Bill > SB1090

This bill creates a moratorium—or temporary suspension—on certain streamlined housing development and subdivision approvals in response to the January 2025 Eaton Fire in Altadena, California. Under existing state laws, including the Starter Home Revitalization Act of 2021, local agencies are generally required to "ministerially" consider certain housing and subdivision applications, meaning they must approve or deny them through a fast-tracked administrative process without discretionary reviews, public hearings, or environmental reviews. This bill carves out an exception to those streamlined rules for properties located in ZIP codes 91001 and 91003, providing that applications submitted on or after October 1, 2026, are no longer eligible for this expedited process. The legislation includes protections to ensure that applications submitted before that date, as well as 100% affordable housing projects run by community land trusts or qualifying nonprofits, remain eligible. Passed as an urgency statute to take effect immediately, the bill aims to protect the unincorporated Altadena community from predatory real estate development practices following the devastation of the Eaton Fire, ensuring these fire-impacted areas receive protections similar to those granted to other vulnerable regions.