City Officials Review Appointment Process For Rental Housing Board

The Pasadena Legislative Policy Committee on Tuesday reviewed proposed updated procedures for appointing and reappointing members to the Pasadena Rental Housing Board, ahead of five Board Member terms expiring on May 24. City Clerk Mark Jomsky presented a standardized process to address the expected vacancies and create a more transparent appointment system for future selections.

“We do tend to get a number of applications for Board positions,” Jomsky observed during the meeting.

The five positions expiring this year include three tenant members from Council Districts 3, 5, and 7, plus two at-large members. All current members whose terms are ending are eligible for reappointment.

Under the proposed process, Council members representing Districts 3, 5, and 7 would review applications from tenant candidates in their districts and submit nominations to the City Clerk. If a Council member doesn’t find a suitable candidate from the applicant pool, they would have the option to solicit additional candidates during a two-week review period.

For at-large positions, which applicants from anywhere in the city can fill, the process would involve all Council members reviewing applications and then each ranking their top choices at the Council meeting.

The Committee discussed whether to hold interviews publicly during Council meetings or allow one-on-one interviews between Councilmembers and applicants. Most Committee members appeared to prefer keeping the process public.

“As for interviews one-on-one versus at the meeting, I prefer having everything done here,” Vice Mayor Jess Rivas stated. “I really was uncomfortable with the ad hoc that we had the last time.”

The application period for board positions opened on February 10, 2025, and will close on April 21. Appointments are scheduled for the May 5 Council meeting.

The rental housing board application process is more rigorous than other Commissions, requiring detailed qualifications statements, proof of residency, proof of tenancy, verification regarding material interest in rental property, 25 signatures from residents, and submission of financial disclosure forms.

Committee Chair Steve Madison raised concerns regarding the legitimacy of candidates: “I think the landlord community chose to nominate persons that were suing the City and for me, that was to try to burn the thing down, which that was a deal breaker for me … if you were going to be part of the Board that you not be using that visibility and position to then try to undo the will of the voters.”

Councilmember Gene Masuda expressed concerns about fairness in Board composition, asking if the process is “weighted toward tenants.”

City Clerk Jomsky responded that the board structure is established by the city charter as approved by voters and cannot be changed without a charter amendment.

Jomsky indicated he would bring back a resolution to formalize the appointment process for Council consideration in late March or early April.