P. ex rel. Bonta v. County of Lake

BACKGROUND

Lotusland proposed the project, a luxury resort consisting of residential estate villas, hotel units, and related infrastructure, on 16,000 acres in an unincorporated and largely undeveloped area of Lake County known as the Guenoc Valley Ranch. Having been designated the “lead agency” for purposes of approving the project under Public Resources Code, section 21067,1 the County first published a draft environmental impact report (DEIR). The DEIR offered the public insight into the County’s evaluation of the project’s environmental impacts, the County’s proffered mitigation measures, and alternatives to the proposed project.

1 All further statutory references are to CEQA provisions as codified in

Public Resources Code sections 21000–21177 unless otherwise indicated. Where applicable, the CEQA guidelines (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, §§ 15000– 15387) are denoted as “Guidelines.”

2 Public comment letters alleged several deficiencies in the DEIR’s analysis. The County published its responses to the public comments along with the FEIR in June 2020. Petitioners and the Attorney General, on behalf of the People, submitted further comment letters maintaining that the FEIR fails…