisemitism in America have spiked over the past several years. What can we do to combat antisemitism, and racism of all kinds?

Antisemitism simply isn't acceptable anywhere, particularly right here in our community. And I will continue to lend my support to all communities, particularly those that are feeling the impacts of what's happening in other parts of the world, and that includes the Jewish community. I denounce antisemitism and will do all that I can to stop it. Having said that, Pasadena is a very welcoming and embracing city. We've seen people stand up to racism and bigotry and I would encourage each of us to do so in our everyday lives. Take a moment to get to know your neighbors. Take a moment to get to know people. Take a moment to say hello to strangers as you go about your daily lives. I think we all have a desire to get along with each other and ensure that our community is safe and welcoming to everyone.