Residents say Pasadena Unified cut protected oaks despite city stop notice

At a Pasadena Unified School District meeting, residents accused the district of removing protected trees at local high schools without required city permits and despite a stop notice posted by the city.

Kristen Ochoa, a Pasadena resident and homeowner, told the board that protected trees were cut down and that a city stop notice had been posted at the site. "The law was broken today by the Pasadena Unified School District because protected trees were removed," Ochoa said, adding that the board should "take some of what people are telling you, follow the law." She called the removals "negligent and utterly reckless."

Shana Piloda, a Pasadena resident, said at least four more trees were cut at John Muir High School, including three coast live oaks, and asserted the district had not applied for the city permits the commenters said are required. "I ask the board tonight [to] direct all staff to halt all tree removal until the district has obtained the required city permits and until the court has ruled an agreement has been reached," Piloda said.

Nina Raj, a Pasadena resident and a member of the California Native Plant SocietySan Gabriel Mountains chapter, said crews felled three coast live oaks and an American sweet gum at Muir despite "written orders by the city to pause removals." Raj said two of the cut oaks had lead levels below the legal limit and the third was "barely over," and described the trees as keystone habitat and sources of cooling on hot days. "They would have continued cutting had I not disrupted their illegal work," she said.

Commenters repeatedly invoked a city tree protection ordinance and a stop notice that, they said, should have prevented the removals. One resident also urged the boardto convene its code of conduct and ethics committee to examine the actions. Speakers noted litigation related to the removals is pending and urged greater transparency and coordination with the city before work proceeds.

The board did not register a public response in the recorded public-comment excerpts. Meeting staff thanked commentators and recessed the public meeting to a closed session shortly after the comments concluded.