Wild Equity Institute et al v. City and County of San Francisco et al
Filing
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ORDER GRANTING SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC GOLF ALLIANCE'S MOTION TO INTERVENE (SI, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 6/24/2011)
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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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WILD EQUITY INSTITUTE, et al.,
No. C 11-00958 SI
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Plaintiffs,
ORDER GRANTING SAN FRANCISCO
PUBLIC GOLF ALLIANCE’S MOTION
TO INTERVENE
United States District Court
For the Northern District of California
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v.
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CITY AND COUNTY OF
SAN FRANCISCO, et al.,
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Defendants.
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The motion to intervene as a defendant filed by the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance (SFPGA)
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came on regularly for hearing on June 24, 2011. Having considered the papers submitted and the
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arguments of counsel, and for good cause shown, the court hereby GRANTS the motion.
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BACKGROUND
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Plaintiffs, a collection of non-profit conservation groups, filed suit against defendants City and
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County of San Francisco and its officials for violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), 16 U.S.C.
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§§ 1531-1544. Plaintiffs allege that defendants’ operations and activities at Sharp Park Golf Course
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(Sharp Park) have caused the taking of the threatened Californian red-legged frog and the endangered
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San Francisco garter snake, and that therefore, defendants should have obtained an Incidental Take
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Permit (ITP) pursuant to Section 10 of the ESA,16 U.S.C. § 1539(a)(1)(B). Complaint at ¶ 1.
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Specifically, plaintiffs contend that defendants’ water management at Sharp Park has exposed frog egg
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masses to the air, causing fatal desiccation reducing the frog population, and that other activities such
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as lawn mowing harmed the snake. Id. at ¶¶ 54-62. Along with other relief, plaintiffs seek a declaration
that defendants are violating the ESA by illegally taking the California red-legged frog and the San
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Francisco garter snake without an ITP, and an injunction against defendants from engaging in operations
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and activities that cause take of the frog and snake at Sharp Park unless and until defendants obtain an
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ITP. Id. at 16.
SFPGA is a non-profit public benefit corporation that promotes, supports, and advocates for
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public golf and golf courses in the San Francisco area. Declaration of R. Harris at ¶¶ 4-5; Declaration
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of R. Links at ¶ 5. SFPGA membership currently numbers over 4,500, and many SFPGA members play
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regularly at Sharp Park. Harris Decl. at ¶ 5. SFPGA seeks full party status for both the liability and
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remedy phases of this action. It seeks intervention as a matter of right under Federal Rule of Civil
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Procedure 24(a) or, alternatively, permissive intervention under Rule 24(b). SFPGA Motion to
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United States District Court
For the Northern District of California
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Intervene at 3. Plaintiffs have objected to SFPGA’s participation in any stage other than the remedy
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stage and have requested certain discovery limitations. Opposition to SFPGA Mot. Inter. at 2.
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Defendants have filed a notice of non-opposition to SFPGA’s motion.
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STANDARD OF REVIEW
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Rule 24(a)(2) permits intervention by right if the intervening party can “claim an interest relating
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to the property or transaction that is the subject of the action, and is so situated that disposing of the
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action may as a practical matter impair or impede the movant’s ability to protect its interest, unless
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existing parties adequately represent that interest.” Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 24(a)(2). The Ninth Circuit has
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further provided a four-part test for analyzing Rule 24(a)(2) motions to intervene:
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the motion must be timely;
the applicant must claim a “significantly protectable” interest relating to the
property or transaction which is the subject of the action;
the applicant must be so situated that the disposition of the action may as a
practical matter impair or impede its ability to protect that interest; and
the applicant’s interest must be inadequately represented by the parties to the
action.
