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Agenda Report
December 16, 2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Clerk
SUBJECT: APPOINTMENT OF AN ALTERNATE TENANT MEMBER TO
SERVE ON THE PASADENA RENTAL HOUSING BOARD
(PRHB) FOR THE REMAINING UNEXP1RED TERM DUE TO AN
UNSCHEDULED VACANCY (TERM ENDING MAY 24,2027)
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1) Find that the proposed action is exempt from review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") in accordance with State CEQA Guidelines § 15061(b)(3), the "common sense" exemption that CEQA only applies to projects that may have a significant effect on the environment; 2) Consider the qualifications and submitted application materials provided by the following four applicants that were certified by the City Clerk's Office pursuant to the requirements and provisions detailed in City Charter, Article XVIII:
ApplicantsSubmittedDate QualifiedDistrict
Varouge Mesrobian12/02/202412/02/20246
Louis Rigolosi12/02/202412/02/20247
Christine Rodriguez12/02/202412/03/20245
Simon Ybarra10/31/202410/31/20243
3)Following City Council discussion and deliberation, approve a motion to appoint one of the four certified applicants to serve as the Alternate Tenant Member on the Pasadena Rental Housing Board for the remainder of the unexpired term, ending May 24, 2027; and
MEETING OF12/16/2024AGENDA ITEM NO..19
Appointment of an Alt. Tenant Member to Serve on the PRHB for the Remaining Unexpired Term Due to an Unscheduled Vacancy
December 16, 2024
4) Refer the appointment and selection process for the Pasadena Rental Housing Board to the Legislative Policy Committee for review and recommendation on possible modifications to the appointment process for future vacancies, both scheduled and unscheduled, occurring on the Board.
BACKGROUND:
On September 23, 2024, the City Council accepted the resignation of Aaron Markowitz, Alternate Tenant member on the Pasadena Rental Housing Board (PRHB), creating an unscheduled vacancy on the Board. A Notice of Solicitation of Applications to fill the vacancy was published by the City Clerk's Office on September 26, 2024, which opened the process for residents of the City to apply for the vacancy. In addition to the published notice, information regarding the vacancy was posted online and additional outreach was conducted by the City Clerk's Office, the City Manager's Office, the Mayor's Office, the Pasadena Rental Housing Board, and the Rent Stabilization Department.
During the open application period, which ended on December 2, 2024, the City Clerk's Office issued 15 applications to individuals interested in serving as the Alternate Tenant member. Subsequently, nine applicants submitted application materials to the City Clerk's Office, with four applicants qualifying according to requirements stated in City Charter Article XVIII.
As detailed in the Charter, applicants must complete an application, provide verifications related to eligibility to serve, and gather and submit a nominating petition with at least 25 signatures of residents from the same Council District as the applicant supporting the applicant's appointment. The City Clerk's Office administers the application process by providing materials, verifying eligibility, and certifying eligible applicants to the Pasadena Rental Housing Board. Pursuant to City Charter, Article XVIII, Section 1811(c), "In all cases, City Council must announce their appointments within 90 days of the publication of the solicitation for applications." As publication occurred on September 26, 2024, City Council must announce the appointment by December 25,2024.
AD HOC COMMITTEE:
As this is the first vacancy to occur on the PRHB, staff requested that an ad hoc committee of two Councilmembers (Tyron Hampton and Jason Lyon) be formed to work with City Clerk and Rent Stabilization staff on the process and help provide a recommendation to the City Council on how best to proceed with the appointment.
Recognizing that all four applicants were certified by the City Clerk's Office as eligible to serve on the Board, the ad hoc committee considered a few factors to narrow the field to help facilitate the Council's action to make the appointment. Such factors included the current make-up of the Board, the capacity and experience to balance tenant and landlord interests, and geographic representation (in terms of current Board Members and the Council District they reside in) as key elements to Appointment of an Alt. Tenant Member to Serve on the PRhlB for the Remaining Unexpired Term Due to an Unscheduled Vacancy
December 16, 2024
consider. In the end, the ad hoc committee was unable to recommend any one applicant for appointment, and has referred all four names for the City Council as a whole to consider at the December 16, 2024 Council meeting.
As a suggested appointment process for the City Council to consider, staff recommends that each Councilmember carefully review the application materials submitted by each applicant, consider the factors identified by the ad hoc committee, as well as any other factors deemed important when making this Alternate Tenant appointment, and bring to the meeting each Councilmember's first and second preference to serve in this position. The City Council will then be asked to report out their preferences at the meeting prior to discussions and any motion to appoint one of the four applicants. The intention is to assist the City Council in building consensus as a body on their selection to fill this unscheduled vacancy. Please note, each of the four applicants have been invited to attend in-person the December 16, 2024 meeting.
TERM OF APPOINTMENT AND ROLE OF ALTERNATE MEMBER:
Aaron Markowitz's four-year term as the Alternate Tenant Member began on May 24, 2023, with the term set to expire on May 24, 2027. Once appointed by the City Council, the selected applicant will serve for the remainder of the unexpired term and will be eligible for one reappointment at the discretion of the City Council.
Pursuant to City Charter, Section 1811 (d), "Members may serve no more than eight (8) consecutive years."
The Alternate Tenant member "serves as the alternate to the group of seven (7) Tenant [Board Members]...will be permitted to attend all Board meetings, and to speak, but will not be authorized to vote unless a regular member of [the Tenant group] is absent from that meeting or is disqualified or recused from voting on one or more agenda items, or has resigned or been removed from the Rental Board." Appointment of an Alt. Tenant Member to Serve on the PRHB for the Remaining Unexpired Term Due to an Unscheduled Vacancy
December 16, 2024
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Rent Stabilization Department estimates that a Pasadena Rental Housing Board Member's annual salary is approximately $6,619. This amount will increase with any minimum wage salary increases, or if the Board creates any sub-committees or the Chair creates any ad hoc committees requiring additional time and Board Members service. The costs associated with the salaries of the Board Members is covered by fees collected as part of the City's Rent Stabilization annual rent registration.
Respectfully submitted,
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Marl<Jorri6k^
City Clerk
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A - Qualifying Applications Submitted for the Alternate Tenant Member Position
Attachment B - Current Pasadena Rental Housing Board