L.A. Mun. Code ch. XV art. 1; ch. XVI art. 5 § 151.03

A. Creation and Organization of the Rent Adjustment Commission. (Amended by Ord. No. 154,237, Eff. 8/30/80, Oper. 9/1/80.) There is hereby created and established a commission to be known as the “ Rent Adjustment Commission of the City of Los Angeles ”. The Commission shall consist of seven members comprised of individuals who are neither landlords nor tenants of residential rental property. Each member shall be appointed and may be removed in accordance with Charter Section 502 . If at any time during the term of a Commission member, such member should become a landlord or tenant of residential rental property, the office of that member shall immediately become vacant and a new appointment be made thereto. (Para. Amended by Ord. No. 173,035, Eff. 2/24/00, Oper. 7/1/00.)

The term of office of each member of the Commission shall be four years. The Commission shall elect one of its members chairperson and vice-chair, which officers shall hold office one year and until their successors are elected. (Amended by Ord. No. 156,597, Eff. 5/20/82.)

All members of the Commission shall be entitled to vote. Four members shall constitute a quorum for purposes of conducting a meeting. The decisions of the Commission shall be determined by a majority vote of the members present. The decisions of the Housing Appeals Board shall be determined by a majority vote of the members present. Every three months the Commission shall render to the City Council a written report of its activities pursuant to the provisions of this chapter along with such comments and recommendations as it may choose to make. The Commission shall meet as often as necessary to perform its duties. Each member shall be paid $50 per Commission meeting attended, and $50 per day for each day the member sits as a member of an appeals board, not to exceed $750 per month, and may receive reimbursement for actual expenses incurred in the course and scope of the member’s duties to the extent that the City Council has appropriated funds for such purpose. Compensation shall not be paid for more than one meeting per day. (Amended by Ord. No. 187,912, Eff. 8/6/23.)

B. Responsibilities of the Commission. (Amended by Ord. No. 188,754, Eff. 12/10/25.) The Commission shall be responsible for carrying out the provisions of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance. The Commission shall have the authority to issue orders and promulgate policies, rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance. All such rules and regulations shall be published once in a daily newspaper of general circulation in the City of Los Angeles, and shall take effect upon such publication.

The Commission may make such studies and investigations, conduct such hearings, and obtain such information as it deems necessary to promulgate, administer and enforce any regulation, rule or order adopted pursuant to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance.

The Commission shall also act in an advisory capacity to the Mayor, the City Council, and the General Manager on housing matters and may conduct public meetings and hearings to obtain information and comment on housing issues of interest and concern to the City.

The Commission’s advisory capacity may involve the following activities:

1. advising the Mayor and City Council on the City’s affordable housing needs;

2. providing a public forum to discuss affordable housing issues in the City;

3. conducting public hearings on mandated housing plans;

4. performing an affordable housing needs assessment;

5. generating and updating a housing database with the assistance of the City’s housing agencies;

6. recommending to the Mayor and City Council specific housing policy and goals to meet the City’s affordable housing needs at least every two years;

7. annually reviewing City agency and department housing plans and budgets to ensure they conform with the Mayor and City Council’s established housing policy;

8. annually evaluating the City’s affordable housing efforts to determine success by City agencies and departments in achieving goals set by the Mayor and City Council, and to address the amount of unmet need;

9. making recommendations to the Mayor and City Council for agencies and departments to expand the City’s affordable housing production;

10. reviewing City housing programs and making recommendations to the Mayor and City Council for affordable housing program implementation;

11. monitoring the impact of the City’s housing policy and recommending to the Mayor and City Council modifications when necessary to achieve the City’s affordable housing goals;

12. undertaking assignments to develop housing policy recommendations and new housing studies, as directed by the City Council;

13. recommending improvements to the coordination of the City’s housing programs and policies;

14. reviewing the policies and guidelines of this Commission to ensure that such policies support the City’s overall housing policy goals of maintaining and preserving affordable housing, and recommending additional implementation strategies that may assist in meeting the City’s affordable housing policy;

15. encouraging public / private partnerships to expand the private sector’s role in the production of affordable housing; and

16. encouraging non-profit housing development as a means to meet the City’s affordable housing needs.

C. The General Manager of the Los Angeles Housing Department shall designate Department employees to furnish staff support to the Commission. (Amended by Ord. No. 187,122, Eff. 8/8/21.)

D. Housing Appeals Board. There shall be appointed no less than three members to the Commission, to adjudicate Housing Appeals as provided in Chapter XVI of the Code. Each member is required to be knowledgeable in the applicable building codes, regulations, and ordinances enforced by the Department. Two members of the Housing Appeals Board shall constitute a quorum. (Added by Ord. No. 187,912, Eff. 8/6/23.)