The Sunset Coalition is hoping a San Francisco appeals court ruling soon will validate a health standard for protecting children against cancer that will have the collateral effect of forcing reductions in the size of the Archer School for Girls expansion project in Brentwood.
To accomplish this ambitious effort to out-flank the Los Angeles City Council’s controversial approval of Archer’s $100 million expansion project, the Coalition recently filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief in a San Francisco lawsuit.
That lawsuit opposes a plan to build an 18,000-seat sports arena for the Golden State Warriors basketball team across the street from a children’s hospital.
“We are supporting the San Francisco case,” said Coalition attorney Doug Carstens, author of the amicus brief, “because we believe it can result in a court order establishing a standard for protecting the health of children.
“Further, we believe will be of tremendous value in our lawsuit against Archer.”
Shortly after the Los Angeles City Council – led by Brentwood member Mike Bonin — and Mayor Eric Garcetti approved the Archer project in August 2015, the Coalition and others sued.
They claimed the project violated city zoning rules and state environmental law.
Mr. Carstem called it “outrageous and unacceptable” that Archer and the city leaders have failed to use the most up-to-date science, to ensure that the “over-large Archer expansion” does not illegally expose residents and Archer students to “dramatically increased risks for cancer.”
Cancer risks will be particularly acute during construction of the Archer project, the Coalition maintains.
“Construction activity will create toxic air quality conditions that students and residents will have to breathe,” said Wendy-Sue Rosen, co-chair of the Sunset Coalition.
Mr. Schwada may be contacted at john.schwada@gmail.com
