City Sues Caltrans to Halt Sale of State-Owned Homes

The city of South Pasadena has sued Caltrans to stop the sale of 11 state-owned homes to an affordable housing agency, two weeks after a judge rejected a similar suit filed by homeowners.

South Pasadena’s lawsuit alleges that the California Department of Transportation has not studied the effects the proposed sale would have on the surrounding neighborhood, as required by state law.

The lawsuit, filed Monday, also demands that Caltrans pay property taxes that have been delinquent for more than a quarter of a century and comply with local housing and zoning laws.

The houses purchased years ago for the planned Long Beach Freeway extension were declared surplus property after changes in the proposed route.

The 11 houses--10 in South Pasadena and one in Pasadena--are being sold to Pasadena Neighborhood Housing Services and Esperanza charities for use as low- to moderate-income rentals.

Caltrans officials called the suit a last-ditch effort to halt the sale and predicted that it would fail.

Last month, a Pasadena Superior Court judge declined to extend a temporary restraining order preventing the sale after two South Pasadena homeowners groups sued.