Malibu and Pasadena residents will be able to build up to 4 units on fire-damaged properties

The cities of Malibu and Pasadena settled a lawsuit brought by housing activists who dispute the cities' ban on multifamily housing, reports Ben Christopher for CALmatters.

According to Christopher, "The twin settlements come almost a year to the day after Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed executive orders letting local governments nullify a state housing law, Senate Bill 9, in areas deemed to be 'very high' wildfire severity zones in the region’s burn scars." But housing advocates argued that the cities did not have the right to override state law.

The cities agreed to repeal anti-duplex ordinances and accept pending and future applications for new housing with up to four units per lot. Although most of the structures destroyed in the January 2025 wildfires were in Los Angeles and unincorporated Los Angeles County, the agreements with Malibu and Pasadena bode well for other pending lawsuits.