A petition seeking to repeal and replace Pasadena’s rent stabilization and eviction-protection charter provisions has failed to qualify for the ballot, falling 135 valid signatures short. Its supporters say they will seek a review of rejected signatures.

City Clerk Mark Jomsky notified petition proponent Alan L. Bair in an Oct. 23 letter that the effort fell 135 valid signatures short of the 13,743 needed, PasadenaNow reported. The landlords' group behind the drive, Pasadena Housing Providers, said it plans to challenge the count. The Pasadena Tenants Union called the outcome "a huge victory for Pasadena residents who are committed to protecting the housing security of our neighbors."

The proposed Pasadena Fair Housing Charter Amendment needed signatures from at least 15% of the city's registered voters to qualify. The Secretary of State counted 91,619 registered voters in Pasadena when the petition's notice of intention to circulate was published March 30, setting the bar at 13,743.

Bair submitted 28,214 signatures for verification on Sept. 9. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office, which checked signatures on the city's behalf, validated 13,608 of them. The county's 30-business-day review ended Oct. 22, and Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan signed the certification that same day.

Of the 14,606 signatures rejected, the largest share, 4,074, came from people who were not registered to vote. Another 3,217 were tossed because signers lived outside the district, 2,902 for mismatched signatures and 2,336 as duplicates.

Simon Gibbons of Pasadena Housing Providers said in an Oct. 26 statement that the shortfall amounted to less than one percent of the target. The group said it is working with an election integrity attorney to pursue a formal review of the disqualified signatures. Gibbons noted the county's offices will be occupied with the November election and said the review could take the full 81 days allowed under state law.

Under that process, the proponent has up to 21 days after the insufficiency certification to begin examining which signatures were disqualified and why. The review itself can last up to 60 days. After the first five business days, proponents must reimburse the county for costs.

Even if the review does not reverse the outcome, the petition's failure does not block a future attempt. Jomsky's letter noted that state law allows a new petition on the same subject at a later date.

Pasadena Housing Providers said it still intends to put the question before voters in 2028.