County Loses $5.5 Million Land Use Case To Vegetable Grower

In a civil trial, a jury finds that planners and consultants who created a community plan in 1977 "recklessly violated the rights" of a farmer when that farmer's property was identified as "protected wetlands". The verdict "sets a new precedent in California and the United States by holding Planning and Development Department personnel and their hired consultants personally responsible". The federal EPA filed suit against the farmer for violating federal law; that case is set for trial in January.