In response to the housing shortage, California lawmakers have passed reforms that exempt some building projects from unwieldy regulations including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Creating “by right” approvals speeds up the construction process and leads to more housing. These laws may not have created as much new housing as hoped for, but they have helped — and deregulation is usually the right answer.
Yet state legislators want to temporarily halt two of these laws’ implementation in a community where they are needed most: Altadena, the Los Angeles County city that was devastated from 2025 wildfires.
As CalMatters reported, Senate Bill 1090 has broad support in the Legislature. It would halt until 2030 the reforms included in Senate Bills 9 and 1123, to supposedly help the community rebuild without outside pressure. SB 9 allows streamlined approvals for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in single-family neighborhoods, while SB 1123 allows up to 10 starter homes on vacant lots in similarly zoned areas.
“The people of Altadena are demanding protections from speculators who are purchasing property from distressed fire survivors and seeking to exploit laws that were not intended for communities recovering from a disaster of this magnitude,” said author Sen. Sasha Pérez, a Democrat who represents the area. We understand the senator’s desire to help fire victims, but her approach is backwards.
It’s easy to blast “speculators,” but the area needs more investors. It needs fewer rules, so that buyers and sellers can get to the business of rebuilding houses. It does not need a paternalistic government limiting financial choices for people who desperately need them. As opponents explained in the committee analysis, “For those seeking to rebuild, these laws create a pathway for homeowners to finance reconstruction by selling off marginal land or adding additional homes to their property.”
The availability of open land in Altadena now offers something of a blank slate. What should be drawn on it? We don’t presume to know, but willing owners and investors can figure it out. SB 1090 supplants the freedom of individuals to choose what to do with their property with irrational restrictions on property rights.
SB 1090 will only reduce people’s options and delay Altadena’s rebuilding process. It should be rejected.