California State Senator Ben Allen
Senator Ben Allen said during L.A. County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath’s Townhall that if people did not want SB 549, which would establish a building authority in Pacific Palisades, he would not pursue it.
During that July 9 Zoom meeting, Allen said, “I don’t want to jam anything down anyone’s throats. If folks don’t want this, we don’t have to pursue it.”
Today after the committee meeting in Sacramento, Allen made the decision to halt the bill’s progress this year.
He said, “When we first introduced SB 549, we knew that it would be difficult to pull together a framework that would be both effective and gain widespread support within the tight timelines of this year’s legislative calendar.
“I appreciate the input of the folks who have weighed in about the bill, and along with legislative colleagues have decided that it would be best for us to pause the bill until next year to give us more time to see if we can get it right,” Allen said.
“For me to feel comfortable proceeding, the bill will have to be deeply grounded in community input, empowerment, and decision-making, including the support of the impacted Councilmembers,” he said. “I am also committed that any formed rebuilding entity that I’m involved with will have the flexibility needed to help rebuild impacted communities in a way that reflects the unique character and history of each neighborhood.
“Needless to say, I look forward to robust conversations with the community and City leadership,” Allen said.
Numerous organizations and individuals had come out against this legislation in its current form. The Committee’s Legislative Analysis of the bill (including information on who supports it, Horvath, and who opposes it) can be found here Senate Bill Policy Committee Analysis.
The Senator will be a special guest at the PPCC meeting this Thursday, July 17, at 6 p.m. via Zoom (details on www.pacpalicc.org); he will speak during item 11.1 (new business), beginning at approximately 7p.m.
The Castellammare Homeowners Board is hosting a Town Hall, July 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Senator Allen will speak from 11:25 to 11:50 a.m. at the Santa Monica YMCA. RSVP cmho.pali@gmail.com.
Email: Senator.Allen@senate.CA Phone: (916) 651-4024. If you like what he is doing be sure you send him that information as well as sending gripes.
This bill should be permanently tabled. The victims of fires should not have to suffer more, when they are doing everything they can to rebuild their communities. Multi-story development in known fire zones is stupid. How would people evacuate? In Metro buses?
Senator Allen – thank you for pausing Senate Bill 549 in response to the overwhelming opposition from Pacific Palisades residents and community stakeholders. As victims of the devastating Palisades Fire on January 7, 2025, we write today to firmly oppose this bill and to underscore why it must not return in its current form, or at all.
Our community continues to grapple with the severe trauma and displacement caused by this entirely preventable disaster. We endured the consequences of failed infrastructure: non-functioning fire hydrants, a decommissioned reservoir, and no meaningful fire department support despite well-known Santa Ana wind conditions. These failures, detailed in recent investigative reports, were the direct result of neglectful planning and poor judgment by city and state leadership.
Rather than focus on recovery and accountability, SB 549 sought to impose top-down redevelopment authority and rezoning mandates, without first rebuilding the trust and safety that were destroyed along with our homes. The timing is not only insensitive, it’s unconscionable.
Rebuilding our neighborhoods must begin with:
1. Infrastructure restoration—including water systems, reservoirs, and emergency services;
2. Transparent investigations into what went wrong;
3. Local control over planning, grounded in the lived experience of the victims and residents.
We applaud your statement that you will not “jam anything down anyone’s throats,” and we will hold you to that. SB 549, as proposed, undermined community voice at a time when we are most vulnerable. Forcing rezoning or redevelopment plans before full recovery is nothing short of re-victimizing those still trying to rebuild.
We urge you to permanently abandon this legislation, or, at the very least, start over from scratch with full community consent, infrastructure guarantees, and a clear mandate to preserve the character and integrity of our neighborhoods.
Please count our household among those standing firmly for a “No” vote this year, next year, and any year this bill returns in its current form.
Glad to see that Senator Ben Allen will pause SB 549 – it is one of the better decisions he has make during his time in office.
I have no idea if Senator Allen’s office reads CTN regularly, however, Jami Cimbolo’s write up is succinctly spot on and NEEDS to be front and center on Senator Allen’s computer screen.
This editor agrees and sent the comment to the Senator’s office.
Sue
Jami you are spot on! Thank you for stating our sentiments so succinctly and eloquently.
All of you who are falling all over yourselves to praise Ben Allen should read the text of the SB79 bill.
The powers that be in Sacramento have already decided that multi-family “affordable” homes near public transportation is going to happen no matter what.
I dont fully agree with you Ken. I think Jami’s comments about the nature of the causation and the resultant steps to resurrect our community are direct, succint and well thought out. This is OUR community and if residents dont sell their properties to government entities and we stand strong in our resolutions to keep the Palisades as we all seem to feel it should be, then there is a srong chance this bill and other encroachments similar will fail and we will preserve what was once ours. Never surrender to those powers that stand in our way!