Opinion ID: 664140
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Rationality Review

Text: 54 When there is insufficient evidence of racial discrimination, we review the City's actions to determine whether the Kawaokas' property has been treated differently from similarly situated property and whether there is any rational basis for such treatment. Jacobs, Visconsi & Jacobs Co. v. City of Lawrence, 927 F.2d 1111, 1119 (10th Cir.1991); Christian Gospel Church, 896 F.2d at 1225. 55 The Kawaokas' equal protection claim must fail because there is no evidence in the record that property similar to the Kawaokas was treated differently. Unfortunately for the Kawaokas, it may be impossible to provide this evidence, as the Kawaokas' land and the neighboring twenty acres are in fact unique in Arroyo Grande. 56 However, the record also does not support the claim that the Kawaokas were singled out for special treatment as compared to owners of nonagricultural property. The Kawaokas argue that they were treated unfavorably at the City Council hearings because other property owners' requests for amendments to the general plan were granted. For example, they contend that the City inappropriately approved a high-density apartment complex on a steep hillside. Assuming this to be true, we cannot conclude from this fact that the City's RR designation of the Kawaokas' property is discriminatory. Minutes from the City Council meetings indicate that while the Council granted many requests for amendments, it also refused to grant several landowners the designations that they requested. For example, the record reflects that the Ellsworth property was forced to remain agricultural, an Alder Street property was denied its desired condominium designation, and the Stillwell property was designated RR rather than SF. The minutes also reflect that in most cases, the City Council merely accepted the recommendations of the Planning Commission. Finally, the general plan map also indicates that a specific plan requirement was imposed on at least six separate parcels of land, demonstrating that the City did not single out the Kawaokas to impose a specific plan requirement. 57 In the end, even if the Kawaokas were singled out for different treatment, the City has provided a rational explanation for why the general plan treats the Kawaokas' property as it does. The specific plan requirement permits the City to coordinate roads, sewage disposal, utilities, easements, drainage and water distribution. And the density designation serves to preserve agriculture, to limit development, and to provide for a range of housing types. 58 Because the Kawaokas were unable to provide sufficient evidence to suggest that the City intended to discriminate on the basis of race, and because the Kawaokas did not demonstrate that they were irrationally singled out for differential treatment, the district court properly granted summary judgment for the City on the Kawaokas' equal protection claim.