[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 12, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1915]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE SERVICE OF PASADENA CITY COUNCILMAN CHRIS HOLDEN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 12, 2012

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Chris Holden for his 
23 years of service on the Pasadena, California, City Council. A 
graduate of Pasadena High School and San Diego State University, Chris 
was a basketball star in school and played professionally overseas. He 
then returned to California to give back to his community by spending 
the great majority of his life in serving the city he loves.
  He was first elected to the Pasadena City Council in 1989 at the age 
of 28 as the youngest member of the Council, and served until he 
resigned in November 2012, upon his election to the California State 
Assembly. In 1997, Chris was chosen by his colleagues to serve a two-
year term as Mayor of Pasadena, the first African-American man to hold 
that position.
  During his years on the City Council, Chris served his Pasadena 
district with distinction, championing efforts to establish a living 
wage in Pasadena, crack down on slumlords, create drug-free zones, and 
bring development, jobs, and services to Northwest Pasadena. Chris has 
also been a strong supporter of deregulation of Pasadena's municipal 
utility, a leader of charter reform that created a city-wide elected 
mayor, and a proponent of policies and projects that have revitalized 
Pasadena, such as the Paseo Colorado, Old Pasadena, and the Pasadena 
Convention Center.
  His service as a long-time Board member of the Burbank-Glendale-
Pasadena Airport Authority and supporter of the creation and expansion 
of the Los Angeles to Pasadena Gold Line clearly demonstrates his 
commitment to the entire region.
  I know that Chris will be missed in Pasadena City Hall, but I am 
pleased that he has chosen to bring his unique talents on our behalf to 
Sacramento. I join my colleagues in thanking Chris for his service and 
wish he, his wife Melanie, and their children, Nicholas, Alexander, 
Austin, Mariah, and Noah the best in this new chapter of their lives.

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