We Get Letters: About Measure H

The letters published reflect the views received. Pasadena Now is open to and seeks a diversity of opinions. The opinions and claims in letters are the writers’ own and not verified by the newspaper, although we do our utmost to fact-check all submissions. Submit your letter or Op/Ed to: Editor@PasadenaNow.com

Felicia Williams and Measure H

In her op-ed Council Member Felicia Williams states that Pasadena Now has kept its readers informed about the implementation of Measure H. That is important as she has certainly not – on her District 2 Instagram account she has posted a single post about the rental board but five separate posts about the pickleball tournament she put on.

She also states that renters who were promised relief from skyrocketing rents can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am one of these renters and my rent has definitely not skyrocketed – it was rolled back to May 2021 levels and allowed only to be raised 6%. This is in comparison to my family member who lives in another city; they texted me for help yesterday letting me know that their rent is being raised by $300 a month.

I have emailed Council Member Williams about homeless services, and have seen her at the homeless count when I volunteered, so I was disappointed when she neglected to take in the results of Pasadena’s homeless count, especially in regards to Pasadena’s aging population “The number of unhoused seniors (age 62+) rose by 31% in 2023, making them one of the fastest-growing groups affected by homelessness … A likely contributor to this finding is the growing gap between Pasadena’s rising rents and the income streams of seniors, particularly those who are living alone” (from Pasadena 2023 Homeless Count). When she implied that rent control and homeless services funds competed with each other I was truly dismayed, as these are not resources in competition, but housing resources that should be complementary, we should be working to house all Pasadenans.

Finally, even with her unfounded claim the Rental Board will not repay the City, the projected one-time costs of starting up the Rental Board represent approximately 1% of one year of our annual City Budget. It is rather telling that the first places she would go to make up for this 1% are public safety, homeless outreach, park programs, and street repairs. This suggests she has a poor understanding of our City’s budgeting, or these are simply empty threats. In any case, we should not be pitting the 60% of Pasadena’s who are tenants vs. the unhoused, as Williams seems to be.

Liberty McCoy.

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Much Needed Relief

I want to express my gratitude for Measure H, which has provided much-needed relief to my family and many others in Pasadena. This year, our rent increase was only $80/month, a significant improvement compared to the $180/month hike we faced last time.

Measure H allows us to envision a stable future in Pasadena, my husband’s hometown, without the constant fear of financial instability. My mother-in-law, a fellow Pasadena resident, has experienced similar relief, feeling a lot less burdened by concerns about her ability to afford her apartment.

As a Pasadena tenant and voter, I want to emphasize the tangible difference Measure H has already made for us in mitigating the impact of rapidly rising rents. I’m disappointed to see misinformation spread by some landlords, special interest groups, and even members of our city government about Measure H. This policy is making a real difference in our lives, and I urge our community to continue to support measures that prioritize affordable housing and tenant well-being.

Thank you,
Gail G.
Pasadena tenant
Grateful For H

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Hello,

I was born on the starting end of Gen Z. As a working adult, I’ve come to understand the housing unaffordability gap that likely will not be bridged in my lifetime. Many, if not all, of my peers, will probably be lifelong renters unless they inherit properties late in life or have down payment assistance from relatives. In places like rural GA, one-bedroom rents are jumping $200-300 dollars a month from current rates of $600 per month. That’s an increase of 33 to 50%. This is not hyperbole – I know several different tenants going through this.

I say this to point to the fact that California has much stronger protections, and as tenants, we need to be grateful for this. Landlords here would love to be able to increase rates like 33%. State law protects us here, as does local via Measure H. Landlords also have their tax rates locked in by Prop 13.

Corporate landlords like to pay in cash to reduce costs, and sizeable real estate inheritances have little to no tax on each unit. Rent, barring small required costs, is purely PROFIT for these people. Landlords, in these specific circumstances, have their fair rate of return. What they are chasing through increases is PROFIT over that amount. These profiting are not Pasadena residents, as Felicia Williams claims; they are companies or people living outside our city in San Marino, South Pasadena, or Arcadia.

They see tenants as numbers, not people, and treat them accordingly. It’s only under threat of legal action due to non-compliance with the law that they see the actual working-class person as their tenant. If I’m never going to be able to buy here, in a place I love, I want to be protected legally from people who only see me as a number. My income is a third of what I would need to afford to purchase and own a poorly maintained condo here, and this is with a job that earns nearly double the minimum wage in the city.

Felicia Williams must understand her sentiments are out of touch with working-class Pasadena residents, including teachers. Has she ever thought of why the vast majority of young Pasadena Area teachers have roommates or commute from places like West Covina? Would you want a future where your teachers don’t live in the community they are to be invested in?

