Pasadena Rental Settlement: Inspections Being Fast-Tracked, Testing Concerns Remain

The City of Pasadena officials say they’ve reached an agreement in principle to settle a lawsuit over wildfire in rentals, after Senate Bill 610 clarified that any ash is a violation and landlords are responsible for cleanup. The proposed settlement would fast-track third-party inspections and remediation in the most impacted areas, require landlords to hire certified professionals, and target a 75-day timeline. However, EFRU remains concerned the agreement repeats the risk seen with the Altadena Tenants Union: if it doesn’t explicitly require asbestos and lead testing, landlords can default to cheaper wildfire debris testing only, masking whether contamination exceeds health-based thresholds and sidestepping licensed abatement. That can lead to unlicensed cleaning crews working in hazardous conditions while contamination remains in the home for the tenant. Read the Pasadena Now article here.