The Cost to the Taxpayers

CBS/Channel 2 covers the story.

In the video below, check out Ms. Kate Vernez' statement at 0:59: "the cost to the taxpayers was $100,000, not including legal costs." Now, it is important to understand that the lawsuit against the city--and the delays that resulted from it--was filed because the city called the trees "facilities" in the Environmental Impact Report for this project, thus bypassing important legal requirements in the process. There would have been no lawsuit had the EIR been properly prepared and filed, and the trees identified correctly. The project may well have had a different shape, and many more trees saved, had the city identified the trees as trees, and not as "facilities" in the EIR. Note also that the Court did not exonerate the City in this matter, it simply said that it was too late for a lawsuit, due to the expiration of the Statute of Limitations.

We agree that the $100,000 loss--if true--is a terrible waste. Has the City Manager identified the staff members responsible for calling trees "facilities" in the EIR? Will Ms. Vernez explain to the public what steps the City Manager has taken to avoid future misrepresentations of this kind?

[click on image to see video]