Local Electeds Seek Protections From Density Laws Already Suspended for Palisades

When Governor Newsom suspended California’s housing density laws in Los Angeles fire zones last July, the order shielded the Palisades. Most of Altadena — where the Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures — was left out.

Now a state senator and an assemblymember, both representing Altadena and Pasadena, are pushing legislation to close that gap.

SB 1090, authored by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) and co-authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena), would impose a five-year moratorium on two statewide laws — SB 9 and SB 1123 — that allow lot splits and multi-unit construction on single-family residential properties in Altadena. Investors purchased 44% of the lots sold in Altadena’s 91001 zip code during the third quarter of 2025, according to Redfin data — compared with zero investor lot purchases in the same period a year earlier.

The bill, which has passed the state Senate and is headed to an Assembly committee in the coming weeks, is sponsored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose Fifth District includes unincorporated Altadena.

SB 9, signed into law in 2021, allows property owners in single-family neighborhoods to split lots and build duplexes. SB 1123, which took effect in July 2025, expanded a separate streamlining law to permit construction of up to 10 homes on vacant lots in single-family zones. Both laws were designed to increase housing supply statewide, according to their authors, but supporters of SB 1090 say speculators are exploiting them to acquire fire-damaged properties and pursue higher-density development that does not reflect Altadena’s 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,” Pérez said in a statement. “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.”

Pérez noted that allowing up to 10 homes to be rebuilt on a single-family lot would overwhelm existing infrastructure and destabilize the community during recovery. She said the Palisades community was provided a temporary exemption from these laws last year by the governor, and that Altadena deserves the same protections.

The gap exists because Newsom’s Executive Order N-32-25, issued July 30, 2025, suspended SB 9 in areas designated as high fire hazard severity zones within the burn scars. That designation covers the entire Palisades within the city of Los Angeles — but only the eastern foothills portions of Altadena. Much of the community, including the heavily damaged West Altadena neighborhoods, falls outside the zone.

West Altadena’s destruction carried particular historical weight. The area has long served as a center of Black homeownership in Los Angeles County, a community built by families who found refuge there when redlining excluded them from other neighborhoods, according to a Catalyst California analysis published in January 2026. More than half of West Altadena’s single-family homes were significantly damaged or destroyed by the Eaton Fire. As of December 2025, only 23 residential properties out of nearly 6,000 that suffered significant damage had completed all rebuilding and repairs, according to the same analysis.

Harabedian said the moratorium would support community-led recovery.

“During this critical rebuilding period, residents should have the opportunity to restore their homes and neighborhoods without added pressure from speculative development,” he said. “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.”

“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,” Harabedian said.

Barger, as the bill’s sponsor, emphasized stability for fire survivors.

“Many Eaton Fire survivors are already carrying an enormous emotional burden as they navigate the difficult process of rebuilding their homes and lives,” Barger said. “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.”

Altadena Town Council Chair Nic Arnzen, who lost his own home in the fire, said the legislation reflects the kind of collaboration the community needs.

“Protecting survivors and connecting our community has been at the forefront of our work on the Altadena Town Council,” Arnzen said. “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.”

The moratorium approach has faced opposition in related contexts. YIMBY Law, a housing advocacy organization, filed a lawsuit in December 2025 challenging Newsom’s executive order, arguing that suspending SB 9 undermines the state’s housing laws and harms fire survivors — particularly underinsured homeowners who could use lot splits to finance rebuilding. Supporters of the moratorium counter that the density laws were designed for urban infill, not for rebuilding communities devastated by wildfire.

SB 1090, titled the Keep Altadena Land in Altadena Hands Act, originally prohibited individuals or entities owning 75 or more single-family properties from making unsolicited purchase offers in fire disaster areas. The amendment adds the five-year moratorium on SB 9 and SB 1123 in Altadena. The bill will be heard in an Assembly committee in the coming weeks, according to Pérez’s office.