Pasadena City Council asks for clarity on tree removals amid PUSD’s post-fire soil plan

A controversial Pasadena Unified School District plan to remove toxic soil found contaminated after the Eaton fire — which includes cutting down about 200 trees — spilled over into Pasadena City Hall Monday night, June 15, during the City Council’s latest meeting.

Five people spoke during the public comment period — all decrying the district’s plan, alleging a lack of clear communication from school officials and calling for city intervention.  In response, City Councilmembers Tyron Hampton and Rick Cole asked why the city’s tree ordinance could not be applied to the PUSD plan.

Cole referred to a statement provided to the Pasadena Star-News last week from a city spokesperson that was issued in response to concern over the PUSD debate. He urged that the City Council be briefed and fully aware of the application, and the jurisdiction, of the laws that it passes.

The statement said that PUSD officials provided Pasadena with a plan for soil removal, which would require taking out trees. City officials reviewed the plan and determined that the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) was the appropriate agency to assess the plan and, if appropriate, recommend its approval.

The statement also said that the city’s Urban Forestry Advisory Committee only reviews trees on city property and within the public right of way. That, therefore, means the city rules do not apply to trees on school district property.

“I would ask that we move expeditiously to alert the school district to the need to resolve that issue of jurisdiction,” Cole said. “I think that a reasonable case can be made that they have to abide by our laws.”

Hampton, a former school board member, described PUSD’s communication about the plan “lackluster” and said the public notices sent out to school sites were insufficient in providing an explanation to the community.

“When private businesses in Pasadena request trees to be removed if they’re protected trees they have to give exact reasons why,” Hampton said.

Residents have taken it upon themselves to disrupt tree removal work by being present in work sites — or even sitting in trees to prevent crews from taking them out. On Monday, 17-year-old Pasadena resident Paloma Muniz-Ochoa climbed into a coast live oak at the PUSD district office parking lot — and stayed there for eight hours.

“I don’t think it’s fair that these oak trees are being taken down,” Muniz-Ochoa said during public comment. “Being in that oak tree I really connected with it and it’s clear that it’s holding a lot of life and that it means a lot to the environment and to the animals and plants living in it.”

Hampton commended Muniz-Ochoa for “protecting our trees.”

“The city manager’s office is looking at the issue of jurisdiction and the distinction between the ed code jurisdiction for education related purposes versus environmental purposes, but we should have more information,” Mayor Victor Gordo said.

Minutes before the City Council meeting began Monday night, PUSD and DTSC released a joint statement that said the two organizations are aligned in overseeing safe soil clean up.

“After months of consultation with DTSC, PUSD determined that removing the selected trees is the safest and most appropriate course of action for schools to complete remediation and reopen as quickly as possible,” the statement read. “DTSC approved the plan as a health protective way to proceed.”

Local ecologist Nina Raj has joined in sitting watch over trees and has spent some of the last few days with an Aleppo pine at the PUSD headquarters. Raj said workers have begun putting up no trespassing signs and fencing around trees marked for removal and threatened members of the public with arrest.

Raj said trees should be an ally in the remediation effort and called seeing trees cut down to the root “heartbreaking.” Raj lives close to the Eaton fire burn zone and has been learning more and more about the soil remediation process.

“Trees help remediate soil,” Raj said.