Sonora Elementary School District v. Tuolumne County Board of Education

— Sonora Elementary School District brought an action for declaratory relief requesting that the superior court find that the school district is “adjacent” to the United States Forest Reserve, known as Stanislaus National Forest, in Tuolumne County and order the Tuolumne County Board of Education to apportion part of the county’s share of the forest reserve school funds to the district pursuant to the provisions of law of the United States and of the State of California.

The applicable federal code section ( 16 U.S.C.A. § 500 ) provides: “Twenty-five per centum of all moneys received during any fiscal year from each national forest shall be paid, at the end of such year, by the Secretary of the Treasury to the State in which such national forest is situated, to be expended as the State legislature may prescribe for the benefit of the public schools and public roads of the county or counties in which such national forest is situated: Provided, That when any national forest is in more than one State or county the distributive share to each from the proceeds of such forest shall be proportional to its area therein. In sales of logs, ties, poles, posts, cordwood, pulpwood, and other…