Goleta Ag Preservation v. Goleta Water Dist. CA2/6
Goleta Ag Preservation (Goleta Ag) is an unincorporated association. Its members are farmers who are customers of the Goleta Water District (District). They use untreated and minimally-treated water to irrigate commercial agriculture.
Goleta Ag appeals from the trial court’s order denying a petition for writ of mandate that would have directed the District to retroactively reverse its rate structure for 2015 through 2020, and would have invalidated the ordinance that adopted it (Ordinance 2015-4, the ordinance). Goleta Ag contends the District used defective notice procedures to implement new tiered water rates and drought surcharges. It also contends these charges force agricultural customers to subsidize the cost of urban conservation, in violation of the procedural and substantive requirements of Proposition 218. (Prop. 218, as approved by the voters, Gen. Elec. (Nov. 5, 1996), Cal. Const., article XIII D, § 6, subds. (a)(1) and (b)(3)).
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