YORBA LINDA
Legal action against an environmental report for the Imperial Highway improvement project will not delay the start of construction, which could begin in January, city officials said.
Mayor John Gullixson said the $25-million widening effort will continue as planned because the lawsuit filed this month by residents challenging the project’s environmental impact report cannot legally block the construction from starting.
The lawsuit, spearheaded by Mark Abramowitz, chairman of Yorba Lindans for Responsible Planning, seeks to force the city to conduct another environmental impact report.
The suit alleges that the City Council violated the California Environmental Quality Act by signing off on a report that is incomplete and inaccurate.
The city maintains that the environmental report complies with state law, City Atty. Leonard Hampel said.
He added that the city was not even required to conduct an environmental analysis because the state requirements were already met by county studies in 1994.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
