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

Heading: Facial Substantive Due Process Challenge

Text: 23 The district court granted summary judgment for the City with respect to the Kawaokas' facial challenges. A grant of summary judgment is reviewed de novo. Jones v. Union Pac. R. Co., 968 F.2d 937, 940 (9th Cir.1992); T.W. Elec. Serv., Inc. v. Pacific Elec. Contractors Ass'n, 809 F.2d 626, 629 (9th Cir.1987). Our review is governed by the same standard used by the trial court under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c). Darring v. Kincheloe, 783 F.2d 874, 876 (9th Cir.1986). We must determine, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, whether there are any genuine issues of material fact and whether the district court correctly applied the relevant substantive law. Federal Deposit Ins. Corp. v. O'Melveny & Meyers, 969 F.2d 744, 747 (9th Cir.1992); Tzung v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., 873 F.2d 1338, 1339-40 (9th Cir.1989). 24 To establish a violation of substantive due process, the Kawaokas are required to prove that the City's general plan or temporary water moratorium was  'clearly arbitrary and unreasonable, having no substantial relation to the public health, safety, morals or general welfare.'  Sinaloa Lake, 882 F.2d at 1407 (quoting Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365, 395, 47 S.Ct. 114, 121, 71 L.Ed. 303 (1926)). Legislative acts that do not impinge on fundamental rights or employ suspect classifications are presumed valid, and this presumption is overcome only by a clear showing of arbitrariness and irrationality. Hodel v. Indiana, 452 U.S. 314, 331-32, 101 S.Ct. 2376, 2387, 69 L.Ed.2d 40 (1981); see also Kadrmas v. Dickinson Public Schools, 487 U.S. 450, 462, 108 S.Ct. 2481, 2489, 101 L.Ed.2d 399 (1988); Greenbriar, Ltd. v. Alabaster, 881 F.2d 1570, 1577 n. 14 (11th Cir.1989). 25 In a substantive due process challenge, we do not require that the City's legislative acts actually advance its stated purposes, but instead look to whether  'the governmental body could have had no legitimate reason for its decision.'  Levald, Inc. v. City of Palm Desert, 998 F.2d 680, 690 (9th Cir.1993) (citing Shelton v. City of College Station, 780 F.2d 475, 483 (5th Cir.) (en banc), cert. denied, 477 U.S. 905 [106 S.Ct. 3276, 91 L.Ed.2d 566] (1986) (emphasis in original)). The City's general plan does not violate substantive due process as long as it advances any legitimate public purpose, Construction Indus. Ass'n v. Petaluma, 522 F.2d 897, 906 (9th Cir.1975), and if it is  'at least fairly debatable'  that the decision to adopt the general plan and the water moratorium was rationally related to legitimate governmental interests, the City's actions must be upheld. Christensen v. Yolo County Bd. of Supervisors, 995 F.2d 161, 165 (9th Cir.1993) (citations omitted). 26 Two aspects of the general plan are alleged by the Kawaokas to be irrational and arbitrary: the requirement of a specific plan and the density designation. The Kawaokas also challenge the City's temporary water moratorium.
27 The Kawaokas argue that the specific plan requirement is arbitrary and is merely a tool used by the City to prevent development of their land. They argue that the City's reasons for requiring a specific plan are pretextual. 28 The record supports the City's requirement of a specific plan as a rational planning device. Specific plans are authorized by state law as a mechanism to achieve logical development patterns and to coordinate the provision of infrastructure. Cal.Gov't Code Secs. 65450-51. In this case the City has imposed the specific plan requirement on fifty-five acres of land, most of which has been used for strawberry farming for several decades. It is reasonable for a municipality to delay development of this size and type of agricultural property until it planned the development of roads, sewage, disposal, water distribution, drainage, traffic, and utility services. The Kawaokas argue that a specific plan is unnecessary because they do not need to build more roads and because sufficient drainage, sewage, and other resources already exist. Whether or not they are right as to the adequacy of current facilities, requiring a plan to ensure coordinated development of a significant parcel of land and to ensure that adequate resources exist is not irrational. The properties also face the common problem of accumulated pesticide residue in the soil from the history of agricultural use--an environmental problem that the City clearly will need to address prior to permitting residential development. 29 The Kawaokas argue that the specific plan requirement is unconstitutional because it obligates them to act jointly with the owners of the other twenty acres prior to developing their own land. While it is true that the specific plan cannot be promulgated in piecemeal fashion, nothing in the California Code requires joint action by parties subject to a specific plan requirement. Moreover, because the specific plan is enacted legislatively, no party can impose his plan on other landowners simply because they are subject to the same plan requirement. Instead, under the City's ordinance an affected individual may submit to the City Council a specific plan for the City's review and adoption, and City regulations specifically state that parties whose property is covered by a specific plan requirement need not act jointly. 7 Thus, landowners subject to a specific plan requirement may submit their proposals either jointly or individually to the City Council, which will enact a specific plan with the features it determines to be most appropriate. 30 The Kawaokas next argue that the specific plan requirement is unconstitutional because (1) the City imposes a fee on property owners for developing the specific plan, and (2) the City, which is the only party authorized to prepare a specific plan, refuses to do so and instead requires the Kawaokas to do it, thus holding their land hostage. With respect to the first claim, the fact that the City imposes a fee for the development of specific plans is not a constitutional deprivation. See Cal.Gov't Code Secs. 65456(a) & (b) (West. Supp.1994). Cities often impose permit requirements and assess processing costs on individuals, particularly on those who seek to develop their land. The rationale behind this fee is clear: a party receives significant economic benefits from developing her land; the taxpayers should not bear all of the costs of planning such a development. See Cal.Gov't Code Sec. 65456(a) (West. Supp.1994) (stating that it is the legislature's intent that people who benefit from a specific plan pay some of the costs of developing these plans). 8 31 The record does not support the Kawaokas' second claim. We have already noted that the City ordinance does not state that only the City may prepare a specific plan, but instead provides that property owners may submit their own. The Kawaokas' argument actually reflects the fact that they are unwilling to pay any of the costs of developing a specific plan, and not that the City refuses to prepare a plan at all or to consider one prepared by the Kawaokas. 32 Throughout their brief, the Kawaokas argue that their land has been deprived of all economic value. The record does not support this claim. Instead, it reveals that the Kawaokas are unwilling to sell their land for less than $6 million. Furthermore, an appraisal performed in February 1991 of thirty-six acres of their property estimated its value at $2,400,000. This is certainly much less than $6 million, but it is nonetheless substantial value.
