In response to a lawsuit brought by The California Chaparral Institute, the Superior Court of California ruled against the County of San Diego and its plan to remove trees and vegetation without formal environmental review. The County had sought to institute its vegetation eradication program as an "emergency occurrence" without the need for public review as mandated by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). However, the ruling confirmed CCI's position that the County violated state laws by exempting the tree removal project from public/environmental review. The ruling requires that negative impacts to taxpayers, fire safety, and nature must now be considered. Read »