Arana Gulch Petition Denied!
Charlie Dixon
The lawsuit to block the Arana Gulch Plan which includes the Broadway-Brommer Bike Bridge was denied by Justice Paul Burdick on November 9, 2007. The petitioners against the plan were the Native Plant Society and Friends of Arana Gulch, a neighborhood group. The Santa Cruz Group of the Sierra Club, listed on the Friends of Arana Gulch website as one of the "Organizations Who Oppose the Broadway-Brommer Bike Road," supported the petition to block the bike bridge.
Originally filing the petition in August of 2006, arguments included discussion of the tar plant, as well as minutiae concerning an alternate plan and the City Council's obligation to follow the recommendations of their staff. On all counts Burdick gave complete and convincing arguments explaining why the arguments were invalid and why the petition should be therefore denied.
Although Burdick ruled against the petitioners, the process of getting the bike path has been delayed for up to 15 months through an appeal filed with the California 6th District Appellate Court on January 9, 2008, by the same two groups. According to the Santa Cruz City Attorney's office, the appeal cannot be thrown out because at this level there is a right of appeal. This part of the legal process will probably take another 6–15 months.
If it's worth having, it's worth waiting for. Are there any Sierra Club members out there who think that the Club's anti-bike bridge position should be changed to favor the bike bridge or at least be neutral? Do you know somebody in the Sierra Club who favors the bike bridge? If so please call me, Charlie Dixon, at 831-426-3689. I am a Sierra Club member and want the Sierra Club to change its position to neutral.