Extra Innings · The Front Office
The Ravine for a Ballclub
City of Los Angeles v. Superior Court (1959)
Charge: Taxpayer challenge (illegal gift of public land / invalid contract) - city swapped a hillside tract for a stadium and a relocating big-league franchise (suit against the City of Los Angeles)Court: Supreme Court of CaliforniaDocket: The Front Office
Was the city's contract trading public land to a baseball club for a privately built stadium an illegal giveaway of public property?
The facts
A big city wanted to lure a famous East Coast club west. The city council approved a contract giving the club about 300 acres of city-owned hillside land. In return the club would build a stadium, move its franchise, and hand the city an older ballpark and some recreation land. Voters narrowly approved the deal at a referendum. A taxpayer sued, arguing the contract was really a gift of public property to a private business, and a trial judge blocked certification of the vote.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: City of Los Angeles v. Superior Court, 51 Cal. 2d 423 (1959)
Read more at law.justia.com. The source reveals the outcome.