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For Immediate Release
For More information, please contact: Cord Bauer: (949) 280-7543
Nonprofit Group Files Lawsuit Against Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA)
Additional Defendants Named; Suit Alleges CEQA Violations and Other Damages
SAN CLEMENTE – May 3, 2018 – Coalition to Save San Clemente, a public benefit nonprofit corporation, has filed suit in Orange County Superior Court today against the TCA and the County of Orange, alleging violations of the Coalition’s constitutional due process rights for the TCA’s failure to hold required public hearings on the Oso Bridge project.
Additional defendants include Shane Silsby, Director of Orange County Public Works, Khalid Bazmi, Assistant Director of Orange County Public Works and Chris Uzo-Diribe, Planner for Orange County Development Services.
The suit alleges that the defendants failed to provide adequate public notice and opportunity for the public to comment prior to issuing approvals for the Oso Bridge Bridge project that will connect the 241 Toll Road to Los Patrones Parkway. The suit also alleges that the Bridge Addendum was never formally approved by Transportation Corridor Agencies or CalTrans.
On June 14, 2017, the County filed a Notice of Determination for the Bridge Oso Bridge project stating that the County’s Director of Public Works had approved the Oso Bridge project on June 10, 2017, describing the project as, “the existing Oso Parkway elevated roadway with a bridge and to close the gap between the southern terminus of State Route 241 (SR-241) and the northern terminus of the approved alignment for Los Patrones Parkway in South Orange County.” The Oso Bridge project was improperly approved by Bazmi, using Silsby’s official letterhead, without giving the public any opportunity to comment on the project.
The Coalition is seeking to have the Oso Bridge project approval to be deemed void and for an order preventing defendants from all further efforts of construction of the Oso Bridge project until they comply with their requirements to hold a public hearing and provide the public with an opportunity to comment on and oppose the project.
Eva O’Keefe- Secretary for the Coalition “The TCA and the county thought that the citizens of South OC were going to accept the assault on our communities. We are fighting back. The law is on our side. We will prevail”.
Coalition to Save San Clemente is being represented by Larsen, Willis & Woodard, LLP. Geoff Willis, a partner at Larsen, Willis and Woodard, LLP said of the action: “The County and its employees have intentionally and illegally taken action in secret. This kind of constitutional violation cannot be tolerated and this suit will attempt to remedy this governmental abuse of power.”
Coalition to Save San Clemente
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