Pasadena Rental Housing Board Seeks Changes to City’s Rent Control Law

The Pasadena Rental Housing Board will ask the City Council tonight to place changes to the City’s rent control law on the November ballot, including the removal of missed deadlines mandated by the original 2022 ballot measure and the aligning of eviction rules with state law and a Superior Court decision.

Measure H, which became Article XVIII of the City Charter, was approved by Pasadena voters in November 2022 and took effect on Dec. 22 of that year. It imposes rent control and eviction protections on residential rental units in the city.

In a report prepared for today’s Council meeting, the Rental Board highlighted the need to remove deadlines for implementing a rental registry that have already passed, as well as aligning eviction provisions authorizing removal of units from the market to comply with state law and the Superior Court decision in California Apartment Association, et al. vs. City of Pasadena, et al.

Another significant amendment the Board is requesting is to allow the Board to initiate removal of members for repeated or significant violations of the Board’s Code of Conduct, such as absenteeism, improper disclosure of private information, or misuse of City resources.

Other proposed changes include exempting units leased to government-subsidized tenants, such as Section 8 voucher recipients, from rent stabilization provisions as long as rents do not exceed federal limits. The Board also seeks to clarify relocation assistance payment timelines.

In its report to the Council, the Board said it considered 19 potential changes and approved six of them. Rejected suggestions included exempting duplexes from rent control and allowing Board members to decline compensation.

The City Council will consider the Board’s recommendations at its meeting tonight. Measures for the November ballot must be submitted by Aug. 9.