PUSD: City Said Tree Protection Ordinance Did Not Apply to Soil Removal Project

The City of Pasadena acknowledged Tuesday it provided the Pasadena Unified School District with conflicting information in June about whether protected tree-removal permits were required for the district’s hazardous-material and soil-removal work.

PUSD said public criticism had wrongly suggested the district moved ahead “without notice, without coordination, and without regard for the City of Pasadena, regulatory agencies, or the broader community.”

The district said that was not accurate, asserting it had months of communication with the city and other agencies before work began.

The district said the city informed PUSD that Pasadena’s Tree Protection Ordinance did not apply to the cleanup project, then later reversed that position.

Pasadena Chief Communications Officer Lisa Derderian confirmed the city told PUSD in mid-June that tree removal did not require a permit, but said the city corrected that guidance on June 25, informing the district that permits were required.

Derderian said the June exchange followed earlier notifications on April 1 and May 14 stating that permits would be necessary.

PUSD said the city now disputes the district’s position on jurisdiction and process, a legal issue the two sides continue to discuss.

The district said that disagreement “does not erase the months of outreach, documentation, and coordination that occurred before the work began,” adding that it did not proceed “in secret” or ignore the city.

To support its account, the district released a timeline and documents it said show extensive coordination, including meetings, project reviews, plan submissions, and repeated requests for guidance on permits, tree replacement, grading, trucking, and related issues.

Derderian said the city’s goal “has been, and continues to be, to work cooperatively with the Pasadena Unified School District regarding the removal of trees from PUSD sites,” adding that Pasadena looks forward to further discussions for a mutually beneficial resolution.