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jnw | 1/6/2011

Administrative Message

August 31, 2006

To: UC Santa Cruz Colleagues

From: George R. Blumenthal, Acting Chancellor

Re: Message from Acting Chancellor Blumenthal regarding City of Santa Cruz lawsuit

I have just learned that it is likely there will be at least one newspaper article tomorrow reporting on the University of California's filing of a lawsuit against the City of Santa Cruz. I am writing to provide context and background for that action. 

As noted in a statement from the UC Office of General Counsel, the University of California believes that the City of Santa Cruz, in placing its UC-related measures on the November ballot, failed to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act by not identifying and discussing all of the environmental impacts of its actions. Instead, the City denied there would be any impacts and, further, gave less than the legally-required notice of its action to the University and to the general public. 

The University believes that it is obliged to challenge the City-sponsored ballot measures. Not only is the City threatening to withhold contractually obligated water to a UC campus, the City placed the measures on the ballot without a full disclosure to voters of the environmental impacts that could be created by the City's own actions.

The complete statement provided by the UC Office of the President, along with copies of correspondence from the Office of General Counsel to the City of Santa Cruz are posted at this site: http://press.ucsc.edu/text.asp?pid=928

The University has demonstrated its commitment to working with the City, including conducting a series of discussion with City officials since March. Even as the court considers the lawsuit, it is my intention to continue seeking collaboration with the City.

We can more effectively address shared challenges through cooperation and mitigation of the effects of growth, rather than through litigation. The futures of UCSC and the City of Santa Cruz are forever intertwined, and I am committed to continuing to seek ways for us to work together with the City to address our mutual concerns.

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