Friday, July 24, 2026

PUSD Seeks Court Order to Halt Tree Permit Enforcement at Fire-Damaged Campuses

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

The already contentious relationship between the city and the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) continues to worsen.

The PUSD has filed a lawsuit against the city, asking a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge to block the city from enforcing its tree protection ordinance at campuses undergoing Eaton Fire soil remediation.

In the lawsuit, lawyers for the PUSD argue the district is immune from local zoning regulations and that the city’s actions are jeopardizing the reopening of schools.

PUSD wants to cut down nearly 200 trees on campuses across the city. District officials claim the trees must be cut down in order to remove approximately 8,000 cubic yards of fire-contaminated soil from 11 campuses before the start of the 2026-27 school year, and claim it can do so without permission from city officials.

The city claims the district must comply with its tree ordinance.

“The city does not believe the petition is appropriate at this time and declines to comment further on this pending litigation,” said Lisa Derderian, chief communications officer for the city.

The lawsuit asks the court to declare that the district is not required to comply with Pasadena’s tree ordinance, invalidate the city’s stop-work orders and inspection warrants, and permanently prohibit the city from interfering with the cleanup project.

The petition, filed July 17, seeks a writ of mandate, declaratory relief and an injunction preventing the city from interfering with the district’s efforts.

According to the lawsuit, the district’s environmental testing found lead and arsenic contamination at levels exceeding state screening thresholds at multiple campuses following the January 2025 Eaton Fire.

The district said the contamination requires extensive excavation and, in some locations, removal and replacement of trees as part of the cleanup.

The campuses identified in the lawsuit include John Muir and Blair high schools; San Rafael, Franklin, Cleveland and Field elementary schools; Washington Elementary STEM Magnet School; Longfellow Magnet School; Octavia E. Butler Magnet School; Jefferson Children’s and Teen’s Center; and the district’s Education Center.

However, even if the trees are removed, all of those schools will not reopen in August.

Longfellow is shuttered for renovations and Franklin Elementary School was one of four schools closed in 2020. Cleveland Elementary School closed in 2019, and currently the city occupies Jefferson Elementary School.

According to the school district, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control concluded contaminated soil presents “an imminent and substantial threat” to school users and agreed that removing contaminated soil, affected trees and vegetation is the most protective approach.

The dispute, which centers on whether Pasadena’s Tree Protection Ordinance applies to the district’s cleanup work, has led to an increasingly contentious relationship between the city and the school district.

School district officials have ignored stop-work orders and had city officials removed from campuses where crews were removing trees without permits.

The city voluntarily gives PUSD millions of dollars a year in taxpayer funds as a result of a public safety ballot initiative that passed several years ago.

In the petition, PUSD argues it is a sovereign public entity governed by state law and therefore is not subject to the city’s tree, building or zoning ordinances while carrying out its educational responsibilities.

The lawsuit cites California Supreme Court precedent holding that public school districts are matters of statewide concern rather than municipal regulation.

According to the filing, city officials initially indicated in June that the cleanup project would not be subject to the tree ordinance because it involved hazardous material removal.

Days later, the city reversed course, informing the district it would need tree removal permits before proceeding.

The district alleges the city posted stop-work orders at seven campuses on July 1 and later issued additional orders and obtained inspection warrants for John Muir High School and other campuses. The lawsuit claims the stop-work orders failed to specify the alleged violations and improperly halted all tree removal rather than only work involving protected trees.

PUSD also alleges city actions have delayed construction, discouraged contractors from returning to the sites and increased project costs, potentially threatening the timely reopening of schools this fall.

City officials have maintained they are not disputing the need to remediate contaminated soil but contend the district must comply with local permitting requirements for the removal of protected trees. The city had not filed a formal response to the petition as of Friday.