The Town of Atherton's lawsuit against Caltrain electrification is the clearest case study we have of how a tiny, wealthy minority can hijack a regional public project — and stick everyone else with the bill.
I know it’s a civil case so it probably wouldn’t have any penalizing blowback on the plaintiffs, and doing so is a dangerous precedent on plaintiffs with real complaints. But can the state sue the city for the frivolous lawsuit to recover part or whole of the $400M? The city can certainly afford it. At worst it’ll have to just increase taxes on their homes, which again, the residents should be ok to afford.
I know it’s a civil case so it probably wouldn’t have any penalizing blowback on the plaintiffs, and doing so is a dangerous precedent on plaintiffs with real complaints. But can the state sue the city for the frivolous lawsuit to recover part or whole of the $400M? The city can certainly afford it. At worst it’ll have to just increase taxes on their homes, which again, the residents should be ok to afford.