Let me begin by congratulating our local graduates! This past school year was the most challenging in our nation’s history, but our students and teachers handled it with grace and determination. The Class of 2021 has a good reason to be proud. May the Lord bless your endeavors as you grow to become the future of Pasadena.

On May 18, Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order (GA-36) which lifts COVID-19 restrictions (including mask mandates) for all governmental entities. That being said, the wearing of masks in any City of Pasadena facility will now be optional. We are working to restore staffing and operating hours back to full capacity in all our buildings and look forward to a return of our summer events and community service programs.

In closing, I want to thank everyone for their support and vote of confidence during our recent City election. I am honored serve a second term as your mayor. It has been my privilege to lead the City of Pasadena these last four years, and I am looking forward to even more growth and progress. As a reminder, there are still two run-off elections happening on June 15 for Pasadena City Council Districts B and E. Voting locations can be found at www.harrisvotes.com

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush recently visited Pasadena to award $47.2 million for a major Flood Mitigation Project from the Texas General Land Office. These funds will pay to mitigate and relieve severe coastal flooding impacts that occur as the result of hurricanes and other weather events. This project will separate storm water distribution and create additional storage for storm waters in Vince Bayou and Little Vince Bayou, as well as reduce major floodplain losses in Armand Bayou. It will also rehabilitate existing pipe systems and install a new trench protection system at Little Patch Bayou.

In coordination with our annual Police Week Remembrance Ceremony, the City of Pasadena renamed four streets in memory of our city’s fallen officers:

• Officer Larry Candelari (EOW: 4/26/2013)

• Officer Arthur Dowdy (EOW: 12/24/1944)

• Officer Les Early (EOW: 11/5/1993)

• Officer Jesse Hamilton (EOW: 8/21/2009)

A rededication of Jeff Ginn Memorial Drive also took place at the event, and Officer Pete Mejia, who recently passed away from COVID-19, was recognized. A future memorial for Officer Mejia is in the planning stages.

The redevelopment of Pasadena’s Warehouse District, near Shaw Street, continues to take shape. Artists are hard at work, enhancing the area with pop culture murals. A recent celebration was held to honor Pasadena’s female Olympians, Marlen Esparza and Emily Chen.

Hurricane Season is just around the corner and our Office of Emergency Management is thrilled to announce the return of our in-person Hurricane Workshop and Community Safety Fair on June 5 (10 AM – 2PM) at the Pasadena Convention Center. This family-friendly event will feature educational activities and a 2021 hurricane forecast from Harris County Chief Meteorologist, Jeff Linder.