Infrastructure Financing

As part of the City’s current budget process and ongoing planning efforts, the City is evaluating long-term infrastructure improvements and gathering community input to help guide future decisions.

The City of South Pasadena is committed to maintaining safe, reliable streets and infrastructure that residents use every day. In order to deliver on this goal, the City is reviewing options to keep road maintenance and repair properly funded, including through additional revenue sources.

South Pasadena is a 3.44-square-mile city with an extensive network of infrastructure that is utilized daily. The City maintains:

• 69 miles of streets
• Dozens of traffic signals
• 83+ miles of water mains
• 60 miles of sewer lines
• 454 fire hydrants

Maintaining this system is an ongoing effort. City crews repair more than 1,000 potholes annually, while larger street resurfacing projects are completed as funding allows.

The City recently completed a Pavement Management Plan (PMP) which concluded that more than half of the City’s streets are in “poor” or “fair” condition and need to be repaired or reconstructed.  In addition to surface conditions, aging underground infrastructure, including water and sewer systems, require upgrades to help prevent failures such as leaks or sinkholes.

Roads requiring full reconstruction cost up to $2.5 million per mile. Without sufficient funding for a regular maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction program, street conditions will continue to deteriorate and costs will escalate over time.

The City has made ongoing investments in infrastructure across the city, including:

• $1.65 million for minor road repair over the next five years
• The $7.5 million Street Improvement Project, which provides water, concrete, and asphalt improvements to multiple residential streets and is expected to be completed in summer 2026
• The $42 million grant-funded Huntington Drive / Fremont Avenue Corridor Improvements Project, funded by Metro and Caltrans, which is tentatively scheduled to begin construction in early 2027
• Ongoing federal and regional grant-funded projects for traffic signals, bike infrastructure, and pedestrian safety
• Click Here for all of the City’s current street and infrastructure projects

However, many of these investments depend on restricted funding sources and grants, which can fluctuate year by year.

While core operating services are funded through South Pasadena’s Proposed General Fund budget for FY 2026-2027, which is currently balanced with approximately $45.5 million in revenues and $45.5 million in expenditures, General Fund revenues are insufficient to provide capital funding necessary to improve street conditions.

Most funding for infrastructure improvements comes from a mix of state-level gas taxes, Los Angeles County transportation funding (Measure R & M), and grants and restricted funds.

These sources help generate funds for the City to conduct basic repairs, but not enough to allow for necessary investments to catch up on critical reconstruction. 

The City is evaluating potential options to support infrastructure improvements and repairs, including a new revenue bond to be considered by local voters in November 2026.

Any new revenue source brought forward to South Pasadena voters, if approved, would be entirely invested in South Pasadena streets, sidewalks, and curbs. Voter approved local revenue cannot be appropriated or taken by any other entity, like the county, state or federal governments.

The City of South Pasadena will be hosting a series of Community Meetings to provide an overview of the City’s infrastructure, budget outlook, and long-term investment plans.

These meetings will also offer an opportunity to learn more, ask questions, and share input as the City explores options to address future capital investments.

• May 18 --  at 6 pm @ Council Chambers
  1424 Mission Street, South Pasadena, CA 91030.
• May 21 --  at 6 pm @ Library Community Room 
  1115 El Centro St, South Pasadena, CA 91030
• May 28 -- at 6 pm @ Council Chambers
  1424 Mission Street, South Pasadena, CA 91030.