Wednesday, October 21, 2026

PCC Board President Steve Gibson Runs for a Second Term

Area 3 incumbent faces David Coher in Nov. 3 election for seat covering Northwest Pasadena and southwest Altadena

Pasadena City College Board President Steve Gibson is seeking a second four-year term in a contested Nov. 3 election against Pasadena resident David Coher. The race will decide who represents Northwest Pasadena and part of southwest Altadena on the college district’s governing board.

Gibson, who announced his re-election campaign July 20, was first elected to the seven-member Pasadena Area Community College District Board of Trustees in 2022, defeating incumbent Berlinda Brown with 60.5% of the vote.

Area 3 includes PCC Northwest, the college’s satellite location on the John Muir High School campus. The trustees set district policy, approve budgets and oversee college leadership.

“It felt important for me to run. I’m proud of the things we have been able to achieve,” Gibson said in an earlier interview. He said he “felt obligated” to seek another four years “to continue the work that we’ve been doing at the college.”

Among his first-term priorities, Gibson cited improved health benefits for adjunct, or part-time, instructors and the expansion of skilled-trades training.

“I’m proud of increasing benefits for adjunct instructors at the college,” he said.

Gibson said he wants PCC graduates to move more directly into paid apprenticeships and other jobs.

“We’re hoping to work even more with unions in the area, unions in San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles to feed graduates directly into training, apprenticeship programs and internships where they can earn money while they’re doing on the job training,” he said.

At PCC Northwest, he wants more John Muir High School students to earn college credits and degrees without commuting to PCC’s main campus.

Students there, he said, “can actually get their AA community college degree while on campus at Muir and never having to come to the main PCC campus.”

Gibson also pointed to the Youth Service Corps, which he said pays young people to work with local nonprofits.

Gibson has the endorsement of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and the Pasadena Arroyo Democratic Club, according to the organizations’ published lists. His campaign also names the Democrats of Pasadena Foothills and U.S. Rep. Judy Chu among his supporters. The campaign lists endorsements from five of Gibson’s six current fellow trustees: Sandra Chen Lau, James Aragon, Kristine Kwong, Ryan Liu and Alton Wang. Gibson also said Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo has endorsed his re-election bid.

For Gibson, the board’s work remains tied to access to college programs.

“The role of a board member,” he said, “is to ensure that all those programs are funded and staffed so that they can provide services for as many people in the community who want to take advantage of these services.”

For more about Gibson, visit https://www.stevegibson4pcc.com/