AG Land Trust v. Marina Coast Water Dist. CA6

I. INTRODUCTION

In this CEQA1 action, respondent Ag Land Trust, a nonprofit group interested in preserving Monterey County farmland, challenged Marina Coast Water District’s approval of the Regional Desalination Project by filing a petition for a writ of mandate in the superior court. After a court trial, the trial court granted the first amended petition for writ of mandate, entered judgment in Ag Land Trust’s favor, and issued a peremptory writ of mandate directing Marina Coast Water District (Marina Coast) to set aside its approval of the Regional Desalination Project. Marina Coast appealed and in this court’s prior decision, Ag Land Trust v. Marina Coast Water Dist. (Aug. 26, 2013, H038550) [nonpub. opn.] (Ag Land Trust I), the appeal was determined to be moot. This court also determined that the appropriate

1 California Environmental Quality Act, Public Resources Code section 21000 et seq. disposition under the circumstances was to reverse the judgment with directions to the trial court to dismiss the petition for a writ of mandate as moot. (See Paul v. Milk Depots, Inc. (1964) 62 Cal.2d 129, 134 (Paul); Coalition for a Sustainable Future in Yucaipa v. City of Yucaipa…