Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment v. County of Los Angeles

The California Court of Appeal reinstated a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) cause of action against the County of Los Angeles in connection with County approvals in 2022 for a proposed residential housing development in an unincorporated area of the Santa Clarita Valley. The project would include 37 single-family homes, six public facilities, and two open spaces on approximately 94 acres. The plaintiffs’ CEQA claim included allegations that the County failed to adequately analyze and disclose the project’s environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions. The appellate court concluded that the trial court had erred by dismissing the entire CEQA cause of action based on the petitioners’ failure to serve a summons as required by the Subdivision Map Act.