Livermore Sued Over Eden Referendum Refusal

LIVERMORE, CA — Move Eden Housing, a community group dedicated to moving the location of 130 units of affordable housing in downtown Livermore, filed a lawsuit last Monday in Alameda County Superior Court over the city’s denial of their referendum.

In July, the group submitted a petition with more than 8,000 signatures seeking to put Eden Housing to the voters for a November referendum. City Clerk Marie Weber, acting on the advice of City Attorney Jason Alcala, denied the referendum on the grounds that the housing was an administrative rather than political matter. The move polarized the city. Weber supporters claimed she was only following the law, while detractors argued that she was unduly denying the citizens the right to voice their opinion on a consequential decision.

The lawsuit asks the court to:

• Force the city to recognize the petition, on the grounds that the petition for a referendum had gathered more than enough signatures.
• Pause the sale of the Eden Housing property. Move Eden Housing has advocated finding a different location for the housing, and putting a park in the proposed downtown location.
• Let Livermore voters decide whether to allow the housing.

City Attorney Jason Alcala told The Independent the city is “confident the court will rule in our favor.” City officials told the Livermore Vine that as of Friday they had not been served with papers.

Related:

• Livermore Residents Divided Over Eden Housing Referendum Refusal
• Livermore Sued Over Eden Housing Low-Income Project