VILLA PARK
About 70 Villa Park and Orange residents urged Serrano Water District for the third time to drop its lawsuit against Orange Unified School District, which wants to preserve Barham Ranch and possibly build an elementary school.
The water district is suing the school district to force the sale of the 526-acre Barham Ranch site, which it co-owns, to developer SunCal Cos. to build tract homes. Residents attended Wednesday night’s water board meeting to protest the suit.
Residents also have sued the water district and gained support last week from California Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer, who filed a friend-of-the-court brief on their behalf. The state’s legal papers asserted the water district should not pursue the lawsuit because the district violated the California Environmental Quality Act by failing to conduct an environmental review.
In the case between the school district and the water board, a mandatory settlement conference at Orange County Superior Court is scheduled for Monday night. If the parties can’t reach an agreement, a trial is scheduled for Nov. 1.
Trial in the residents’ lawsuit against the water board is scheduled for Oct. 28 in Superior Court.
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