Christward Ministry v. County of San Diego

Christward Ministry (Christward), a nonprofit corporation owning 640 acres of land located to the east of the San Marcos Landfill (Landfill), appeals a judgment entered upon Christward’s petition for a writ of mandate challenging the adequacy of an environmental impact report (EIR) prepared by the County of San Diego (County) in connection with a planned vertical and horizontal expansion of the Landfill. The trial court granted the petition in some respects and Christward appeals only from portions of the judgment (a) finding the EIR was adequate with respect to the project description, its cumulative impact analysis and its analysis of the impacts on established religious practices in the area; (2) finding the mitigation monitoring plan needed only to identify who is responsible for its implementation; and (3) denying attorney fees to Christward.

Finding Christward’s contentions and arguments do not present a basis for reversal, we affirm.

Facts

On Christward’s 640 acres located approximately 1.6 miles to the east of the eastern boundary of the Landfill, Christward operates Questhaven Retreat. Christward’s president, Stephen Isaac, describes Questhaven as a…