Award-Winning Show “Pasadena Monthly with Justin Chapman” Welcomes PUSD Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco Friday
Pasadena Media’s award-winning local TV talk show “Pasadena Monthly with Justin Chapman” returns this Friday with guest Dr. Elizabeth Blanco, superintendent of the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD).
Dr. Blanco has over 30 years of experience in public education. She has served as Interim PUSD Superintendent since July 2023; Deputy Superintendent, the District’s second-highest role, since 2022; as Chief Academic Officer from 2018-2021; and Chief of Specialized Instructional Services from 2017-2018. She was previously the District’s Executive Director of Special Education Local Plan Area, Special Education and Early Childhood from 2009-2012. Dr. Blanco was Chief of Special Education Services and the Division of Instruction, Innovation, and Social Justice in the San Francisco Unified School District from 2012-2017. She began her career in education as a classroom teacher in the Rowland Unified School District.
On Sunday, Chapman won a 3rd place journalism award in the Talk/Public Affairs category of the LA Press Club’s 66th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards, for “Pasadena Monthly.”
In April, “Pasadena Monthly” won a 1st place award in the Talk Show category at the Alliance for Community Media West’s WAVE (Western Access Video Excellence) Awards.
“Pasadena Monthly” airs at 5 p.m. PT on the fourth Friday of every month on Pasadena Media’s Arroyo Channel and streaming apps, available on channel 99 on AT&T U-verse, channel 32 on Charter Spectrum, YouTube, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku. The show is written, hosted and produced by Chapman, directed and edited by Jeffrey Stanfill, supervised by producer Jasiri Jenkins-Glenn, executive produced by Chris Miller and chief executive produced by George Falardeau, CEO and executive director of Pasadena Media.
“This is must-watch television each month for everyone who cares about this city,” Falardeau said.
Guests on “Pasadena Monthly” (and its previous iteration, “NewsRap Local”) have included Congress member Judy Chu; Congress member Adam Schiff; Assembly member Chris Holden; Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo; Pasadena city manager Miguel Márquez; LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger; JPL director Dr. Laurie Leshin; and many others.
Chapman was the youngest elected official in LA County when he served on the Altadena Town Council at age 19. He has served on a number of local boards and wrote hundreds of articles for dozens of print and digital publications, including KPCC/LAist, Alta Journal, Huffington Post, LA Weekly, Irish Post, Berkeley Political Review, Pasadena Weekly, Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena Now and many others. He has won several LA Press Club journalism awards. He was a professional child actor who starred in dozens of movies, TV shows, commercials and plays. He previously served as Communications Officer for USC’s Pacific Council on International Policy and currently serves as the District 6 Council Liaison/Field Representative to Pasadena Vice Mayor Steve Madison.
Learn more at justindouglaschapman.com and pasadenamedia.org.