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Judge Rules San Diego Transportation Plan Violated California Law

Case Updates:

December 3, 2012

On December 3, Superior Court Judge Timothy Taylor ruled in favor of the lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Cleveland National Forest Foundation.  The ruling stated that the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) violated state law by failing to fully account for, and take steps to reduce, climate pollution in its environmental review of the region’s long-term transportation plan.

The lawsuit centered on a number of serious concerns about the SANDAG Plan, which invests heavily in freeways at the expense of public transit. Rather than promoting “smart” growth, the plan would have led to sprawl development, increasing climate disrupting pollution and other significant air pollution throughout the region.

SANDAG must now conduct new environmental review for its 2050 plan to ensure it addresses the risk of climate change. Judge Taylor noted that much of San Diego County is in a low-lying area that is likely to be affected by sea-level rise.

The court is setting an important example here for regional planning agencies throughout California. Thanks to California laws requiring public agencies to be open about their plans, Sierra Club and its allies were able to hold SANDAG accountable for its faulty planning practices.

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