The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association’s case against the agency controlling Coachella’s water supply should have been thrown out, the California Court of Appeal ruled.
The HJTA had argued that the fees charged by the Coachella Valley Water District to fund their groundwater replenishing program were an improper tax.
The Oct. 11 published opinion from the Fourth Appellate District, Division Two, said that the lawsuit was largely a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP). SLAPP lawsuits can be thrown out under California Code of Civil Procedure Section 425.16: “A cause of action against a person arising from any act of that person in furtherance of the person’s right of petition or free speech
