Police to Kick Off Pink Patch Campaign Wednesday with Coffee with a Cop in Old Pasadena. Published on Monday, October 5, 2026 | 5:40 am The Pasadena Police Department will officially kick off its annual Pink Patch Project at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, with a Coffee with a Cop event hosted by Paul Rusnak and Rusnak Auto Group at the company's INEOS dealership, 337 W. Colorado Blvd., in Old Pasadena. The department is once again partnering with Huntington Health Cancer Center, and all proceeds from the Pink Patch Project will support the hospital's programs that provide early detection, treatment and compassionate care to individuals and families affected by breast cancer in Pasadena, the department said in a news release. Rusnak Auto Group chairman and CEO, Paul Rusnak, Mayor Victor Gordo. and Police Chief Gene Harris are scheduled to attend, along with community members, local community leaders, public safety personnel and breast cancer survivors. The California Highway Patrol commissioner Sean Duryee and city councilmembers are also among the special guests, the department said. The event will offer a special pink latte with a commemorative 2026 Pink Patch Campaign mug, with all proceeds supporting the fight against cancer. The department is promoting this year's campaign with the slogan "Pink Stands Strong." The kickoff will also feature a Premier Raffle. Prizes include a 2026 INEOS Grenadier, a $500 Disneyland gift card, a weekend off-roading experience from Rusnak Auto Group and dining experiences at Javier's and Mijares restaurants, the department said. Through the Pink Patch Project, law enforcement agencies across the country wear commemorative pink patches throughout October to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer. Each year, the Pasadena Police Department partners with local businesses and community members to support the campaign, the department said. Last year's campaign raised $40,000 for the Huntington Cancer Center, money the hospital said will help provide breast cancer diagnosis and treatment for patients who cannot afford the cost of care. The City Manager's Office described the total as a record. "The Pasadena Police Department is proud to stand alongside Huntington Cancer Center in the fight against breast cancer," Harris said of that donation. "This donation reflects our commitment to supporting the health and well-being of our community. By working together with local partners and residents, we can make a real difference for those in need." The 2026 Pink Patch Campaign Kick-Off and Coffee with a Cop takes place Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 10:30 a.m. at Rusnak INEOS, 337 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more, call Sgt. Anthony Russo at (626) 744-4500, ext. 1, or visit pinkpatchproject.com. Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free. Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m. Discover more Home garden tips Business news digest Arts culture reviews

Local dealership offers PCC auto techs the fast track to luxury. Gabriela Zamora / Courier A car outside the Auto program at pasadena City College taken on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Pasadena City College (PCC) announced a new automotive fellowship program in partnership with Rusnak Auto Group, at a Board of Trustees meeting on August 12, 2026. This partnership will involve a 12-week paid internship starting in the upcoming winter 2027 school session, aiming to offer automotive students the opportunity to get hands-on experience on luxury cars alongside experienced technicians. "When students are able to get into a large dealership, such as the Rusnak Auto Group, it creates a real career pathway vs. independent shops where they may be more limited in what they're able to grow into," said Dean of Career Education at PCC Armine Derdiarian. An unfortunate obstacle many new technicians face is that they need jobs to gain experience, while dealerships want technicians who already have it. "Sometimes our students do struggle to find jobs, even though they're out there. It's kind of like credit, you kind of need credit to get credit. As a technician, it's the same," said Salvador Cortez, a professor in the Automotive Department at PCC. Dealerships are impacted by this as well, as they struggle to find qualified technicians that meet their standards. "One of the hardest positions to fill in the auto industry are technicians," said Executive Director of Human Resources at Rusnak Auto Group Valerie Mendoza. "You can go to UTI, you can go to PCC and you can learn how to work on cars. It's not until you're actually working on them side by side with an experienced mentor that you really, truly learn how to do it." This fellowship aims to bridge this gap between education and employment by giving students the experience dealerships are looking for. While PCC's automotive department already holds students to professional standards, the internship can offer a transition from the forgiving environment of a school shop to the higher stakes that come with working in a dealership on customer's vehicles. According to Valerie Mendoza, the partnership was initiated by Mr. Rusnak in 2024 as their company started planning for its new Porsche dealership in Pasadena. "...He's [Mr. Rusnak] been in Pasadena for 60 years, and he likes to emphasize and prioritize Pasadena institutions...so there was no question it would be PCC," said Valerie Mendoza. The process will start with students applying and interviewing for the internship with PCC Auto professors and directors at Rusnak. After completing the internship, they can be considered to apply at Rusnak and work in one of the stores as an apprentice technician. According to Mendoza, an unnamed graduate of PCC's automotive tech program is now a foreman in Rusnak's Porsche Pasadena shop, having now been with the company for over 10 years. For Rusnak and PCC, this partnership is important to show students that their path toward a career in automotive technology is similarly within their reach. Mendoza said her personal definition of success would look like having interns at every Rusnak store, and seeing 90% of interns become apprentice technicians. "The outcome would be to place as many of our students in opportunities for high wage in demand jobs with clear pathways for upward trajectory within their careers," said Derdiarian.