The League has been busy on the housing front for the past several months. Using our newly updated Housing Position as a framework, we are part of two local coalitions to address the issues of housing affordability.
We have been part of the Pasadena Tenant Justice Coalition for some time. That coalition, established by the Pasadena Tenants Union, is now beginning to circulate petitions to change the Pasadena City Charter to include rent control, protections for renters, a registry of all rental properties, and a housing board to oversee all landlord/tenant issues. The primary role of the League will be to help validate that signatures are from registered Pasadena voters before asking the County Clerk’s office to officially validate them. League members can:
- Circulate petitions
- Validate signatures
- Help with fundraising
- Provide financial support
Go to pasadenatenantjustice.org for more information.
The Pasadena Affordable Housing Coalition, established by Pasadenans Organizing for Progress (POP!), has focused on the requirements that (1) the city’s master plan include a “housing element” to account for over 9,000 new units of housing over the next eight years, and (2) that about 6,000 of those units be “affordable,” i.e., not requiring more than 30 percent of household income for rent or mortgage for those with incomes below the median income of $80,000 for L.A. County. The Coalition held a rally at City Hall on the day the City Council received and ultimately voted on the first draft of the housing element, which the Coalition found to be sadly wanting in many areas, particularly in the identification of possible sites for new units.
In response, the Coalition crafted a letter to the California Department of Housing and Community Development requesting that attention be paid to these problems in the document and that it be sent back for better research. The League expressed a need for urgency to address these problems now, not at some vague time in the future.
The Housing Subcommittee will continue to follow these issues while delving into solutions for homelessness in both Pasadena and the greater San Gabriel Valley. Our meetings are on the third Friday of the month at 9:30. Please join us or forward information about the housing elements of the other communities in the League’s service area.
—Anita Mackey, Co-chair, Housing Subcommittee (socialjustice [at] lwv-pa.org)
