While we wait for the next shoe to drop in the seemingly never-ending line of controversial footwear being tossed by the Trump administration, protest rallies are being staged across the nation.
Many are held in front of Tesla stores, including the recent International Women’s Day protest of March 8, 2025 at the company’s storefront in Old Pasadena.
Though the protestors have a long list of grievances ranging from government data security and federal employees being fired, to the creation of government-for-billionaires, Pasadena protest participants were additionally tasked with keeping to the sidewalk, not to block businesses and not make too much noise.
Why Pasadena protestors are so noise conscious
At issue, unresolved since January of 2023, is the ACLU-twigged unconstitutional Pasadena Noise Ordinance, which is allegedly in violation of the First Amendment in its present form.
When local Hilton Hotel employees went on strike two years ago, Pasadena City Police arrested three protestors for violating the city’s noise ordinance because the strikers used bullhorns and drums during their sidewalk protests.
After the arrests, in its characteristically respectful but firm manner, the ACLU informed the City of Pasadena of its opinion that the noise ordinance was unconstitutional, as it allegedly violated the First Amendment right to protest peacefully.
For reference, the First Amendment reads:“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Upon receipt of the ACLU’s “know your rights” notice, charges were quickly dropped against the protestors and the City Attorney’s office was instructed by the Pasadena City Council to rewrite the Pasadena Noise Ordinance.
Two years later, we’re still waiting for that rewrite.
In our string of correspondence from November 21, 2024, the city’s Public Information Officer, Lisa Derderian, wrote “In October 2024 the City Council approved two revisions to the noise ordinance – the deletion of the section prohibiting drumming outside of certain circumstances and the section specifically regulating hawkers and peddlers.”
A 28-page fact sheet was attached, which included information about typical noise levels for common events.,
The PIO also included in her November reply: “Simultaneously, the planning department has begun the work necessary to make more comprehensive changes to the ordinance and is going to be issuing an RFP for a noise consultant who will assist the City with updating the noise elements, creating noise zones and making updates to the noise ordinance.”
We are also still waiting for issuance of the RFP to engage a noise consultant so they can tell us how loudly we can beat the drum.
In late December we reached out again, asking about the timeline for getting the ordinance modifications on the Ed-Tech Committee calendar and asking for an update from the staff of the City Manager’s Office, City Attorney’s Office, Planning Department and Police Department who are all supposed to be working on further revisions.
We were informed that the city “should have an RFP out next week.” That never happened.
An additional March 2025 request for an update has gone unanswered.
Of course the Eaton Fire has kept everyone busy since January, and all city government agendas not involved in fire recovery were mostly thrown to the proverbial wind, just recently returning to other important issues.
Meanwhile, protests under the current noise ordinance continue
We interviewed Tammy Silver, a member of the PCC Governing Board representing District 4 and an organizer of last Saturday’s Tesla-centric protest in Pasadena.
“I organized this rally because I was distressed, not seeing any action, any pushback, to protect our democracy,” said Silver. “I spoke with the Pasadena Police Department about the correct way to protest and started emailing my friends to meet at the Tesla store. It was an amazing turnout and a peaceful demonstration without incident.”
“We are fighting to preserve American democracy, freedom of the press, the rule of law,” said Silver. “It’s unbelievable we must do this, but we’re going to keep doing this for a long time. I will be in front of the Tesla store in Old Pasadena every Saturday.”
US Congresswoman Judy Chu and State Senator Sasha Renee Perez joined last weekend’s protest.
“They are fierce defenders of American values,” says Silver. “We are letting the world know we are not okay with what Elon Musk and Donald Trump are doing to our county, to our people. We want to stop Musk from rummaging around in our private data, from illegally going into agencies, from firing people, dismantling government services like our National Park Service, air traffic control, disease control, scientific research and support for our veterans.”
“Our greatest power is to have active, engaged citizens like the ones I stood with in my district on International Women’s Day,” commented Chu.
“To fight back against the unlawful, destructive Trump administration’s actions, we need to exercise our First Amendment rights through peaceful protests, rallies, and advocacy, and we need to hold all our elected officials accountable,” Chu continued. “We know the path forward: we were able to stop Republicans during the first Trump Administration from dismantling the Affordable Care Act and we will do it again, with the energy and engagement of citizens and activists.”
We asked Chu about the trending news story regarding the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident the Trump administration has claimed is a national security threat, currently in immigration detention in Louisiana.
“Everyone in America has basic due process rights; the president and his lackeys cannot apply those rights selectively,” says Chu. “Doing so threatens our constitutional rights, our American values, and all our safety. And the president does not have a right to deport legal permanent residents who have not even been charged with a crime.”
“This is textbook authoritarian behavior, and I am relieved that a federal judge has blocked Khalil from being deported and will weigh the legal challenge to his arrest and detention,” said Chu. “I will work with my House Democratic colleagues to demand answers and defend our country’s foundational rights to free speech and due process.”
