Rent Control Advocates ‘Very Confident’ Initiative’s Valid Signature Count Will Propel Measure Onto Midterm Ballot

One day after turning in forms to the City Clerk, organizers hoping to get a local rent control initiative on the November ballot told Pasadena Now they “are very confident in their valid signatures estimate.”

On Monday, the Pasadena Tenant Justice Coalition submitted 15,352 signatures to the Pasadena City Clerk.

The coalition of the Pasadena Tenants Union and several partner organizations in the Pasadena community is behind the Pasadena Rent Control charter amendment campaign.

According to City Clerk Mark Jomsky, 13,366 signatures must be validated in order for the “Pasadena Fair and Equitable Housing Charter Amendment” measure to qualify for the midterm election in November.

“The firm that pre-validated the signatures, PCI are experts,” said organizer Ryan Bell. “They do this work all over the state of California. And we have a 15% cushion so even if the county’s total is a little different. It’s very unlikely to be 2,000 signatures different.”

The ballot provision would amend the city’s Charter to cap annual rent increases at 2-3%.

A new rental housing board established under the city’s charter amendment would administer the requirements.

Landlords would only be allowed to evict tenants for just causes, like failure to pay rent.

California rents are among the highest in the nation. In some areas rents on apartments now top $3,000.

About half of Pasadena tenants pay over 30% of their income in rent. A quarter of the city’s tenants are severely rent-burdened; paying over 50% of their income in rent, the Coalition’s statement added.

The charter amendment would also close the “renoviction loophole,” and allows tenants to return to their home if temporary relocation is necessary for health and safety-related repairs.

In addition, the charter amendment would stabilize rents by limiting increases to 75% of the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index and limiting increases to once a year.

The amendment also conforms to State law requiring a Fair Rate of Return for landlords and allows tenants to petition for rent decreases if repairs are not made or services are withheld.

A Rental Housing Board will also be established by the measure, which will announce the annual allowable rent increase, establish rules and regulations regarding rental properties, appoint hearing officers to mediate rent adjustment petitions, and establish an online rental registry that will list all rental properties in the city with relevant data including any violations of building codes or registry regulations.

“If this measure passes, it would mean so much to so many Pasadena families,” Bell said Tuesday morning. “The overwhelming majority of Pasadena households are renters and this signature gathering effort is the voice of our community.

“In short, it would mean people could stay in the community they love. They would have protections against arbitrary evictions and large rent increases that are for all practical purposes an eviction. It would mean they don’t have to uproot their families and leave the community they love. They won’t have to pull their kids out of school and endure that trauma. We hear these stories every day and my greatest desire is for this community trauma to stop.

It would also mean that the rent board would be a place that both tenants and landlords could appeal to resolve differences. The whole situation facing the majority of our residents would improve dramatically.”