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Los Angeles: Newsom signs law shielding Altadena fire survivors from speculators
Newsom signed SB 1090, creating a three-year moratorium on a state density law in Altadena to shield Eaton Fire survivors from speculators.
Why it matters
Altadena residents feared that speculators would buy up fire-damaged lots and use a state density law to build at a scale the town's infrastructure cannot handle. The new law freezes that possibility for three years, giving survivors breathing room to rebuild — while matching protections the Palisades already had.
Full story
On September 30, 2026 — the last day of the bill-signing period — Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1090, the "Keep Altadena Land in Altadena Hands Act." Authored by State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) and sponsored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the bill passed with an urgency clause and took effect October 1, 2026.
The law establishes a three-year moratorium on SB 1123 specifically in Altadena. SB 1123 allows increased residential density of up to ten housing units on certain residential properties; residents worried it was being used by real estate speculators to acquire fire-damaged properties after the January 2025 Eaton Fire. The moratorium runs until 2030 and does not apply to applications submitted before it took effect.
In his signing statement, Newsom said California's housing streamlining laws "remain essential" to addressing the housing shortage, but that "extraordinary recovery challenges may warrant targeted adjustments" that are "narrowly tailored and responsive to demonstrated local conditions." The law preserves Altadena homeowners' own ability to build accessory dwelling units or split lots.
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