Council Delays Decision on Golf Course

In the latest turn of a long-running dispute, the Los Angeles City Council decided Tuesday to explore all options for resolving a multimillion-dollar lawsuit brought by developers who sought to build a golf course in the Big Tujunga Wash.

Faced with a settlement offer from the developers, the council held off making a decision until it could weigh other alternatives, including “the possibility of granting [permission to build] the golf course, the possibility of purchasing the land, [or] the possibility of continuing” the case in court, Councilman Joel Wachs said.

The dispute over the property has dragged on for years, pitting conservationists against those who believe the development would help revitalize the Sunland-Tujunga area. In July, the council rejected the proposed golf course on the grounds that it would harm an endangered wildflower.

The developers subsequently filed a $215-million claim against the city and then the current suit in October, accusing officials of blocking the golf course because of lobbying from an influential labor union rather than on the merits of the project. The lawsuit contends that the city has effectively taken the property from its owners by denying them permission to make any economically viable use of it.

Attorneys for the developers have expressed confidence that enough precedent exists for their clients either to win the case in court or extract a large settlement from the city.