Sustainable Transportation Advocates of Santa Barbara v. Santa Barbara County Assn. of Governments

Sustainable Transportation Advocates of Santa Barbara appeals from a judgment denying its petition for a writ of mandate. Appellant sought to vacate the approval of Measure A by the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (respondent). Measure A, entitled the “Santa Barbara County Road Repair, Traffic Relief, and Transportation Safety Measure,” imposes a retail sales and use tax to fund transportation projects in Santa Barbara County. Respondent approved Measure A without conducting environmental review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA; Pub. Resource Code, § 21000 et seq.). After respondent’s approval, Measure A was adopted by the voters at the General Election on November 4, 2008. Appellant contends that Measure A is invalid because there was no environmental review before respondent approved it. We disagree and affirm.

Background

Respondent “is the local transportation authority for [Santa Barbara County] with the power, subject to voter approval, to impose a sales or use tax of up to 1 percent to provide funding for transportation services in the county. (Pub. Util. Code, § 180000 et seq.)” (Santa Barbara County Coalition Against…