Altadena residents are frustrated with state laws that allow multiple homes to be built on single-home sites in their community, which is still rebuilding after the devastating Eaton Fire. Supervisor Kathryn Barger represents Altadena on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and is speaking out against the laws, which she says are being used by speculators to build up to 10 homes on vacant lots.

State Laws Under Fire

Two state laws, Senate Bill 9 and Senate Bill 1123, are at the center of the controversy. SB 9, which passed in 2021, ends single-family zoning and requires local governments to approve duplexes and lot splits on single-home parcels, allowing for up to four units on a single lot. SB 1123, which took effect in July 2025, allows for the fast-track building of up to 10 homes on vacant lots in urban areas.

Barger argues that these laws are being misused by speculators, who are building multiple homes on lots that were originally zoned for single-family residences. She notes that many of these lots do not have the necessary infrastructure to support multiple homes, including sewer access, sidewalks, and streetlights.

A Community’s Character at Stake

Altadena is known for its single-family home neighborhoods and its historic deodar cedar trees on Santa Rosa Avenue, also known as Christmas Tree Lane. Barger and many residents are concerned that the rapid development of multiple homes on single lots will change the character of the community and make it difficult to maintain its charm.

Barger has asked state Senator Sasha Renee Perez to carry legislation that would pause the implementation of SB 9 and SB 1123 in Altadena, giving the community time to rebuild thoughtfully and intentionally. The legislation, known as the Keep Altadena Land in Altadena Hands Act, would also apply the same level of protection from speculative development to Altadena as is given to high fire hazard severity zones.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.