How are Measure PFD and Measure I different?
Measure I taxes purchases and helps pay for general City services. Measure PFD would tax property based on building square footage and pay for specified fire and emergency-response needs. Compare what each tax applies to, how long it lasts, and how the money can be spent below.
Compare the taxes side by side
Scroll horizontally to compare both measures.
| Feature | Measure I | Measure PFD |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Approved by voters in November 2018. | On the November 3, 2026 ballot. |
| What is taxed, and how much? | A three-quarter-cent sales tax, equivalent to 0.75% of taxable purchases. | $0.19 per square foot of improved property annually, subject to exemptions. |
| How long does it last? | Until ended by voters, according to the ballot question. | 14 years after its effective date, unless extended by voters. |
| What can it pay for? | General City services, including fire, police, streets, homelessness services, and other listed purposes. | Specified fire facilities, equipment, emergency-response enhancements, and administration. |
| How is spending checked? | The ballot question requires audits and local control. | Annual independent audit, annual public report, and City Council oversight specified in the ordinance. |
Does Measure I support fire services?
Yes. Fire and paramedic services and keeping fire stations open were among the purposes named in Measure I’s ballot question. That question also listed other general-fund services. Measure I was never limited to fire stations.
The accompanying advisory question asked about using two-thirds of the annual revenue for City services and one-third for public schools. That advisory question differs from PFD’s proposed rules limiting how its money can be spent.
Measure PFD names reconstruction of Stations 33 and 37 within the first ten years among its purposes. Whether existing revenues should instead pay for those projects is a budget-policy question; the comparison alone does not establish that a particular project has already been funded.
Pasadena fire-funding timeline
The City’s capital plan distinguishes estimated project costs from appropriated funding. An appropriation authorizes funding; it does not establish how much has actually been spent. Completed work below is identified in the City’s project history.
2018: Measure I included fire services
The official ballot question (PDF) named fire and paramedic services and keeping stations open alongside other City services. It did not dedicate all revenue to station reconstruction.
FY 2020 to FY 2024: Renovation work progressed
Project 71911 began in FY 2020. The City reports tenant improvements at Station 33 completed in FY 2021 and Station 38’s retrofit and tenant improvements completed in FY 2024. These improvements are distinct from replacing an entire station. Read the project history, page 1.2 (PDF).
Through FY 2026: $7.675 million appropriated for renovations
The adopted FY 2027 to 2031 plan lists $7.675 million appropriated through FY 2026 for project 71911: $4.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, $3.15 million from the General Fund, and $125,000 from the Building Preventive Maintenance Fund. It lists another $1.95 million as unfunded. These figures describe the renovation program, not a paid invoice total or funding for full replacements of Stations 33 and 37. See the funding table (PDF).
FY 2027 to FY 2031 plan: Station replacements remain unfunded
The plan’s future-projects section lists the replacement of Station 37 at an estimated $30 million and Station 33 at an estimated $60 million, both unfunded. The City says costs need further definition or updating; these are planning estimates, not construction awards or Measure PFD spending commitments. See pages 1.19 and 1.20 (PDF).
November 2026: Voters consider Measure PFD
The proposed ordinance includes reconstruction of Stations 33 and 37 within its first ten years and restricts revenue to specified fire-related purposes. Adoption requires at least two-thirds of votes cast on the measure. Understand what each vote means.
The records reviewed here do not establish a transaction-level spending total or prove that Measure I paid for either full station replacement. The City’s capital-program page provides the underlying adopted documents.
Why we oppose Measure PFD
We believe City Hall should use existing resources to fund fire facilities before asking you to pay another property tax.
Sources: Measure PFD proposed ordinance; 2018 official election notice and ballot questions; City of Pasadena 2019 annual report; Adopted FY 2027 to 2031 capital plan: municipal facilities (PDF); Adopted FY 2027 to 2031 capital plan: future projects (PDF). Reviewed October 27, 2026.