Proposed Settlement Reached In Tuolumne County General Plan Lawsuit
Sonora, CA — The Tuolumne County Supervisors will vote next week on approving a settlement agreement that would end a lawsuit filed by the Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center (CSERC) against the General Plan Update.
A new General Plan was approved by the supervisors on January 3rd and the lawsuit was filed four weeks later on January 31. As part of the settlement, which CSERC has agreed to, the county will make amendments related to areas including the Climate Action Plan, Wildland Fire, Agricultural Resources, Special Commercial and Biological Resources (Oaks).
Click here to read specific details about proposed changes to the General Plan Update.
A memo from County Counsel Sarah Carrillo notes that Tuolumne County will also pay CSERC’s attorney fees ($70,000). She adds, “The Settlement Agreement also states that there is no admission of fault or liability. The county believes strongly in the defensibility of the 2018 General Plan and its adoption. However, the county believes this settlement is a reasonable conclusion of the litigation considering all of the factors involved, including, the costs in time and resources of going to trial; and the possible costs of appeal regardless of which party prevailed in the trial court.”
The settlement, and proposed changes, to the General Plan, will be discussed on Tuesday at 1:30pm during the supervisors’ meeting.
