Dedication and Everlasting Love etc. v. City of El Monte

INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff and appellant Dedication and Everlasting Love to Animals, Inc. (DELTA) owns a vacant lot in defendant and respondent City of El Monte (City or El Monte). After receiving several citations for violating the municipal code, DELTA sought administrative review. The citations were upheld, and DELTA appealed to the superior court, which summarily affirmed the administrative opinion. DELTA then attempted to appeal to the appellate division of the superior court, but when its filing was rejected, it appealed to this court instead.1 We conclude this matter is a limited civil case—and this court lacks jurisdiction over limited civil cases. We therefore transfer the matter to the appellate division of the Los Angeles Superior Court.

BACKGROUND

1. Citations and Administrative Hearing On April 24, 2021, an El Monte neighborhood services officer issued a notice of violation of the El Monte Municipal Code based on accumulated trash and debris (El Monte Mun. Code, § 8.44.030, subd. (m)), overgrown weeds (id., subd. (k)(3)), a dilapidated “fence, gate, or block wall” (id., subd. (h)), and graffiti (id., subd. (g)) at 3007 Durfee Avenue, which is a vacant lot. DELTA was…