Pasadena Rental Housing Board to Vote on Fire Victim Protections, Anti-Harassment Rules

The Pasadena Rental Housing Board is scheduled to vote Thursday on emergency regulations to extend protections for tenants who are victims of January’s devastating Eaton Fire and on establishing new anti-harassment protections for renters citywide.

The fire, which destroyed or damaged approximately 117 single-family residences, 12 multi-family units, and three detached accessory dwelling units in Pasadena (and over 9,000 structures in Altadena), triggered a Local Emergency declaration on January 8. The City Council ratified the emergency declaration on January 13.

Building on state protections set to expire March 8, the proposed regulations would extend safeguards through May 1 for fire victims. Key measures include prohibiting evictions of tenants temporarily housing fire victims or their pets, maintaining hotel stay exemptions beyond 30 days, and allowing temporary rent reductions without affecting future rent increase calculations.

The Board has also recommended that the City Council create a targeted emergency eviction defense for tenants facing financial hardship due to the fire. The eviction defense program is a Board recommendation to the City Council, not yet enacted. This defense would protect tenants from nonpayment evictions if they can demonstrate financial impacts related to the disaster.

Property owners of 11 red-tagged units would be eligible for prorated refunds of registration fees at $61.43 per unit, with the total refund program costing $675.73.

The Board will also consider comprehensive new anti-harassment regulations, developed after extensive committee work and public input since December 2024. The rules would prohibit landlords from interfering with tenants’ rights to organize, retaliating against renters who report violations, or using intimidation tactics to force tenants to vacate units.

State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez has introduced legislation to assist fire victims with property title issues, helping homeowners correct missing documentation without penalty and alleviating potential tax burdens.

A quarterly budget update will show the Rent Stabilization Department has spent $1.62 million of its $4.76 million budget through December 2024. The department reports 371 properties (1,319 units) are pending payment, representing $283,000 in anticipated revenue, while 438 properties (3,420 units) still require staff review.

The public meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber at Pasadena City Hall. Residents can attend in person, participate virtually via Zoom (meeting ID 898 165 902 99), or call in at 1-669-900-6833. Spanish translation services will be available, with additional language translation available upon 24-hour notice.

Public comment is limited to 30 minutes at the start of the meeting, with speakers allowed three minutes each. Comments can be submitted in person, through Zoom’s “raise hand” feature, or by email to rentalboard@cityofpasadena.net with no length restriction.

Meeting documents are available at www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/pasadena-rental-housing-board/ and at the City Clerk’s Office.

The meeting agenda and supporting documents are available at www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/pasadena-rental-housing-board/ and for public inspection at the City Clerk’s Office.