Action item: L.A. City Housing Committee takes up proposed RUBS ban Wednesday

Los Angeles rental housing providers in older, master-metered buildings could lose a key cost-recovery and conservation tool under a proposal to ban Ratio Utility Billing Systems.

The Los Angeles Housing and Homelessness Committee is scheduled to consider the proposal Wednesday after the Los Angeles Housing Department recommended a complete prohibition on RUBS. RUBS are billing systems used in older buildings where individual unit metering is not feasible. Under the system, utility costs are allocated across units based on a formula that accounts for unit size or occupancy, giving residents a direct financial incentive to reduce consumption. The recommendation is listed as Item 5 on the committee agenda.

The California Apartment Association opposes the prohibition and is urging Los Angeles members to contact their council representative before the hearing. The association has raised concerns that the proposal was developed without direction from the City Council, without input from the housing provider community, and without a supporting economic or environmental impact analysis.

RUBS is one of the few practical tools available in older buildings that cannot be individually submetered. Without it, housing providers would absorb rising utility costs with no mechanism to connect consumption to cost for residents - weakening a conservation incentive that the city's own sustainability goals depend on.

A recent analysis of San José's RUBS ban found water usage increased among affected apartment buildings after the prohibition took effect. San José is now considering whether to allow RUBS use again.

CAA supports stronger transparency standards so residents clearly understand how utility charges are calculated. The association's position is that any policy change should be grounded in data, stakeholder input, and a full analysis of impacts on conservation, affordability, and housing operations - none of which accompanied the current recommendation.

The Housing Committee hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, at the John Ferraro Council Chamber, 3rd floor, 193 N. Main St., Los Angeles. The meeting is open to the public. Written eComments can be submitted through the city clerk's office at Council File No. 22-0178.