Guest Opinion | Simon Gibbons: A Balanced Rent Board for a Balanced Rental Policy

Three years ago, Pasadena voters approved Measure H. While presented as a straightforward rent control measure, it created a new governing structure that transferred broad authority over the city’s housing market to an unelected Rent Board.

Since its passage, concerns about that structure have grown. The board was designed with a built-in tenant majority and limited representation from housing providers—those responsible for maintaining and investing in the city’s rental housing.

The results have been troubling : costly missteps, including a no-bid contract for almost half a million dollars that produced little value, and delays in implementing relocation rules that left families unable to return to their homes. At the same time, fees on housing providers have risen sharply, with little constraint on future increases.

In 2024, local housing providers formed Pasadena Housing Providers to represent family investors who own and operate much of the city’s small multi-family housing. We are families providing housing for families.

We recently commissioned surveys from FM3 Research and found overwhelming support for reform. More than eight in ten voters favor updating the Charter to require equal representation of tenants and landlords on the Board. There is also broad support for bringing greater accountability and professionalism to how rent stabilization is administered.

We are now working to bring a ballot measure to voters that would:

• Maintain existing rent controls, and guarantee eviction protections that start on day one of a lease.
• Establish a balanced rent board with equal representation of tenants and housing providers.
• Cap the rapidly increasing rent registry fee, which has risen from $91 to $238 in just three years.
• Consolidate the Rent Stabilization Department into City’s Housing Department to improve efficiency and save millions.
• Rebalance rules for single-family homes, condos and ADUs, to preserve existing tenant protections while restoring rental supply.
• Allow voters to revisit and refine the system in 2038.

Pasadena’s housing challenges are complex, and no single policy will solve them. But governance matters. A balanced board will lead to more practical, durable, and fair decisions for both renters and housing providers.

It’s time to bring balance back to Pasadena’s rental policy.

Simon Gibbons is a Pasadena resident and housing provider

Author’s note: Pasadena Housing Providers will be at Wednesday’s Income Property Management Expo at the Pasadena Convention Center. We will explain our plans and help owners manage the chaos that has been caused by the biased Rent Board, as we believe that the public deserves to be informed. We hope to see you there.