Pasadena's Gordo leads early in bid for reelection as mayor

Mayor Victor Gordo was off to an early lead over challenger Allen Shay in the race to retain his seat, according to early results from Pasadena's municipal election Tuesday night.

The L.A. County RegistrarRecorder/Clerk released the first round of votes, consisting of vote-by-mail ballots received before election day, shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. Subsequent waves of results will include ballots that were cast at vote centers and in drop boxes, with updates expected throughout election night and into the coming days if need be, until official results are certified.

Here's where the early vote tally stood on Tuesday evening for races in Pasadena, which has four City Council seats and the mayoral position up for grabs, along with two seats on the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees, and three ballot measures that could amend the city's charter.

Mayor

Incumbent Mayor Victor Gordo led the race early on, with the 20-year councilmember earning 84% of the vote. Challenger Allen Shay, a real estate broker and former member of the city's Northwest Commission, earned 15%.

District 1

Incumbent Tyron Hampton is running unopposed for the

First District seat, which runs along the northernmost sliver of the city beginning with Colorado Boulevard on the south, bounded by the Arroyo Seco wash to the west and 210 Freeway to the east, before stretching to include the foothill communities north of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Hampton earned 100% of the vote.

District 2

Challenger Rick Cole, who serves on the Planning Commission and was mayor from 1992 to 1994, led the race to represent the district with 62% of the votes counted. Incumbent Felicia Williams held 37% of the vote to represent the district, which is bounded by Lake Avenue on the west, Colorado Boulevard to the south, Craig Avenue on the east, and the city limits to the north.

District 3

In the race to represent Pasadena's northwest community, incumbent Justin Jones led with 63% of the vote. Challenger Brandon Lamar garnered 36%. The race represents the first chance for district voters to voice their choice for who represents them on the council since late Councilmember John Kennedy was reelected in 2022.

District 4

Incumbent Gene Masuda led the three-way race, earning 69% of the vote in the district which encompasses the easternmost section of the city, including the Eaton Canyon Nature Center.

Jonathan Horton, vice chair of the city's Human Relations Commission, collected 22% of the votes counted, while John Doyle, a renewable energy developer, received 7%.

District 6

Incumbent Steve Madison is running unopposed for the seat, which anchors Pasadena's most western portion spanning to the Arroyo Seco Channel, and includes portions of the city south of East Colorado Boulevard and west of Marengo Avenue.

Madison earned 100% of the vote.

College Board of Trustees

The Pasadena Area Community College District is made up of seven seats representing districts within Arcadia, a portion of El Monte, La Cañada Flintridge, Pasadena, Rosemead, San Marino, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, and Temple City.

Trustee Area 2, spanning the foothill communities from Altadena to Sierra Madre, and Trustee Area 6, representing El Monte and Rosemead, are up for grabs. Each trustee is elected for a four-year term.

With incumbent Trustee James Osterling retiring, Area 2 is guaranteed to have a new representative, with PCC professor James Aragon and community advocate

Kevin D. Strotz vying for the seat.

Aragon is leading with 78% of the vote. Strotz garnered 21%.

Incumbent John Martin is also set to retire from his seat, leaving attorney and PCC graduate Ryan Liu to face off with Rosemead School District Board President John Quintanilla for the position.

Liu is ahead with 58% of the vote. Quintanilla garnered 41%.

Charter amendment ballot measures

Pasadena voters will also decide on three ballot measures that could make minor changes to the way the city conducts business, aimed at saving the city time and money while increasing financial oversight.

For Measure R, which would update city code to align its accounting practices with the industry standard, “yes” is leading with 90% of votes.

For Measure S, which would require the City Council to set limits on contracts, purchases, and claim approvals, “yes” is leading with 89% of votes.

For Measure T, which would allow the city to create alternative contract selection methods when bidding for services and projects, “yes” is leading with 91% of votes.