Fix the City, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles

INTRODUCTION

Appellant Fix the City (Fix) sought a writ of mandate challenging legislative actions taken by the City of Los Angeles (City) to regulate development along a portion of a light rail line running from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica. The relevant legislative actions took place at three separate City Council meetings: in early July 2018, the City made amendments to its General Plan and certain community plans; in late July 2018, the City adopted several zoning ordinances and referred a specific plan to the City Attorney for legal review; in November 2019, the City adopted the specific plan. In October 2018, before the specific plan was adopted, Fix’s writ petition sought an order directing the City to rescind the specific plan and the implementing ordinances and enjoining the City from implementing the specific plan, on the grounds that the plan and its implementing ordinances were inconsistent with the General Plan. Well after the statute of limitations for challenging the specific plan had expired, the City successfully obtained judgment on the pleadings on the grounds that Fix’s challenge to the specific plan was premature. The trial court gave Fix two…