Protect Measure H. If a court strikes it down, okay. But don’t bend down a knee to landlords. Capping an increase below inflation helps fix the disgusting gap between housing affordability and income that persists across this country.

Jonathan Claridge

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Promised Relief

I’m writing to dispute Felicia Williams’ claims in her guest opinion.

She claims that “The will of the voters has been subverted and the renters who were promised relief from skyrocketing rents still can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

I am one of these voters and renters she claims to talk about.

I’m seeing that measure H is doing exactly what I hoped it would do when I voted for it. I have seen the promised relief. I have saved more than $1000 in rent due to the rent rollback. It is a huge relief that we are getting from skyrocketing rents and we are seeing the light.

Through measure H, as tenants we are more empowered concerning rent increase limits that allow us to stay in Pasadena and prevention of unjust evictions that could even lead to homelessness. I’ve seen this with my immediate neighbors.

I’m appalled at her pitting us against our unhoused neighbors. Funds for rent control and funds for homeless services are not resources in competition with each other.

Signed: Swantje Willms
Pasadena tenant

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The Promise of Measure H

Felicia Williams claims that she supports Measure H. None of her actions or words have ever indicated such a thing. Councilmember Williams was not part of the Measure H campaign, and she nominated outspoken opponents of Measure H to the Pasadena Rental Housing Board at City Council. Now that the board is working, she keeps voting against their contracts and claiming the need for fiscal responsibility. It is not unreasonable to be concerned about fiscal responsibility, but conservative politicians will often claim fiscal responsibility as an excuse to defund vital projects.

Councilmember Williams claims that the implementation of Measure H is using taxpayer funds that might starve other progressive projects like homeless outreach and park programs because she wants to divide Pasadena’s progressive base against itself. Pasadena spends hundreds of millions of dollars and has even more in its investment portfolio. Despite the illiquid nature of most investments, surely the city can account for the comparably trifling amounts involved in the board advances. These are just advances; the PRHB will be able to repay them as its operations become self-funding.

Councilmember Williams claims that the will of the voters has been subverted, presumably because of this scenario she has proposed, where voters are paying for a board and not saving money, but neither of these is true. First, the voters will not ultimately foot the bill for the board because, as an active enforcement entity, the board is funded by the profitable industry it is regulating. The board will be requiring registration of rental units operating in the city, creating a clear-cut enforcement and funding mechanism. Second, the city’s tenants are saving money. I’m a student in Pasadena, and my household has saved almost thirty-five hundred dollars as of today because of Measure H. If Measure H were a passive law, enforceable only in court, then I and hundreds of tenants would be the only beneficiaries of Measure H, but the PRHB’s active enforcement will help many others whose landlords are still refusing to acknowledge the new law.

Councilmember Williams criticizes the legal fees incurred by Measure H, but her implication that these fees would not have been necessary had the law been well-written is false (and derivative of Simon Gibbons, a landlord supporting the Councilmember and suing Measure H). New, powerful tenant protections and rent controls provoke lawsuits. California is full of powerful interest groups that exert political and legal pressure against these laws, and this is not the first rent control law the California Apartment Association has attempted to have declared unconstitutional. We learned in March that Measure H can stand up in court, which is about as well as legal fees can ever be spoken of.

Councilmember Williams has a wish list of changes she and her backers would like to see made to Measure H, and none of them are good for Pasadena’s tenants. More landlords on the PRHB, more exemptions for Caltech, abandoning the city’s Section 8 tenants despite no federal regulations against municipal rent controls and eviction protections, depriving Pasadenans of relocation assistance when their landlords evict them for no fault, and rubber-stamping all ‘capital improvement’ rent increases make up this list. These are the proposals of someone who opposes rent control in Pasadena. I don’t live in District 2, but if I did, I wouldn’t feel very well-represented by Councilmember Williams.

Sincerely,
Simon Ybarra

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Measure H For the Win

I am writing to dispute Felicia Williams’ article, trying to destroy the beautiful work of measure H in Pasadena. I have already saved $860 in rent the past year due to the rent rollback, and it’s a huge relief to me and my family with three children.

Measure H has also worked to keep our notoriously known and greedy landlords in check, giving us tenant power and support in the community to take action against aggressive, landlord actions.

With the support of the Pasadena Rental Housing Board and Pasadena Tenant Union, we have been given the tools to articulate our rights, especially in the midst of our landlord taking advantage of our community with buy outs, decreased housing services, and aggressive construction with minimal communication.

As the PRHB continues their work, we continue to grow in our voice and power as renters in our community.

Thank you,
Rachel Chadwick
Pasadena Tenant