Biography
Chris Holden has lived most of his life in the City of Pasadena. Chris graduated from Pasadena High School in 1978, where he was senior class president and a member of the two-time California Interscholastic Federation 4-A high school basketball championship team. Chris went on to San Diego State University where he played basketball for four years and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis on marketing.
After college, Chris Holden moved back to Pasadena. Concerned about the state of his community, he decided to run for city council. At age 24, Chris, the son of former Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden, entered the political world. The campaign ended with the incumbent barely slipping past the spirited Holden. Undaunted, Holden stayed active and visible. Four years later, he was elected and has served on the Pasadena City Council for 21 years. From May 1997 to May 1999, Holden became the first African American male to serve the city as mayor, and prepared a plan to lead the community into the next century. His accomplishments include the creation of a living wage ordinance, charter reform (creating an elected mayor and compensation for councilmembers), utility deregulation, redevelopment of the city’s civic center, and chair of the Charter Reform Task Force for schools.
As the champion of Pasadena’s slumlord ordinance and drug-free zones, Holden has regional interests as well, serving as an officer on the Burbank Airport Authority. He lives in Pasadena with his wife, Melanie, his four children: Nicholas, Alexander, Austin, Mariah, and his stepson, Noah.
