Senate Bill 9 Under Fire by Bass, Los Angeles Council Member

A Los Angeles City Council member is appealing to Gov. Gavin Newsom to pump the brakes on a plan to build in the Pacific Palisades.

Council member Traci Park has sent Newsom a letter urging the governor to pause the application of Senate Bill 9 in the Palisades, citing concerns about the law’s approval process posing public safety risks in the wake of the deadly January wildfires, Westside Current reported.

Park warned that emergency rebuilding orders in tandem with SB 9, which allows homeowners to split one single-family-zoned lot into two and potentially build up to two housing units on one lot, are being used to convert single-family lots into multiunit developments without any public hearings or environmental review.

“Opportunistic developers are now using [emergency orders] in conjunction with state density laws to exploit a devastating disaster for their economic advantage,” she wrote, per Westside Current. In her view, SB 9, designed to promote urban infill construction, isn’t well suited for a coastal hillside community in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone like the Palisades, per the Current.

Park pleaded that SB 9 and related laws permitting increased density in the Palisades be suspended immediately until investigators evaluate the evacuation infrastructure and emergency capacity in the burned enclave. The Pacific Palisades Community Council supported Park’s letter and also submitted a request for immediate action.

Mayor Karen Bass echoed Park’s worries on the matter, pointing out that creating more density in an area where evacuation routes could be restricted could end up being deadly in the next fire.

“While Senate Bill 9 (SB 9) was passed to support the creation of more housing across California — something that our state desperately needs — legislators in Sacramento could not have foreseen the bill’s impact on the Palisades community as it works to rebuild from one of the worst natural disasters in state history,” Bass said in a statement. “The ability for developers to use SB 9 to change recently destroyed single-family home lots into multiple residences could drastically further challenge ingress and egress in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFSZ) following the worst fire disaster the city has ever faced. It could fundamentally alter the safety of the area by straining local infrastructure.”

“I oppose this usage as it relates to rebuilding in the Palisades, and I look forward to continuing to work with Gov. Newsom and state leaders to advocate for the Palisades community and identify a path forward as we continue to rebuild,” Bass continued.

There are seven properties listed with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety that currently have active permit applications for duplex development under SB 9, according to Westside Current. That includes two parcels at 768 and 732 Hartzell Streets and another at 1116 Galloway Street. Other addresses with pending applications include 1006 Kagawa Street; 1301 Amalfi Drive; 437 and 425 Mount Holyoke Avenue; and 536 Bienveneda Avenue. None of those permits have been approved yet.

Meanwhile, another California Senate bill that came under fire — no pun intended — has been tabled until next year. SB 549 would establish a “Resilient Rebuilding Authority” to coordinate, accelerate and streamline rebuilding efforts by helping residents in areas impacted by the blazes to navigate the complex permitting process, as well as implement fire-resistant building standards to mitigate future disasters.

The legislation was criticized by high-profile figures like reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, who erroneously claimed it would permit the county to buy up burned lots to build low-income housing for non-Palisades locals. Instead, the county would buy burned lots to rebuild homes and sell them back to returning residents who lived there before the fires.

— Chris Malone Méndez