Pasadena Rent Control Campaign to Host Launch Party

The grassroots, tenant-led campaign for rent control and just cause eviction protections will host a campaign kickoff party for their charter amendment on the November 2022 ballot from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday at Affordable Housing Services, 516 Navarro Ave.

“Against great odds, the campaign has mobilized over 300 volunteers to collect 15,101 valid signatures from Pasadena voters,” the group said in a statement. “The coalition is proud of this achievement, and looks forward to a strong field operation of talking to voters about supporting this historic ballot initiative.”

If passed by voters, the Rent Control and Just Case charter amendment would:

Provide for Just Cause Evictions

• Limit evictions to cases where a landlord can demonstrate good cause, such as non-payment of rent or another breach of contract

• Provide relocation assistance if a landlord is reclaiming an apartment or removing a unit from the rental market

• Close the “renoviction” loophole, allowing tenants to return to their home if a temporary relocation is necessary for health and safety-related repairs

Establish Rent Control

• Stabilize rents by limiting annual increases to 75% of inflation

• Limit frequency of increases to once a year

• Conform to California law requiring a Fair Rate of Return for landlords ? Allow tenants to petition for rent decreases if repairs are not made or services are withheld

• Establish a Rental Housing Board with powers to

• Announce the annual allowable rent increase

• Establish rules and regulations regarding rental properties

• Appoint hearing officers to mediate rent adjustment petitions

• Charge a per-unit fee to landlords, ensuring the funding for its operations falls to large corporate landlords instead of Pasadena residents

The measure will also establish an online Rental Registry, listing all rental properties in the city with relevant data including any violations of building codes or Registry regulations.

According to the latest Pasadena homeless count report released yesterday, two in three people unsheltered on the night of the count lived in Pasadena before losing their housing (Pasadena Homeless Count, 2022). ‘Rent burden,’ which reportedly affects half of tenant households in Pasadena (ACS, 2019), is a major risk factor for homelessness.