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On the ballot this year is Measure H, an attempt to help rent control and tenants in Pasadena continue living without fear of ridiculous rent increases.

Weighing on the measure is Bee Rooney, a member of Pasadena For Rent Control, a group in favor of Measure H, who explained the group’s goals. 

“It’s all for the intention of keeping people housed,” Rooney said. “We want to allow people to stay at a place for a year or two or even three at a time. Or, at the very least make it an option for people to do so.”

Rooney described the unfortunate reality many find themselves in across Pasadena due to a currently uncontrolled situation in regard to landlords and no-fault evictions, which gives landlords the power to remove tenants for any reason with no repercussions.

“Right now we have no-fault evictions, there are many ways to evict someone, at no fault of the tenant,” Rooney said. “They could not be a bother to anyone and pay rent on time, but still be evicted.”

Rooney explained that the major reason landlords do this is to renovate their property and then relist it at a higher price so they can collect more money from future tenants.

“They evict a whole building, and then they can renovate the building,” Rooney said. “Then they can jack up the rent two or three times what it used to be. We found out that it was happening to three buildings simultaneously, here in Pasadena.”  

Rooney also fears that if Measure H doesn’t pass, the current eviction moratorium in LA county that is set to expire at the end of December will result in a mass eviction of unsuspecting tenants.

A fellow member of the group Ryan Bell mentioned that currently, rent increases have been happening by increases of about 10% which is anywhere from $150-$250 per month, which can be the deciding factor in whether someone continues to stay or move on to find somewhere else they can possibly afford.

Bell also highlighted some aspects of the measure, including connecting the future rent increases in Pasadena to inflation.

“Measure H would limit rent increases to 75% of the increase in the Consumer Price Index [commonly known as the rate of inflation],” Bell said. “If costs of goods and services is higher, rents that year can go up a bit more than if inflation is lower.”

Bell also spoke about the immediate impact Measure H would have if passed, one that would ultimately benefit Pasadenans everywhere.

“Measure H will immediately give tenants the security of knowing their rent can’t go up a huge amount,” Bell said. “They can plan ahead and know roughly what their housing expenses are going to be. Measure H will protect people from economic disaster and possibly even homelessness.”

Bell also mentioned for those that are skeptical of Measure H that many Pasadenans are in support of the measure, and those that are against it are the ones who control the system. 

This issue also doesn’t just affect housing, with property all over the Pasadena area at risk.

“The people against Measure H are the lobbying organizations representing landlords and other business interests,” Bell said. “The evidence shows that landlords have weathered the pandemic just fine, but tenants are struggling to keep their heads above water. Three elementary schools and one middle school closed in 2019 due to low enrollment caused by families being displaced by rising rents.”

Measure H’s benefits show a clear way for Pasadena residents to protect themselves and their families from wrongful eviction.

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