Pasadena's Rental Housing Board has held off on deciding whether to fine landlords who violate the city's rent control charter.
Staff told the board that other cities rarely use similar penalty programs and that administering one could take three to five additional employees.
Here's what to know
According to Pasadena Now, Rental Housing Board Chair Allison Henry said the issue should come back only if violations start showing a pattern, and she asked for quarterly enforcement reports to include more detail, especially on harassment.
As a result, Pasadena still doesn't have a citation schedule for penalties, even though Measure H passed in November 2022 and the charter permits the board to impose reasonable fines for violations beyond failures to register rental units.
Program coordinator Stanko Zovko said staff heard back from 18 of the more than 30 rent-control jurisdictions they contacted. Eleven of those cities, including Berkeley and West Hollywood, do not have a penalty structure beyond late registration charges, and most of the others said they use their citation authority seldom or not at all.
Board member Ryan Bell argued that using city civil litigation in certain cases involving landlords who put tenants at risk or pursue unfair evictions may be a better use of resources than trying to "chase down $500 here, $250 there."
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More background
Some tenant complaints already seem difficult to resolve.
According to Pasadena Now, a Los Angeles City Controller audit of that city's tenant anti-harassment ordinance found that by July 2024, more than 11,000 harassment complaints had been filed, but only 23 were referred to the city attorney and just four citations were issued, all involving one landlord.
Henry said she was "somewhat sympathetic" to concerns about the board's lack of power in this area, while the city's staff report said the current rules provide no administrative remedy for harassment or retaliation. As she put it, "What are we doing here if we have no teeth?"
Board member Deborah Dunlop pointed to a case that began before the charter took effect, saying one tenant is still waiting for a second relocation-assistance payment of $11,000. Alternate member Peter Dreier added, "From what I know, the city attorney hasn't brought one case."
What's being done?
The board wants closer tracking of enforcement issues rather than immediately creating a citation program.
Quarterly reports could include more detail about the complaints staff are receiving, Zovko said. Henry noted that those reports also go to the City Council and called that "another piece of leverage."
Staff already contact landlords when conduct "may appear like harassment on first blush," Zovko said, and he added that they have met several times with the city attorney's office about possible harassment cases. He also said staff meets regularly with the city prosecutor's office to review potential cases.
When landlords evict tenants to move into a unit themselves, the department collects affidavits, Zovko said. But there is no standard annual check to confirm that those owners continue living there for the required 36 months.
"That is probably next on my to-do list," he said.
As Pasadena Now noted, tenants and landlords with questions about the charter can reach the Rent Stabilization Department at (626) 744-7999 or rentalboard@cityofpasadena.net.
As alternate member Claudia De Anda put it, "It's better to be proactive than reactive."
Where can I learn more?
Pasadena's debate mirrors fights playing out elsewhere over how cities enforce renter protections and penalize landlord violations. These articles cover rent caps, ballot measures, emergency price gouging, habitability rules, and tenant fee disputes.
• In Sacramento, landlords can face penalties up to $25,000 when annual rent hikes exceed city limits.
• In Los Angeles, landlords drew outrage for egregious rental prices charged to wildfire evacuees.
• In Arizona, lawmakers proposed protections from dangerous living conditions by requiring landlords to keep rentals safer.
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