New State Housing Law Puts Pasadena’s Historic Neighborhoods on a Deadline

In less than three weeks, California’s SB 79 is scheduled to expand housing development rights around Pasadena’s six Metro A Line stations, potentially altering development patterns in parts of the city long prized for their historic architecture and neighborhood character. While the Pasadena City Council has advanced a temporary ordinance to shield certain historic resources and lower-density areas as officials craft a longer-term response, preservation organizations say the law still leaves unanswered challenges for many historic places beyond those proposed protections.

Saturday’s Regional Restoration Expo, a free day-long event co-hosted by four preservation organizations at the historic Blinn House in downtown Pasadena, arrives in the final window before that deadline.

The expo is not billed as a political event. Its programming features roughly 40 to 50 curated restoration specialists, an expert speaker series, and live antique valuations by John Moran Auctioneers. But its organizers say the timing is not accidental.

“After thousands of lost structures during the Eaton Fire and state bills like SB 79, which could incentivize developers to forever modify historical properties, preservation is more important than ever,” said Michael Robleto, board chair of Pasadena Heritage, in written responses to Pasadena Now. “I believe homeowners are the stewards of these properties, so education and connection is key to preservation on a granular scale.”

The law’s author, state Senator Scott Wiener, has described SB 79 as a response to California’s housing affordability crisis. The bill’s supporters say it directs new housing growth to sustainable locations near transit while establishing safeguards for affordability, construction wages, and displacement. Housing advocacy organization California YIMBY, which sponsored the legislation, called the signing “the realization of that foundational goal” of legalizing homes near transit.

Preservation organizations see it differently. The LA Conservancy, the largest local nonprofit preservation organization in the United States, opposed the bill. The organization’s published advocacy materials describe the law as “anti-planning, and harmful for historic places.” The California Preservation Foundation has called the 10 percent cap “unrealistic” and the January 2025 cutoff date “arbitrary,” according to the foundation’s published advocacy alerts.

Adrian Scott Fine, president and CEO of the LA Conservancy and the keynote speaker at Saturday’s expo, said in written responses to Pasadena Now that he plans to address “the erosion of preservation protections due to state legislation” and “the sense of belonging that comes from connecting people to place.”

“We can’t simply react when a demolition notice appears, as we need to be more proactive by mapping and identifying vulnerable and valued places and building partnerships that expand our reach,” Fine said.

Pasadena’s position on SB79 officially shifted this week. On June 8, the City Council gave first reading to an SB 79 delay ordinance in an amended form, superseding the broader recommendation previously advanced by city staff and the Planning Commission. Official city records show the staff proposal would have delayed SB 79 for locally registered historic resources in all six transit-oriented development zones and for broader low-density areas in the Del Mar, Memorial Park and Lake station areas, but the council approved the measure in narrower amended form. The ordinance still requires a second reading, which is scheduled for June 15.

The amendment kept historic-resource protections in all six A Line station areas while scaling back the broader neighborhood delay to the lowest-density zones near Del Mar, Memorial Park, and Lake, and shortening the pause to the shortest possible duration.

Separately, Assemblymember John Harabedian’s AB 2576 remains alive in Sacramento but has not become law. The bill passed the Assembly on May 4, reached the Senate, was amended there on May 28 and remains pending committee action. If enacted, it would expand SB 79’s historic-resource exclusions to include contributing properties in historic districts on the State Historic Resources Inventory and parcels individually listed there, broadening protections beyond the current law’s local-register language

Dr. Bridget Lawlor, who became executive director of Pasadena Heritage on December 1, said in an interview with Pasadena Now that she sees preservation and housing production as compatible.

“One of the biggest misconceptions is that preservation is about preventing change, but really in reality, preservation is about managing change thoughtfully,” Lawlor said. “As long as this infill is sensitive infill and kind of takes into consideration the context of the area, I think we can do this successfully.”

Lawlor said the expo reflects her broader vision for Pasadena Heritage as “a community hub where we have homeowners and craftspeople, preservation professionals, neighborhood advocates who can come together.”

The expo runs Saturday, June 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the historic Blinn House, 160 N. Oakland Ave. Admission is free and no registration is required. Tickets for the “What’s It Worth?” live valuations by John Moran Auctioneers are $35. Information: pasadenaheritage.org or (626) 441-6333.