This November of 2022, Pasadena will have rent control and just cause eviction protections on the mid-term election ballot. Specifically, the Pasadena Charter Amendment if approved by the voters will add Rent Control and Just Cause Eviction protections for covered rental properties in the City of Pasadena including:

• A limit on rent increases to 75% of the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index;
• Establishment of a Pasadena Rental Housing Board; and
• Guidelines for “just cause” evictions.

Pasadena presently has a Tenant Protection Ordinance which applies to all rental units within the City of Pasadena other than Single Family Residences and Condos but only provides for the payment of relocation assistance fees and moving expenses. In 2019, the City of Pasadena expanded the Pasadena Tenant Protections to require the payment of relocation assistance fees and moving expenses if there is a change in a covered rental property's ownership and within 18 months of said change in ownership the Pasadena tenant's tenancy is terminated for a reason other than the fault of the tenant or if the new owner serves a rent increase above 5% plus the change in the consumer price index.

Existing Pasadena Tenant Protections require Pasadena landlords with multi-unit dwellings in the City of Pasadena to: (1) provide each tenant with a copy of the two-page information sheet, entitled Tenant Protection Ordinance Fact Sheet and (2) provide qualified tenants in covered rental properties with Relocation Assistance and Moving Expenses if the tenancy is being terminated thru no fault of the tenant.

In essence, the Pasadena Tenant Protections provide Relocation Assistance Fees to tenant's who are at or below 140% of the area median income and who are displaced through no-fault evictions. The required relocation allowance fees are 2˝ times the fair market rent as established by HUD plus a moving allowance of $1,338 (2020) for adult households or $4,033 (2020) for rental units with children, disabled, or senior occupants (adjusted annually in accordance with the Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles-Long Beach area.

Pasadena tenants who have occupied a covered rental unit renal unit for 10 years or more are entitled to the above base relocation assistance plus 10% for each year the tenant has resided in the rental over 10 years.

If the reason for the no-fault termination of tenancy is due to owner or qualified family member occupancy, then the amount of relocation assistance fees required to paid are reduced by 50%.

The relocation assistance fees must be paid to Pasadena tenants residing in multi-unit dwellings who meet the above income limits and are being asked to move due to:

1. Demolition of the rental property;
2. Permanent removal of the rental unit from the rental market;
3. owner or qualified family member occupancy of the rental unit;
4. Government order to vacate not caused by the tenant committing waste; or
5. Change in Ownership and within 18 months the new landlord is terminating the tenancy or issuing a rent increase for more than 5% plus the change in the local CPI.

Any landlord who fails to provide the proper relocation assistance fees and moving expense allowance may be sued for damages (the unpaid relocation and moving fees plus interest), a $500 civil penalty and reasonable attorney's fees and costs as determined by the court.

In addition, a tenant cannot waive their rights under the ordinance and any agreement to the contrary shall be deemed void as against public policy.