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Wilderness Soc’y et al. v. United States Forest Serv., 630 F.3d 1173, 1177 (9th Cir. 2011) (en banc)
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(citing Sierra Club v. EPA, 995 F.2d 1478, 1484 (9th Cir. 1993)). In line with a liberal policy of
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construing Rule 24(a)(2) broadly in favor of movants, the Ninth Circuit “rejected the notion that Rule
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24(a)(2) requires a specific legal or equitable interest.” County of Fresno v. Andrus, 622 F.2d 436, 438
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(9th Cir. 1980); United States v. City of Los Angeles, 288 F.3d 391, 398 (9th Cir. 2002). The “interest”
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(1)
(2)
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(3)
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(4)
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prong is “‘primarily a practical guide to disposing of lawsuits by involving as many apparently
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concerned persons as is compatible with efficiency and due process.’” County of Fresno, 622 F.2d at
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438 (quoting Nuesse v. Camp, 385 F.2d 698, 700 (D.C. Cir. 1967)). Additionally, “a prospective
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intervenor ‘has a sufficient interest for intervention purposes if it will suffer a practical impairment of
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its interests as a result of the pending litigation.’” Wilderness Soc’y, 630 F.3d at 1179 (quoting
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California ex rel. Lockyer v. United States, 450 F.3d 436, 441 (9th Cir. 2006)).
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DISCUSSION
SFPGA’s May 19, 2011 motion is timely. Defendants filed their initial answer to plaintiffs’
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United States District Court
For the Northern District of California
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complaint on April 7, 2011, the case was reassigned to this Court on April 8, 2011, and the initial case
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management conference is scheduled for June 24, 2011. Thus, SFPGA’s intervention motion comes at
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an early stage in the litigation. Plaintiffs make no objection regarding timeliness in their opposition to
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SFPGA’s motion.
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SFPGA claims a significant and protectable interest relating to Sharp Park, specifically an
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interest in the continued use of the park as a public golf course by its members. Plaintiffs seek an
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injunction that would halt activities at Sharp Park that are related to its on-going use as a golf course,
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including alleged draining of winter rainwaters that periodically flood the course. Compl. at 16. Should
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plaintiffs prevail or come to an agreement with defendants regarding management operations of Sharp
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Park, SFPGA’s ability to protect its interest in its members’ use of the golf course may potentially be
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impaired or impeded. See Sagebrush Rebellion, Inc. v. Watt, 713 F.2d 525, 528 (9th Cir. 1983) (holding
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that intervening environmental conservation group possessed protectable interest in preservation of birds
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and their habitats, which might have been impaired by adverse decision in suit by land-use advocacy
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group against government defendants). See also Coalition For a Sustainable Delta v. Carlson, 2008 U.S.
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Dist. LEXIS 65420 (E.D. Cal. July 23, 2008) (granting intervention by right to recreational fishing
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groups, on behalf of government defendants accused of causing unlawful take of ESA “listed” fish).
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Moreover, the existing defendants do not adequately represent SFPGA’s interest. When making
such a determination, courts must consider:
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whether the interest of the present party is such that it will undoubtedly make all
the intervenor’s arguments;
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whether the present party is capable and willing to make such arguments; and
whether the would-be intervenor would offer any necessary elements to the
proceedings that other parties would neglect.
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Sw. Ctr. for Biological Diversity v. Berg, 268 F.3d 810 (9th Cir. 2001). Defendants and SFPGA may
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share interests in general maintenance and preservation of Sharp Park, but defendants do not share
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SFPGA members’ personal interest in maintaining Sharp Park specifically for use as a golf course.
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Moreover, plaintiffs are comprised of interest groups with which many of defendants’ constituents may
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identify. Consequently, defendants may not necessarily be willing to make the same arguments as
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SFPGA would. This is true at the liability phase as well as the remedies stage, and SFPGA may be
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foreclosed from bringing certain such arguments if it is not permitted to intervene until the liability
United States District Court
For the Northern District of California
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(2)
(3)
stage.
Accordingly, this Court finds that SFPGA has fulfilled the requirements for intervention by right
at the liability stage as well as the remedy stage under Rule 24(a)(2).
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Plaintiffs have requested that, should SFPGA be allowed to intervene, this Court limit SFPGA
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to making “joint filings with the existing Defendants whenever possible, and in any event avoid
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duplicative presentations.” See SFPGA Mot. Inter. at 12. SFPGA should consolidate its filings with
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existing Defendants where possible and avoid duplication. However, SFPGA is permitted to file
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independently to protect its unique interests in this case.
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Plaintiffs have also requested that SFPGA be considered one party with the defendants for the
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purposes of discovery limitations. The request is denied as unwarranted at this juncture, but without
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prejudice to reconsideration should discovery become unduly burdensome.
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CONCLUSION
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For the foregoing reasons, the Court GRANTS SFPGA’s motion to intervene. (Doc. 19).
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
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Dated: June 24, 2011
SUSAN ILLSTON
United States District Judge
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