The Pasadena City Council on April 24, 2000, reversed its decades-old position supporting completion of the 710 Freeway, after several new council members were elected.

An outraged public called upon the Pasadena City Council to place the question on the ballot to let the people decide. The City Council refused. So, Pasadena citizens gathered over 8,000 signatures to place the issue on the ballot in March, 2001.

The Pasadena City Council then put a competing initiative on the same March 2001 ballot. This competing measure was worded as a harmless sounding initiative to adopt a city traffic management plan, but buried in the initiative language was a "poison pill" provision that would have voided the public’s initiative supporting the 710 Freeway.

On March 6, 2001, Pasadena voters strongly rejected the actions of the Pasadena City Council. With a mandate of 58.2% of all votes cast, the voters of the City of Pasadena made support for the completion of the 710 Freeway the official policy position of the City. The voters were also not fooled by the poison pill provision – it was defeated by a similar margin. Now, this pro-710 position can only be changed by another vote of the people and is binding upon City Council.