More than 1,000 soil samples collected at 11 Pasadena Unified campuses have confirmed lead, arsenic and other fire-related contaminants left behind by the January 2025 Eaton Fire, according to a staff briefing delivered to the PUSD Board of Education on Friday, July 17.
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control determined in a February 25 letter that the contaminated soil presents "an imminent and substantial threat to school property users." The letter, signed by Shahir Haddad, branch chief of DTSC's Brownfields Restoration and Schools Evaluation Branch, concluded that removal and replacement of the soil is necessary and that failure to act would require permanent institutional controls, activity restrictions, and ongoing state oversight in perpetuity.
The 11 campuses still awaiting cleanup include Blair High School, John Muir High School, Cleveland Elementary, Field Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Longfellow Elementary, San Rafael Elementary, Washington Elementary STEM Magnet, Octavia E. Butler Magnet School, Jefferson Children's and Teen's Center, and the PUSD Education Center. Eight other campuses were remediated before the 2025-26 school year.
The district's 13-slide presentation, titled "Restoring Safe Outdoor Learning Spaces," outlined the scope: more than 8,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil must be excavated at an estimated cost of $6.6 million. Contaminated areas including soccer fields, play yards and school gardens have been closed since spring 2025.
PUSD's first day of school is Monday, August 17. The district has not publicly confirmed a completion date for the excavation work.
City-district standoff over tree removal
Eighty-seven trees remain at the 11 remediation sites, the presentation stated. Of those, 41 are described as potentially mature or native, and 46 do not meet the city's protection criteria. The district originally announced plans in June to remove 193 trees; about 80 had been cut as of July 16, according to the Pasadena Star-News.
The jurisdictional fight escalated the day before the briefing. On Thursday, July 16, the board voted unanimously in closed session to authorize litigation. Board President Tina Fredericks described the action as protecting against "interference" with the ongoing soil removal project. In open session, trustees voted 5-2 to adopt Resolution 2896, invoking California Government Code section 53094 to declare the City of Pasadena's zoning ordinances inapplicable to 10 school properties within city limits. Fredericks and Trustee Scott Harden voted no.
Trustee Michelle Richardson Bailey, speaking at the July 16 meeting, framed the dispute bluntly: "What is clear is that the city government has jurisdiction over the city and what is clear to the school board is that we have jurisdiction over the school district."
The city posted a stop-work order at John Muir High School on July 1 and obtained a court-approved warrant from Los Angeles Superior Court on July 10 to inspect tree removal work after district officials turned city inspectors away. City spokesperson Lisa Derderian said in a July 16 statement that the city "maintains its focus, which is the retention of protected trees during the soil remediation process."
The district's board presentation acknowledged the disagreement in a single line but did not mention permits, stop-work orders, or the city's legal actions.
What's at stake if soil stays
DTSC's letter warned that leaving contaminated soil in place would require a land use covenant, permanent engineered caps, long-term restrictions on how the land can be used, and continued state oversight with no end date. The district said that path would also block future construction or modernization at the affected campuses.
Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco said in a July 14 statement that the district has "an obligation to complete the cleanup" where contaminated soil must be removed and no feasible alternative exists.
Health resources
Residents concerned about lead exposure from the Eaton Fire can get free blood lead testing by calling 1-800-LA-4-LEAD for a Quest Labs appointment. More information is available at the district's fire relief page on pusd.us.
