Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Cole Rebukes PUSD For Deflecting Blame in Tree Removal Battle

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Hours after the Pasadena Unified School District released a statement to Pasadena Now stating that the City told district officials that the City’s Tree Protection Ordinance did not apply to a soil removal project that includes the removal of nearly 200 trees, Councilmember Rick Cole responded Wednesday with a strongly worded statement, accusing the district of escalating an increasingly bitter dispute over tree removals at school campuses.

“Enough already! The School District continues to ignore the sensible advice that when you are in a hole, stop digging,” Cole said, calling the district’s latest claims “a pathetic attempt to shift responsibility.”

The exchange is the latest development in a legal and political battle over the district’s plan to remove nearly 200 trees as part of an Eaton Fire-related soil remediation project. PUSD has said the work is necessary to remove contaminated soil containing hazardous materials, including lead, before students return to campuses.

City officials contend the district must comply with Pasadena’s Tree Protection Ordinance before removing protected trees.

The conflict intensified earlier this month when the City issued stop-work orders at seven school campuses after concluding PUSD had continued removing trees without first obtaining permits required under the ordinance.

City officials also said district personnel prevented a City arborist from inspecting trees at one campus, prompting Pasadena to seek a court-issued inspection warrant to gain access to district property and assess compliance with the ordinance.

Despite the stop-work orders, crews continued tree removal at John Muir High School, where several mature trees were cut down. Earlier in the dispute, four trees were removed at the campus, including protected trees, sparking protests by residents and environmental advocates.

Additional trees were later removed after the City posted its stop-work notice, further escalating tensions between the two agencies.

Cole acknowledged that city staff initially accepted the district’s argument that the Tree Protection Ordinance did not apply because the remediation project was being conducted under state oversight.

“Yes, after months of School District insistence to our staff that they were exempt from local laws, that the State was insisting they remove the trees, that the State overrode local authority, City staff erroneously concluded that the emergency exemption in the Tree Protection Ordinance could be applied,” Cole said.

“That was a mistake — and we own it.”

Cole said the City quickly reversed that interpretation after determining the ordinance’s emergency exemption applies only to trees that pose an immediate hazard.

“It was quickly rectified because the emergency provision applies to trees that pose an immediate hazard,” he said. “Obviously in this case, the trees themselves pose no imminent danger — and in fact in the majority of locations, neither do the soils, even if remediation is appropriate.”

Cole argued that the district had months to seek hardship exemptions for individual protected trees but chose not to pursue that process.

“We know that there are cost-effective alternatives to cutting down trees — and by abiding by local law, the District has the opportunity to make their case for hardship to justify the removal of any individual protected tree,” he said. “They could have done this months ago, they did not and have not.”

Instead, Cole said, the district’s actions forced the City to seek judicial intervention.

“They forced the City to seek court intervention simply to inspect the damage they’ve done and to assess the information they initially provided,” he said.

Earlier Wednesday, PUSD told Pasadena Now that City officials had previously advised the district that the Tree Protection Ordinance did not apply to the contaminated soil removal project. The district argued it relied on that guidance while undertaking work it says is legally required to eliminate health hazards and prepare campuses for the start of the school year.

The district has maintained that independent environmental testing identified contaminated soil at multiple campuses and that state agencies require remediation before schools can safely reopen. PUSD has also said it has worked to preserve as many trees as possible and that removals are limited to locations where they are necessary to complete the cleanup.

Cole called on the district to acknowledge the City’s corrected interpretation and work collaboratively to resolve the dispute.

“The City has admitted (and corrected) its error,” he said. “It’s time for the School District to do the same. Let’s work together to protect the trees and the students. That is the best course to save taxpayer money and restore trust in our public institutions.”

This is breaking news and Pasadena Now will update this story as more information becomes available.