State Supreme Court to hear county appeal
The state Supreme Court will hear Riverside County’s appeal of lower court rulings that stopped it from selling open space in Wildomar to Mt. San Jacinto Community College District without voter approval or state legislation.
Gerard Ste. Marie, a Wildomar resident, sued the county in 2004 when it tried to sell 80 acres to the college district, which wanted to turn the land into a satellite campus.
A Riverside County judge sided with Ste. Marie in June 2006. Last November the 4th District Court of Appeals, Division 2 upheld that ruling.
In a 3-0 vote, the appellate judges said just because the county did not formally dedicate the property as park land does not mean that the acreage could be sold without going through the state-required steps for selling public lands.
The county appealed, and the state’s high court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case.
—The Press-Enterprise