Pasadena Says Cars on Posted Hillside Streets Will Be Towed Until Saturday

Fire Chief Chad Augustin's red flag warning runs until 7 a.m. Saturday, and Pasadena says the weather could keep it going longer.

On Pasadena's posted hillside streets until 7 a.m. Saturday, a delivery truck can stop at the curb for 15 minutes and a licensed gardener or plumber for an hour. Any other car parked there will be cited and towed, the city says.

Fire Chief Chad Augustin turned on the city's Red Flag Warning and parking restrictions at 7 a.m. Thursday because high winds were forecast, the City of Pasadena said in a release on cityofpasadena.net Wednesday. The restrictions can be extended if the weather calls for it, and the city has added fire patrols in its foothill neighborhoods.

The point is to keep narrow, winding roads at the edge of the wildland clear, so fire engines can get up them and residents can get out, the city says.

Only posted streets count. The fire department's red flag page says a street without a "No Parking" sign isn't affected, and some streets are posted on one block and not the next because the road's width changes. Signs at major intersections leading into the restricted areas announce when the rule is on, and the city keeps a list of where those gateway signs stand.

The City Council approved the rule unanimously in 2009, and the department's Q&A shows how little it bends. Going on vacation? Find an unrestricted block, or ask a neighbor to help move the car. No off-street parking? Over the long run, the department suggests turning a converted garage back into a garage. Limited mobility and no driveway? Somebody else handles it: once the resident is back, a caregiver or neighbor could take the car off the street.

Three of those answers open with the same sentence: "No matter how reasonable the justification may seem." After it comes the same verdict each time: on a day of extreme hazard, a blocked street puts the whole community at risk.

Even helpful neighbors get a correction. Some hillside residents used to pull their cars out of the driveway and onto the street so firefighters could reach the brush and pools behind their homes. The department says that swaps a blocked house for a blocked street, and asks them to park on the nearest unrestricted block instead. Overnight permits are good in any legal, unrestricted space nearby.

The wind is a risk away from the curb, too. The city asked residents to tie down or bring inside their patio furniture, their Halloween decorations and any construction materials from Eaton Fire rebuilding. Pasadena Water and Power warned that strong winds can knock down trees and power lines. It said to treat any downed or dangling wire as live, stay away from it and call 911. For other power emergencies, PWP's number is (626) 744-4673.

When the rule was written, the fire department estimated an average year would bring 10 to 15 days of restricted parking, and 30 to 45 in the worst case. This round is set to end at 7 a.m. Saturday, unless the weather keeps it going.

Source: cityofpasadena.net, retrieved October 16, 2026. Other sources: cityofpasadena.net (2), cityofpasadena.net (3).

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