Mansionization Déjà Vu Reveals Differences of Opinion in Southern California

An editorial favors one local city's approach to mansionization over another's. When will they ever learn?

2 minute read

October 9, 2015, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


It's almost like the Great Recession never happened in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California: homeowners, developers, and international investors are tearing down single-family detached homes and replacing them with much larger single-family detached homes.

The editorial board of the Pasadena Star-News chimed in on the reignited controversy over mansionization in the cities of San Gabriel and Arcadia. "The city of San Gabriel last month became the latest in the region to begin to investigate solutions to the problems of mansionization in the region, and good for it," begins the editorial. Meanwhile, according to the editorial, nearby Arcadia is sticking its head in the "construction dirt."

So the editorial performs a compare and contrast on the two cities' approach to mansionization pressures. The right way, according to the editorial, as embodied by San Gabriel:

"Quite properly, the main focus in the short run in San Gabriel is on updating its outmoded housing preservation ordinance to protect the excellent stock of appropriately scaled pre-World War II residential neighborhoods in the city. But city leaders are also not shying away from considering a temporary moratorium on the razing of single-family houses in order to build McMansions while it gets its planning act together."

Meanwhile in Arcadia, "an out-of-touch three-member City Council majority has blocked a zoning study that had appropriately been under way…"

Courtney Tompkins, staff reporter for the Pasadena Star-News, reported on the initial findings of the city of San Gabriel's study back in September. For another take on the mansionization controversy, a letter to the editor by George Carney, resident of San Gabriel, says "the furor about 'mansionization' [is] just the latest sad commentary on the reactionary and bigoted thinking of all too many San Gabriel residents." 

Thursday, October 1, 2015 in Pasadena Star-News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Floor-to-ceiling rotating gates at Fairmount subway station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems

SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.

3 hours ago - Mass Transit

South LA Wetlands Park in Los Angeles, California.

How South LA Green Spaces Power Community Health and Hope

Green spaces like South L.A. Wetlands Park are helping South Los Angeles residents promote healthy lifestyles, build community, and advocate for improvements that reflect local needs in historically underserved neighborhoods.

4 hours ago - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Intersection in downtown Sacramento, California with neoclassical building with columns on left.

Sacramento Plans ‘Quick-Build’ Road Safety Projects

The city wants to accelerate small-scale safety improvements that use low-cost equipment to make an impact at dangerous intersections.

5 hours ago - The Sacramento Bee