California AG Intervened in Litigation over Proposed Development in Wildfire-Prone Area, Resulting in Settlement to Conserve 1,300 Acres

In March 2021, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed motions to intervene in litigation over San Diego County’s approval of proposed residential and resort development projects that threaten to significantly increase wildfire risk in a currently undeveloped, wildfire-prone area. The motions asserted that the county “failed to disclose or adequately analyze the Project’s significant environmental impacts on wildfire risk and [greenhouse gas] emissions as required under [the California Environmental Quality Act], and failed to identify and adopt feasible and enforceable mitigation measures to reduce such impacts.”

In February 2024, AG Bonta announced that his office and the environmental petitioners in the case had reached a settlement with the developers. Under the agreement, the state acquired the 1,300 acres of land in question for $60 million. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will manage the property, which will become part of the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. Additionally, the developers were required to pay over $2 million in fees to the state and the petitioners.