CEQA shakedowns and the mansion that Wal-Mart built

Liam Dillon in the Voice of San Diego has a sharp profile of San Diego lawyer Cory Briggs, an unapologetic user of the California Environmental Quality Act as a self-enrichment tool:
“No attorney sues under the state’s main environmental quality law more than him.
“These lawsuits all tend to follow a formula: A local City Council approves a big-box development, like a Wal-Mart. A nonprofit with a watchdoggy name sues, with Briggs as its attorney. The developer settles the case and pays Briggs for his trouble. It’s often unclear who is against the project other than Briggs himself.
“To Briggs, a 45-year-old who grew up in San Bernardino County, this relentless string of court cases has made countless developments in California better for the environment. Solar panels gleam from the roofs of Wal-Marts and hundreds of new trees have been planted because of his lawsuits. …
“Briggs’ $1.25 million home sits near the top of a hill in Sunset Cliffs. In the front, it has a big garden with a wide view of the Pacific Ocean. Briggs’ friends jokingly refer to the place as ‘The House That Wal-Mart Built.'”
The hunt for a proper plaintiff
The article dispassionately lays out how Briggs operates. I think most people will consider his approach to be’ fundamentally corrupt:
“The nonprofits Briggs has represented over the years share some striking similarities. First, take their names. His clients have included: Smart Growth Adelanto, Build Barstow Smart, Grow Victorville Smart, Concerned Citizens of Vista, Murrietans for Smart Growth, Blythe Citizens for Smart Growth, Indio Citizens for Smart Growth, Menifee Citizens for Smart Growth, Riverside Citizens for Smart Growth, Rialto Citizens for Responsible Growth and Redlands Good Neighbor Coalition.
“Then there’s how the organizations are set up. The groups aren’t what you typically think of when you hear the word nonprofit.
“Most don’t receive donations. If they did, the money wouldn’t be tax-exempt because the organizations haven’t filed anything with the IRS. Those that have sent tax returns to the state attorney general’s office often don’t list any income, assets or expenses. Many are currently facing fines for not completing proper paperwork. All registered with the state through Briggs’ law office in the Inland Empire.”
There oughta be a law
How Consumer Watchdog-y. How Bill Lerach-y. It’s amazing that there aren’t state laws against being a legal remora.
But Briggs does have his good points. He was a sharp critic of then-San Diego Mayor Bob Filner’s 2013 attempt to condition permit approvals on donations to Filner’s causes.
There’s a right way and a wrong way, you see, to take money from developers.
6 comments
Write a commentWrite a Comment
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
Related Articles
Editorial cheerleads for Jerry Brown
Sept. 9, 2012 Katy Grimes: Two editorials in the Sacramento Bee caught my eye on Sunday. One column identified how
Fallows cites CWD critique of his bullet-train stand
The Atlantic’s James Fallows, to his credit, followed up on his post last week touting the California bullet train project
$26 minimum wage?
California’s minimum wage rises to $9 an hour from $8 on July 1. Then in 2015, it rises to $10.
Because of Briggs, only if you make as much as he does can you afford to live in California.
What an amazing scam! Really. Kudos to Mr. Briggs for his ingenuity and perseverance in reverse-engineering California nimbyism AND enviro-fascism for his immense personal gain. Once again, the world’s oldest prefession is showing its chops in new and inventive ways. Marco Gonzales, eat your heart out!
Reminds one of the ADA suits that take place all the time. 🙂
Reminds one of the ADA suits that take place all the time. 🙂
The lawyer that was shaking down San Diego County businesses with the ADA lawsuit scams was disbarred, but not for the shakedowns, for stealing a clients money.
“Briggs’ $1.25 million home sits near the top of a hill in Sunset Cliffs. In the front, it has a big garden with a wide view of the Pacific Ocean. Briggs’ friends jokingly refer to the place as ‘The House That Wal-Mart Built.’”
LOL…Briggs pad is NOTHING compared to Bill Lerach’s pad on La Jolla Farms Road!…….