Guest Opinion | Margaret McAustin: Let’s Solve Pasadena’s Housing Problems the Pasadena Way

The increasing cost of housing is not just a Pasadena problem, but a national problem.  Historically one size fits all solutions such as the proposed Measure H don’t work for Pasadena.  What we’ve always been able to do when we work together as a community, and what we should do in this case is develop a solution in Pasadena to solve the specific problems we have here. Some of those problems are: 

• High density zoning and other factors increase cost of land so only market/luxury housing can be built;
• Types of new jobs in the San Gabriel Valley (health care, logistics, professional/business services, tourism) do not match the income level of housing being built creating jobs/housing imbalance; and
• Older, naturally affordable housing stock sold by local landlords to corporate owners, demolished, or turned into condos causing displacement.

Recognizing the problem, the California Legislature has taken a big step in trying to address housing affordability with AB1482 rent control and eviction protections.  Those protections will go a long way towards protecting tenants and are consistent with Measure H, including limiting annual increases to 5% + CPI up to a maximum of 10% and limiting evictions to “just cause”.

Rent Control is not the solution.

Local rent control will not solve Pasadena’s housing problems. We’ve seen what happened in Santa Monica, which has some of the highest rents in the state.  Rent control won’t create more housing or better housing stock.  In addition, the proposed rent control measure:

• Does not apply to the most expensive market/luxury housing – 6,464 rental units built after 1995;
• Creates an independent board costing $6 million per year with no accountability to the citizens or City Council;
• the estimated $184 fee per unit places disproportionate burden on mom-and-pop landlords to solve a local, state, and national problem; and
• Controlling rents does not ensure that those who need the housing the most are able to secure the housing.

We can work together as a community to help solve Pasadena’s housing problems. 

The proponents of Measure H have some good ideas, but amending the City Charter is not the answer. There are answers that are better suited to Pasadena than a one size fits all measure.  For example, we could:

• Partner with neighboring cities on regional solutions through the newly created Pasadena-Burbank-Glendale housing trust (SB 1177, funded with $23 million in 2023) and the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust. This is an incredible opportunity to share our successful strategies with our neighboring cities;
• Form a Housing Commission as a subset of Planning and Design Commissions to increase focus on policy solutions;
• Offer grants/loans to local landlords to improve buildings and covenant them for 50 years as affordable housing;
• Develop an educational program to help our residents understand what affordable housing means.  Eliminate the fear of having affordable housing in your neighborhood;
• Buy an existing motel and convert it to housing, resulting in a large number of units coming on line quickly;
• Fully fund the Housing Department to enforce the State’s new “Just Cause” provisions; and
• Dedicate a Code Enforcement Officer to the Housing Department to enforce violations.

The best solutions to Pasadena’s problems have always come from our Pasadena Community working together to develop what works best here.  Pasadena has been progressive in developing housing solutions, we just have to task ourselves to do more, faster.  But we can do more, and we should.  Restricting the existing housing stock is not the answer.  More housing is. 

Margaret McAustin is a former City Council member who represented District 2