Thursday, October 22, 2026

PCC Trustee Kristine Kwong Seeks Re-election on Presidential Search, Dual Enrollment Record

Kristine E. Kwong, who has represented Trustee Area 5 on the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees since 2022, is seeking re-election on the Nov. 3 ballot against first-time candidate Jennifer Thompson.

Area 5 covers South Pasadena, San Marino and part of Temple City, one of seven trustee areas in the Pasadena Area Community College District. Districts 1, 3 and 5 are on the ballot this year, and voters will also decide a measure authorizing up to $485 million in district bonds for repairs and career facilities.

Asked what has changed since she campaigned in 2022 on the college’s leadership turnover and accreditation troubles, Kwong pointed first, in written responses, to the presidential search she led.

“In 2023 I served as the President of the Board and headed the presidential search,” she said. “After a nationwide search, the Board selected Dr. Jose Gomez, formerly a Provost at Cal State LA.”

Kwong was board president from July 2023 until April 2024. The board chose José A. Gómez, then serving as interim superintendent/president, as the college’s permanent superintendent/president at a special meeting on April 26, 2024. Before coming to PCC, Gómez was executive vice president, provost and chief operating officer at Cal State LA.

Announcing the selection, then-board president Alton Wang credited Kwong: “I also want to recognize the work of Trustee Kristine Kwong, our immediate past president, who shepherded this process from the beginning.”

Kwong said the board and Gómez “worked collaboratively in focusing on the mission of the college and ensuring its success with increased enrollment to above pre-pandemic levels, transparency in government, and fiscal prudence.”

Kwong said Gómez, the board and the college’s executive team responded with to the Eaton Fire with increased vocational opportunities and training, “partnering with industry leaders to ensure that we are prepared to help our community recover.”

In January, PCC broke ground on a Construction Trades Lab in Lot 3 of its main campus, the site that served as a community distribution center during the fire. The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office provided the college $1.5 million, $500,000 of it for the lab.

Kwong said the college does not build housing.

“Pasadena City College does not construct student housing but partners with local organization to provide assistance to students in need of housing,” she said.

Kwong is a partner in the Los Angeles office of the law firm Musick, Peeler & Garrett, where, according to her firm biography, she represents public and private clients including K-12 districts, colleges and public agencies. The biography also says she is experienced in labor negotiations with employee associations including SEIU, Teamsters, CTA, CSEA and SBPEA.

Asked how she has handled potential conflicts on the board, Kwong said, “There have been no conflicts of interest in any matter and have never had the need to recuse myself in any action item before the Board of Trustees.”

The PCC Faculty Association endorsed Kwong in 2022, and her campaign website lists the union among her endorsers this year. Asked how she stays independent from the union, Kwong said, “The Board of Trustees does not participate in collective bargaining.”

For Area 5, Kwong said she “advocated for dual enrollment in all three districts and currently dual enrollment for all three K-12 Districts is thriving and robust.”

PCC lists dual enrollment courses at San Marino High School, South Pasadena Middle and High schools, and Temple City High School.

“The students like the classes offered and the parents appreciate the opportunities PCC affords to k-12 students,” she said. Her campaign website credits her with helping launch San Marino High School’s World of Medicine pathway.

Looking ahead, Kwong named continued access to high-quality education as the college’s top priority, including dual enrollment, preparing students to transfer and increasing vocational training through outreach and partnerships with industry.

Kwong is a South Pasadena resident and a graduate of South Pasadena High School. She served on the city’s Parks & Recreation Commission and, earlier, its Transportation Commission. She holds a law degree from McGeorge School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from UC Riverside.

She won the seat in 2022 by unseating incumbent Linda Wah; with nearly all ballots counted, she led 52.76% to 47.24%.

Announcing that campaign, she said, “We cannot allow apathy, dysfunction, or mismanagement to keep students from succeeding.”

For more, visit https://www.kristineforpcc.com/