Save Panoche Valley v. San Benito County

The California Court of Appeal affirmed a trial court’s rejection of a challenge to San Benito County’s cancellation of Williamson Act contracts to permit the construction of a solar power development. The Williamson Act contracts obligate landowners to maintain land as agricultural for 10 or more years, and cancellation of a contract requires, among other things, a finding that “other public concerns substantially outweigh the objectives of [the Williamson Act].” The Court of Appeal found substantial evidence in the record to support the conclusion that public concerns such as furthering the state’s progress toward achieving goals for increased renewable energy and reduced greenhouse emissions outweighed the purposes of the Williamson Act.