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Rent Control Board adopts rules to shield safety‑sensitive information in hearings
Summary
The board approved regulation amendments (including new regulation 15008.5) to allow protective measures—redaction, initials, substitute summaries—so that safety‑sensitive information in hearing records can be limited without forfeiting due process.
The Santa Monica Rent Control Board voted unanimously on June 11 to adopt rule changes intended to reduce unnecessary public disclosure of safety‑sensitive hearing information while preserving due process.
Staff proposed a new regulation section (15008.5) authorizing narrowly tailored protective measures for confidential or safety‑sensitive information in hearing records—for example, alternate addresses, shelter locations, identifying information about minors, medical or counseling records, or domestic‑violence‑related evidence. Allowed measures include redaction, use of initials, substitute summaries, limiting testimony to necessary topics, segregating protected material where legally permitted, and modifying subpoena requirements. The regulation also makes clear that no decision may rely on material evidence unless the affected party has a fair opportunity to know and respond to it.
The board discussed the balance between public records obligations and individual safety; Commissioner Dudick and Commissioner Leslie supported the proposal and thanked legal staff for the work. Commissioner Leslie had raised the issue earlier as a safety concern for vulnerable witnesses. The motion to adopt the amendments passed on a 5–0 roll call.
What happens next: Staff and hearing officers will apply the new procedures in future hearings; parties may request protective measures per the regulation, and staff will develop internal guidance and templates for redactions and substitute summaries.
