Land Settlement Flunks Smell Test

The settlement of the lawsuit between the city of Laguna Niguel and Taylor Woodrow flunks the smell test (“Laguna Niguel, Builder End Their Land Dispute,” March 5).

The members of the City Council who were members of the former Community Services District (CSD) were duped into signing away 96 acres of public land without their knowledge or consent. They proclaimed that they were outraged when they learned the truth and immediately filed suit against the developer to set aside the deed and obtain, at the very least, the return of so much of the land as was then still undeveloped.

Now, after spending perhaps $100,000 of taxpayer money in litigation, they have abandoned the lawsuit and blamed the county for the mistake. They aren’t fooling anybody. The lawsuit was a cover-up for their own negligence and conflict of interest. A trial of the case on the merits would have exposed their ineptitude.

The lesson of this tragic scam is clear. The voters of the city of Laguna Niguel should never again cast a ballot for any member of the City Council approving the Taylor Woodrow settlement.

CHARLES E. McCLUNG, South Laguna