PRIDE Relieved Prop. 2 Passed Test

The PRIDE organization and its legion supporters throughout Pasadena are gratified and relieved that the PRIDE-sponsored initiative, Proposition 2, has surmounted its first and most critical legal hurdle; a Superior Court just refused to grant an injunction that would have temporarily halted the continued implementation of Pasadena’s new growth-management ordinance.

Our faith in the judicial system and the sovereignty of the majority in a democratic electoral process has been reaffirmed. Congratulations are in order for the city’s legal counsel, who steadfastly defended the mandate of the people. We are confident that the city will continue to uphold the current law without fear, favor or compromise for so long as it prevails.

What this means is that Proposition 2 will eventually receive a full and equitable judicial review and will stand or fall on its actual merits rather than on the wishful thinking of opponents who lost an election. We have every expectation that the sound planning principles expounded in Proposition 2 will at that time be fully vindicated.

The essence of Proposition 2 is contained in its first two sections: Statement of Purpose and Intent, and Findings. These simply state that the residents and neighborhoods of Pasadena have had their desires neglected and ignored by the city and demand to be fully participatory in future land-use policy and city planning efforts. The rest of the initiative merely details the specifics of what they feel needs to be done--for starters.

This is the message of Proposition 2. The people of Pasadena don’t want to do the precise planning (ballot box planning), but they insist upon being included in every step of the planning process (participatory democracy).

This goal PRIDE seeks to attain. All Pasadena voters are by definition residents of Pasadena neighborhoods. PRIDE is by definition an advocate of the expressed interests of all Pasadena neighborhoods. You can’t get any broader-based than this!

TIM MATTHEWS

Pasadena