pending appeals
La BahiaIn May 2009, in Build a Better La Bahia v. City of Santa Cruz, a coalition filed a mandamus petition to stop the demolition of the c.1926 National Register-eligible La Bahia. The environmental review process considered only the extremes of full restoration or full demolition – all or nothing. CEQA mandates study of a reasonable range of alternatives that could accomplish most of the proposed La Bahia Hotel project objectives without loss of the iconic historic landmark.The Court denied the mandamus petition on April 2010; an appeal to the Sixth District was filed and briefed. In August 2011, the California Coastal Commission denied project approval, based on the project's inconsistency with the Coastal Act and the City's failure to consider alternatives that could rehabilitate part of the landmark building -- just as Build a Better La Bahia has contended. The Sixth District ruled in November 2011 that since the project cannot go forward without Coastal Commission approval, the appeal is moot. The judgment was reversed and the case remanded to the Superior Court for dismissal. A hearing is pending in February 2012.  La Bahia, Santa Cruz
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