Pasadena city leaders said they are looking into why the city's Public Health Department is several months behind on restaurant inspections.
The Health Department's director, Eric Walsh, said the goal is to check in on restaurants once per year, but the department has fallen behind schedule.
Walsh said understaffing is to blame, but insisted that inspections are still taking place despite delays.
"The reality is, overall restaurants are being inspected," Walsh said.
Burger Continental, one of the city's most famous restaurants, was shut down in August due to improper food storage and cockroach issues. The restaurant had not been inspected since May 2012.
Ensuring that the city's 700 restaurants are up to code is vital to the local economy.
Pasadena is one of four cities in the state with a public health department that's not funded locally. Instead, its restaurant inspections are done through state and federal money.
City officials said they will investigate whether local funds are needed to bring the inspections up to par.
“If we are behind, and it does appears that we are, the question is: what additional resources are needed?" Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard said.
Bogaard said the City Council will discuss the issue at its meeting Monday.
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