LA leaders say they’re powerless to stop an insidious state housing mandate that residents fear could forever transform fire-ravaged Altadena.
Now a high-stakes showdown over the community’s future is set for lawmakers in Sacramento Wednesday as they consider legislation designed to shield Altadena from state density laws that critics say could open the door to aggressive redevelopment by outside investors.
The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee is set to hear Senate Bill 1090, dubbed the “Keep Altadena Land in Altadena Hands Act.”
Supporters say the measure is needed to protect neighborhoods devastated by January’s Eaton Fire from corporate real estate speculators looking to cash in during the rebuilding process.
The bill, introduced by State Sen. Sasha Renee Perez, D-Alhambra, would impose a five-year moratorium on state density laws including SB 9 and SB 1123 within designated Altadena ZIP codes.
The proposal comes as anxiety and anger continue to boil over in Altadena, where residents worry state housing mandates could permanently alter neighborhoods long defined by single-family homes.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said local officials are effectively powerless to stop the laws on their own.
“I have no ability to stop it, other than to approach my state senator that represents Altadena and ask her to carry legislation,” Barger told The Center Square.
At the center of the dispute are SB 9 and SB 1123.
SB 9, approved in 2021, requires local governments to allow duplexes and lot splits on single-family parcels, making it possible to build up to four units on a single lot. The law also prevents local requirements, including community standards districts, from being enforced.
SB 1123, which took effect in July 2025, allows the fast-track construction of up to 10 homes on vacant lots, according to Barger.
She warned the measure could dramatically reshape Altadena.
“The expansive building is going to completely change the landscape,” Barger said.
Barger also questioned claims that the law would create affordable homeownership opportunities.
The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee is scheduled to hold the first hearing on Senate Bill 1090, the “Keep Altadena Land in Altadena Hands Act,” a proposal supporters say is needed to protect fire-damaged properties from outside corporate real estate speculators as rebuilding continues after the Eaton Fire.
The measure, introduced by State Sen. Sasha Renee Perez, D-Alhambra, would create a five-year moratorium on state density laws including SB 9 and SB 1123 within designated Altadena ZIP codes.
“By the way, when you talk about entry-level, for-sale homes by subdividing those lots and building 10 homes, they’re going to make millions,” Barger said. “I’m not against the free market, but if the goal is affordable housing, that is not going to occur in Altadena.”
A major source of frustration for residents and local leaders is that SB 1123 does not apply in Pacific Palisades, the Los Angeles neighborhood devastated by the Palisades Fire.
Pacific Palisades is considered a high fire hazard severity zone, while Altadena is not.
As a result, Altadena remains subject to a law that many residents fear could accelerate dense redevelopment as the community recovers from the Eaton Fire, which burned 14,021 acres and destroyed 9,418 structures in the Altadena-Pasadena area in January 2025.
The growing anger was on full display earlier this week at a packed Altadena Town Council meeting.
Nearly 450 residents attended the meeting, where concerns over redevelopment, rebuilding and state housing mandates dominated discussion.
Although the council cannot pass laws, it serves as a forum for residents to voice concerns.
Tensions surged when attendees learned that 49% of properties sold within the burn zone since the wildfire have been purchased by developers, drawing an audible gasp from the crowd.
Residents warned that increased density could strain water supplies, electrical infrastructure, parking availability and evacuation routes while destroying the character of Altadena.
Many also expressed concern that developers could use the aftermath of the disaster to reshape neighborhoods long known for single-family homes and landmarks such as the towering deodar cedar trees along Santa Rosa Avenue, better known as Christmas Tree Lane.
Wednesday’s hearing is one of several recovery-related events scheduled across Altadena and Pasadena, including meetings focused on disaster assistance, tenant protections and county governance.
Barger has also called on lawmakers to listen to Altadena residents at two additional hearings set for July 1 as debate over the community’s future continues to intensify.
If you are an Altadena resident and want your voice to be heard, please reach out to me at dfarr@californiapost.com