Elected leaders announce community-driven legislation to protect Altadena from real estate speculators and…

SACRAMENTO – Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) has announced new legislation to protect Altadena from real estate speculators seeking to take advantage of California’s existing housing density laws to develop the area in ways that could undermine local recovery efforts and alter the community as it rebuilds after the Eaton Fire.

SB 1090 has been amended to establish a five-year moratorium in Altadena on SB 9 and SB 1123, both of which are currently in effect statewide. These bills allow for increased residential density, including lot splits and additional housing units on certain single-family residential properties. While these laws are intended to expand housing opportunities statewide, many Altadena residents have expressed concern that, in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, they are being used by real estate speculators to acquire fire-damaged properties and pursue higher-density development that does not align with the community’s recovery and rebuilding goals. 

“The people of Altadena are demanding protection from speculators who are buying land from distressed fire survivors and trying to exploit the intent of existing laws,” said Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena). “While I have supported many policies to increase housing supply in California, these laws were intended for urban infill, not for a community that has suffered the level of disaster experienced in Altadena. Block after block of homes were wiped out. Allowing up to ten homes to be rebuilt on a single-family lot will overwhelm the existing infrastructure and destabilize this special community as it works to recover. The Palisades community was provided a temporary exemption from these laws last year by the Governor. Altadena deserves the same protections.”

“Altadena continues to face a long road to recovery following the Eaton Fire. During this critical rebuilding period, residents should have the opportunity to restore their homes and neighborhoods without added pressure from speculative development. A five-year moratorium on SB 9 and SB 1123 in Altadena will support community-led recovery efforts and help preserve the historic and cultural heritage that makes Altadena unique,” said Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena). “I am proud to serve as a principal co-author of this legislation and to help ensure that Altadena’s recovery is guided by the residents, families, and survivors who call this community home.” 

A similar protection is already in place for survivors of the Palisades Fire through an executive order issued by Governor Newsom, which temporarily suspends these existing housing density laws to provide stability during the recovery process. However, as written, the executive order only applies to a limited portion of the Eaton Fire disaster areas designated as High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Altadena was not designated as such, leaving many affected properties without the same safeguards afforded to Palisades residents.  

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose Fifth District includes Altadena and who is sponsoring SB 1090, emphasized the importance of providing residents with certainty and stability as the community rebuilds from the Eaton Fire.

“Many Eaton Fire survivors are already carrying an enormous emotional burden as they navigate the difficult process of rebuilding their homes and lives," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. "The last thing they should have to worry about is whether speculative development will fundamentally alter the neighborhoods they are fighting so hard to restore. As a sponsor of this legislation, I strongly support SB 1090 because it provides an important safeguard against opportunistic lot splits while recovery is underway. Altadena's future should be shaped by the people who have long called it home and not by outside interests looking to capitalize on a tragedy.”

“Protecting survivors and connecting our community has been at the forefront of our work on the Altadena Town Council. I’m proud to be working with these great electeds and their offices to not just work toward a solution, but to model collaboration.  We can do great things when we unite in this way,” said Altadena Town Council Chair Nic Arnzen.

SB 1090 will be heard in an Assembly committee in the coming weeks.

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Senator Sasha Renée Pérez is Chair of the Senate Education Committee and represents the 25th Senate District that includes the communities of Glendale, Pasadena, Alhambra, Altadena, Arcadia, Claremont, Glendora, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta-Montrose, Monrovia, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, Temple City, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, and San Antonio Heights.