CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES
A judge Friday ruled in favor of the city of Los Angeles on grounds that the nonprofit Concerned Citizens of South Central Los Angeles failed to deliver on a contractual agreement to transform a vacant lot south of downtown into a state-of-the-art soccer field and youth center for low-income families.
The judge also found that Concerned Citizens does not have a right to the proceeds of the property, which was seized by the Los Angeles Unified School District last year through eminent domain, said a spokesman for the city attorney’s office.
As a result, the city was awarded the property’s $5,433,322 fair market value, which had been deposited with the court.
In 2001, the City Council allocated a $2.4-million community development block grant to Concerned Citizens.
The school district plans to build an elementary school and soccer field on the lot. The school is scheduled to open in 2011.
-- Louis Sahagun
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