Suit Filed to Block Auto Mall
Two environmental groups have sued the city of Santa Clarita over a plan to build an auto mall near a bank of the Santa Clara River, saying that the project would harm endangered wildlife and increase pollution.
The suit filed on Friday by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment contends that the plan violates the California Environmental Quality Act.
The two nonprofit groups allege that the city did not consider the impact of the auto mall on the endangered arroyo toad, which has been found in the river.
The groups also allege that Santa Clarita failed to consider possible contamination of dirt being brought to the site.
The suit was filed in Ventura County Superior Court because the river flows into that county, said Peter Galvin, spokesman for the center.
Santa Clarita spokeswoman Gail Ortiz said on Monday that the city has complied with all environmental laws.
The auto mall plan, a project of the powerful Newhall Land & Farming Co., also calls for improvements to sports fields used by the William S. Hart Boys and Girls Baseball / Softball League, pitting environmentalists against some league parents.
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