16 articles
The IVDC sits in unincorporated Imperial County, not within city limits. The City of Imperial filed suit anyway. A Superior Court has now explained wh
California enacted the Permit Streamlining Act to ensure that communities that zone land for development can actually develop it. Understanding the la
I-2 industrial land has been zoned for heavy industry for decades. When a project conforms to that zoning and is approved, the law requires that appro
The Superior Court ruled the opposition legally insufficient. The project is approved by right. The legal, economic, and environmental cases are all r
By-right zoning is not a loophole. It is a deliberate policy choice to give communities — especially lower-income communities — predictable developmen
The County of Imperial approved the IVDC on its merits. The City of Imperial challenged it — a city with no jurisdiction over the project site. Unders
The City of Imperial's legal campaign against a county project on county land outside city boundaries has consumed city attorney time and public money
The §1983 civil rights lawsuit filed against the IVDC's opponents has survived initial proceedings and is moving toward discovery. The documents that
A federal civil rights suit under Section 1983 exposes individual officials to personal liability. The IVDC developer filed one against named Imperial
On February 10, 2026, a Superior Court judge dismissed the City of Imperial's legal challenge as "legally insufficient." That is not an opinion. It is
State Senator Steve Padilla introduced legislation to strip data centers of CEQA exemptions — after the IVDC already received ministerial approval. Re
California legislators are increasingly recognizing that CEQA has been weaponized against the very projects it was never meant to stop. The reform mov
California law requires ministerial approval of conforming projects within 15 days. The City of Imperial ignored that deadline. The federal lawsuit sa
The California Environmental Quality Act was designed as an environmental protection tool. In Imperial County, it is being used as a financial weapon
From initial approval to continued appeals, the coordinated campaign against the IVDC has consumed years of development time. Here is what happened, w
California's environmental law was meant to protect communities. In too many cases, it has become a revenue mechanism for organizations that use litig
