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Southwest Diversified, Inc. V. City Of Brisbane: New Opportunities For Municipalities To Avoid Referendum In Land Use Decisions, Cindy Y. Dobler

San Diego Law Review

In Southwest Diversified, Inc. v. City of Brisbane, the California Court if Appeal held that a city ordinance which changed the zoning of originally designated wildlife habitat to another location within the proposed development was an administrative act and therefore not subject to referendum. Although local citizens groups had collected the requisite signatures to put the ordinance on the ballot for repeal by referendum, the appellate court upheld the lower court's decision ordering the city to desist from holding the election on the issue. The appellate court, narrowly focusing on the perceived intent and wording of a habitat conservation plan, …