Share: A new parking permit system was implemented at PCC this semester, causing a major increase in parking tickets for both students and staff. The previous system, PayByPhone, was an app students and visitors could download on their phones for daily parking permits. The new system for daily parking permits is simply a QR code you can scan, which is located in the parking lots. The parking machines are also still available in each lot if people are unable to pay online. However, another issue …
BLOTTER: ‘It’s five o’clock somewhere’—morning drinkers make a drunk getaway from Lot 4
Share: Monday, Mar 30, 2026 2:56 a.m. – An officer found a homeless person at the IT Building and escorted him off campus. 8:31 a.m. – A man was found digging in a dumpster by kitchen staff and an officer advised him to leave and he did. 10:59 a.m.– A homeless man was found sleeping on the ground of the second floor men’s restroom in the C Building by staff and escorted off campus. 11:09 a.m.– A student fell and injured her knee during class …
‘A natural fit’: PCC and YMCA join forces to feed students
Share: The YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles has teamed up with Pasadena City College (PCC) to host a series of food distribution events at the Foothill PCC campus, in response to a growing community need for food insecurity relief. “We don’t have a food pantry [on this campus],” said Ashley Mejia, associate dean of Noncredit Student Services who works at PCC’s Foothill campus. At PCC’s Colorado campus, students can utilize the Lancer Pantry, which is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to …
PCC works toward Bachelor of Arts program, but universities aren’t happy
Share: In February 2026, there were three more bachelor’s degree programs approved at community colleges, despite opposition from California State Universities (CSUs) and Universities of California (UCs). Bachelor’s degree programs first started being offered in community colleges in 2014 under a temporary bill which then became permanent when Governor Newsom signed AB-927 into law. This law allows up to 30 new bachelor’s degree programs at community colleges each year with the caveat that the program being offered in a community college can’t duplicate a program …
Catering to students makes PCC’s geography program the best in the country
Share: Pasadena City College’s Geography Program was recently recognized as the best community college Geography program both in the state and in the nation, where it received the 2026 AAG Award for Community College Program Excellence from the American Association of Geographers (AAG). There are 210 community colleges in the United States that offer two year degrees in geography. Currently the program has awarded 160 credentials from 2018 to 2025 and 32 awards from the same period of time, more than any other California Community …
ASPCC goes to DC: Students lobby for larger loan limits
Share: Pasadena City College’s Associated Students are departing on an annual visit to Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress on behalf of the student body. The trip takes place from March 17 to 22, with a focus on making the Pell Grant, which covers tuition for low-income students, larger and tax-free. “The people that receive the Pell Grant need all the money that they get from it,” said Vice President of Executive Affairs Madalyn Lauterbach. “In order to benefit from it to the max, basically, they …
‘We’re in a bad situation’: Equity programs axed by federal funding cuts
Share: On September 12, 2025, the Trump administration’s crackdown on equity-centered initiatives within higher education affected Pasadena City College as a letter of discontinuance from the U.S. Department of Education announced its plan to terminate the federal funding of various equitable student programs. The letter specified how PCC’s grant proposal plans to use federal funding don’t align with new policies. “[As of] the Department’s [of Education] policy of prioritizing merit, fairness, and excellence in education…Pasadena CC’s application for funding states that the project will train …
PCC increases health fee to $28 to keep student clinic open
Share: PCC’s Student Health Fee has increased to $28 per regular semester as of Spring 2026 to keep up with gradually rising operational costs, according to the Student Health Center. “We’re completely funded by the student health fee,” Mindy Throop, Interim Director of Student Health Services said. “So [without the fee] I don’t get to run this entire medical clinic, I don’t get other funding.” In California, college boards are allowed to increase student fees by the same percentage increase as the IPD (Implicit Price …
PCC against ICE: ‘It’s not too late to join the fight’
Share: As Trump Administration doubles down on immigration laws, the demand to abolish ICE has skyrocketed since the first ICE raid as Americans continue to condemn the agency for discriminatory, illegal procedures. In response, student activism has seen a new wave across the country, including at PCC. At 1 p.m. on February 26, students will host a march from the Jack Scott Building to Pasadena’s City Hall to peacefully advocate for community rights and to stand together. These students, having been personally affected by ICE …
Trump halts and reviews all immigration from 19 countries of concern
Share: The Trump administration, through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), announced a temporary freeze on all asylum applications and renewals, as well as a pause on all immigration from 19 countries that previously had travel visas frozen. Affected countries include: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The USCIS memorandum announcing the policy included a clause that applicants from the countries accepted after January 1, …