Tag Archive for: lawsuit

San Diego Suing SDG&E for $35 Million Over Unpaid Undergrounding Expenses

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Ken Stone

The city is suing San Diego Gas & Electric for what officials call the utility’s refusal to honor promises made when it obtained exclusive rights to provide gas and electricity to San Diegans in 1971.

As the city moves forward with its Pure Water San Diego Program, which will reduce ocean pollution and increase San Diego’s water supply, SDG&E has failed to relocate at its own expense its underground infrastructure that obstructs the city project, which it is required to do under the terms of its contract with the city, said City Attorney Mara Elliott, who made the announcement Wednesday.
In June 2018, the city says, SDG&E refused to undertake design and relocation work for Phase 1 of the program unless the city fronted the money.

“It’s unfortunate that a lawsuit is needed to compel our longtime partner to honor the terms of its contract with the city,” Elliott said. “Pure Water is critical to protecting the ocean from pollution and increasing our water independence. This program cannot be compromised by further delays.”

SDG&E communications manager Wes Jones said: “While we generally do not comment on pending litigation, broadly speaking, SDG&E does not believe the relocation costs of this City of San Diego water project should be spread to customers in the other cities within our service area. We look forward to resolving this matter as quickly as possible.”

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Water District Sued Over Desalination Plant Proposed For South Bay

/in , /by /Easy Reader News (Hermosa Beach, Calif.)by Ryan McDonald

An environmental organization has filed a lawsuit against the West Basin Municipal Water District over its November approval of a large seawater desalination plant proposed along the coast just north of Manhattan Beach’s border with El Segundo, alleging that the water district ignored significant environmental issues in its assessment of the project.

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Lawsuit Says City Utilities Department Leader Was Fired for Exposing Illegal Activity

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Lauryn Schroeder

A former Public Utilities Department leader has filed a lawsuit against the city of San Diego, claiming officials illegally diverted $1 million in water and wastewater funds to other city services and fired her for refusing to conceal the activity.

Susan LaNier, a former deputy director and internal auditor for the utilities department, was one of five utility leaders the city fired in February, following public outcry over billing errors and accusations of mismanagement within the department.

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Opinion: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Muddy Water Policy

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicle

The governor was for the water grab before he was against it.

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his intention to launch the latest of dozens of legal battles between California and the Trump administration over a plan to boost water deliveries to Central Valley farmers, promising a lawsuit challenging further depletion of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and the vulnerable wildlife that depends on it.

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Judge Won’t Reconsider Ruling In Agua Caliente Tribe’s Water Case

/in , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Risa Johnson

A U.S. District Court judge has denied a motion from the federal government to reconsider a ruling on the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’ lawsuit against two Coachella Valley water agencies. The court previously ruled that the federal government and tribe had failed to provide evidence of injury “to the Tribe’s federally reserved water right.” Since the motion to reconsider was denied, a hearing set for Monday was cancelled. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal called the motion to reconsider a “thinly veiled attempt to relitigate the summary judgement motions.”

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Marina Coast Sues Monterey County, Cal Am Over Desal Plant Approval

/in , /by /The Monterey County Herald (Monterey, Calif.)by Jim Johnson

Arguing that Monterey County officials improperly ignored new groundwater impact information and a viable, even preferable recycled water alternative, Marina Coast Water District has sued the county and California American Water over the county’s narrow approval of Cal Am’s desalination plant permit. On Thursday, Marina Coast filed suit in Monterey County Superior Court seeking to halt the start of construction on the desal plant project through a writ of mandate and injunctive relief. The suit asks the court to order the county to rescind its approval of a combined development permit for the project until full compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, water code, and planning and zoning law.

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California Is Testing Its Water, So PFAS Defendants Could Face Prop 65 Lawsuits Soon

/in , /by /Legal Newsline (Chicago, Ill.)by Sarah Downey

California could be moving toward the regulation and litigation of perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFAS) since government agencies have been testing water in many locations, including airports and landfills, with results due as early as this fall. “The state water board is doing a bunch of sampling in drinking or ground water,” said Leila Bruderer, an attorney with the Downey Brand firm in Sacramento. “Under Proposition 65, there is potential for that litigation.” California’s Proposition 65 – the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act – was passed in 1986 to guard against chemicals that cause health problems.

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SJ Sues State Water Agency Over Drilling For Tunnel Project

/in , , /by /The Record (Stockton, Calif.)

San Joaquin County has filed a lawsuit in Superior Court asking the state Department of Water Resources to abide by local drilling permit requirements to protect wildlife and water quality in accordance with California law. According to the county, DWR began geotechnical well drilling in San Joaquin and Sacramento counties in June to collect data the agency says it needs for a proposed Delta tunnel project. The controversial tunnel project would carry water diverted from the Sacramento River to the existing state and federal water pumps in the south Delta for export to points south.

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