RE:Water Issue at Sage RanchObviously you don't read , or are incapable of understanding what is actually involved here.
Ask your lawyer sometime if "a real partie of interest" who has been named in a litigation is just that and the approval of the Sage Ranch EIR by the City of Tehachapi is what needs to be decided by the courts.
The City and TCCWD could not come to terms on a negotiated settlement.
Now it is up to the courts to decide, be it good or bad.
The courts do not care whether this creates an issue for the City.
The courts decision is based on the laws.
I am not aware of whether the previous developer ever had to perform a EIR but if it was completed, it was not contested by the Water District and they were fine with the original 600+ development then that may have been what the Water District proposed.
Speculation on my part and merely a possibility.
The other possible settlement option was that the Water District said, "We have agreed with the City to them having a growth rate of 2.3% based on the population years ago (excluding the 3,000 persons in the California Super Max Penitentiary). Due to the fact there are over 1200 other approved building lots + the 995 in Sage Ranch this exceeds that growth rate. Scale Sage Ranch buildable units back per year so that between the combined approvals it does not exceed the 2.3% that both parties agreed too.
Speculation on part my and merely a possibility.
The water rights will not be turned over until the permits have been issued for each PDP submittal. They are basically only shown to be owned and held in an escrow like account. As Jeff has stated those water rights are worth millions of dollars. If the project happened to fail (like the previous developer) the "shareholders and Jeff" still own the rights.
Sometimes parties can be dropped from the litigation but the fact Jeff's lawyer are still arguing the case means they (and Sage Ranch) continue to be the real parties of interest.
I will decide when I buy and sell, not you.