Sunday, June 14, 2026

Bill Would Pause Density Laws in Fire-Scarred Altadena

Senator Sasha Renee Perez via Facebook

State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez this week unveiled new amendments to a wildfire recovery bill that would temporarily block California’s marquee housing density laws in fire-scarred Altadena, escalating a local fight over real estate speculation after the Eaton Fire.

SB 1090, known as the “Keep Altadena Land in Altadena Hands Act,” would impose a five-year moratorium on the ministerial approvals required by Senate Bills 9 and 1123 for projects in Altadena ZIP codes 91001 and 91003, covering applications filed from Jan. 7, 2025 through Jan. 7, 2030. The measure cleared the state Senate late last month and on June 11 was re-referred to Assembly housing and local government committees for hearings expected in the coming weeks.

Pérez, a Pasadena Democrat whose district includes Altadena, said the bill responds to reports that corporate investors are using SB 9 and SB 1123 to buy fire-damaged lots from distressed Eaton Fire survivors and pursue higher-density projects that could overwhelm local infrastructure. “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,” Pérez said in a statement announcing the bill.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the unincorporated community and is sponsoring SB 1090, said many Eaton Fire survivors already face “an enormous emotional burden” as they attempt to rebuild and should not have to worry about speculative development reshaping their neighborhoods. “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,” Barger said.

The legislation also would bar individuals or entities that own 75 or more single-family homes from making unsolicited offers to purchase properties in wildfire disaster areas for five years after a state of emergency is declared, a provision aimed at out-of-town investors targeting burned-out homeowners with low cash bids.

Altadena Town Council Chair Nic Arnzen, who lost his own home in the 2025 fire, called SB 1090 a model of collaboration between local leaders and Sacramento. “We can do great things when we unite in this way,” Arnzen said.

Local coverage this week in Pasadena Now framed the measure as an effort to extend to Altadena the kind of SB 9 relief Gov. Gavin Newsom granted Pacific Palisades under a 2025 executive order, noting that most of Altadena’s burn area was left out of those protections.

Housing advocates and pro-growth groups are expected to scrutinize SB 1090 as it heads to the Assembly. First hearings have not yet been scheduled.