Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Chu Secures $1 Million for Jackie Robinson Community Center

By EDDIE RIVERA

US Congresswoman Judy Chu (center) joins Pasadena Councilmember Justin Jones (to her right); Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo (to her left), along with City and department officials Monday, as she presents a $1,000,000 check for renovations to the Jackie Robinson Community Center.

Federal funds will pay for accessibility upgrades, kitchen remodel, and the return of a beloved pottery program

Congresswoman Judy Chu stood on stage at the Jackie Robinson Community Center in Pasadena Monday morning and presented the City a $1 million federal check that officials say has been a long time coming.

“This center needed some love,” Chu said. “This center needed an injection of funds.”

The money, secured through the federal community project funding process, will pay for facility-wide ADA accessibility upgrades, energy-efficient lighting, HVAC maintenance, staff area remodeling, a kitchen renovation, and the revival of the center’s pottery program, which had been discontinued.

Chu said she requested the funding as part of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process, a mechanism that Congress members use to direct federal dollars toward specific projects in their districts. The practice, once known as earmarking, was suspended for a decade before House Democrats restored it in 2021 with new oversight requirements, including that a requested project must carry broad institutional support in the surrounding community.

Since then, Chu noted, she has brought more than $80 million in federal funding to her district.

Getting this particular million across the finish line was not simple. Chu described a process that moved through multiple layers of approval, from the appropriations subcommittee to the full committee, then to a House floor vote, then to the Senate, and finally to the President’s signature.

“It was really touch and go,” she said. “We held our breath a few times.”

One factor that helped move the bill forward, Chu noted, was that Republican members of Congress have their own community project requests riding alongside Democratic ones. “It benefits everybody,” she said. “It benefits all their communities too.”

Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo and District 3 Councilmember Justin Jones stood alongside Chu at the announcement. Jones, who grew up near the center, said the investment was long overdue and pointed to the facility’s role in serving residents across multiple generations.

“It’s a new day,” Jones said, “in the city of Pasadena.”

Gordo thanked Chu, city staff from the Public Works and Recreation and Parks departments, and interim City Manager Matt Hawksworth for their roles in moving the project forward. A ribbon cutting ceremony is planned once the improvements are complete.