33 In adopting the general plan, the City advanced several objectives, including preserving the agricultural heritage of the City, providing for a range of housing types and densities, preserving the small town character of the City, and limiting development within the City to levels consistent with available resources. Our circuit and others have established that these are legitimate objectives. See Christensen, 995 F.2d at 165 (preserving agricultural uses of land); Smithfield Concerned Citizens for Fair Zoning v. Smithfield, 907 F.2d 239, 244-45 (1st Cir.1990) (density restrictions may enhance quality of life); Barancik v. County of Marin, 872 F.2d 834, 837 (9th Cir.1988), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 894, 110 S.Ct. 242, 107 L.Ed.2d 193 (1989) (preserving bucolic atmosphere); Petaluma, 522 F.2d at 906 (preserving small town character). Moreover, designating seventeen acres for rural residential density is a reasonable means by which the City may reduce potential traffic problems and address the anticipated water shortage due to population growth. 34 The Kawaokas raise several challenges with respect to the density designation of their property. First, they argue that the general plan did not in fact designate their property RR and SF, but instead retained the agricultural designation until the Kawaokas prove such use is economically non-viable. We have already noted that while the language of the general plan suggests that the property was designated for agricultural use, the plan map, the City Council meeting minutes, and the statements of city officials all indicate that the property was designated RR and SF. See note 2, supra. Even the Kawaokas' real estate agent and potential purchaser appear to understand that the property has been designated for residential use, as demonstrated by their respective letters which object to the dual designation and offer less money for the property in recognition of the RR and SF designations. 35 The Kawaokas also contend that the ambiguity created by the plan's language and map render the plan unconstitutionally vague. The plan is not unconstitutionally vague, however, because consultation with city officials resolved any ambiguity regarding the meaning of the general plan. See Hoffman Estates v. Flipside, Hoffman Estates, Inc., 455 U.S. 489, 498, 102 S.Ct. 1186, 1193, 71 L.Ed.2d 362 (1982) (stating that regulations are not unconstitutionally vague where the regulated enterprise may have the ability to clarify the meaning of the regulation by its own inquiry); Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. v. Hostetter, 384 U.S. 35, 48-49, 86 S.Ct. 1254, 1263, 16 L.Ed.2d 336 (1966) (statutory definition of related person is not unconstitutionally vague when appellants have access to an agency process that will clarify the issue). 36 The Kawaokas next argue that designating half of their property RR is impermissible spot zoning because it is inconsistent with surrounding uses. Spot zoning occurs where a small parcel is restricted and given lesser rights than the surrounding property ... thereby creating an 'island' in the middle of a larger area devoted to other uses. 9 Consaul v. City of San Diego, 6 Cal.App. 4th 1781, 1801, 8 Cal.Rptr.2d 762 (Cal.Ct.App.1992). 37 The Kawaokas' spot zoning challenge fails for several reasons. First, spot zoning refers to property that is small in size. See Hamer v. Ross, 59 Cal.2d 776, 382 P.2d 375, 31 Cal.Rptr. 335 (1963) (2.2 acres zoned for 1 unit per acre where all surroundings lots are much smaller); Ross v. City of Yorba Linda, 1 Cal.App. 4th 954, 960, 2 Cal.Rptr.2d 638 (Cal.Ct.App.1991) (1.12 acre lot zoned for 1 unit per acre where surrounding lots generally half that size). On the facts presented, the Kawaokas' seventeen acre parcel is too large to be considered spot zoning. 38 Furthermore, this case is unlike spot zoning cases, in which  'a lot in the center of a business or commercial district is limited to uses for residential purposes.'  See Consaul, 6 Cal.App. 4th at 1801, 8 Cal.Rptr.2d at 775 (citations omitted); see also Nectow v. Cambridge, 277 U.S. 183, 48 S.Ct. 447, 72 L.Ed. 842 (1928) (zoning 100 foot strip of 3/4 acre lot for residential use where strip is surrounded by industrial use is unreasonable). The Kawaokas' property is surrounded by a variety of other types of residential property, including R-1 (single family residential), R-2 (duplex residential), and R-3 (multi-family residential). It will not be a small island amid land zoned for dissimilar uses. 39 Not only is there no support in the case law to find spot zoning in this case, but to define spot zoning to include zoning of parcels of this size would paralyze urban planners, who under certain circumstances need to draw lines and differentially zone much smaller areas of land than this. 40 The Kawaokas argue that the district court failed to consider their declarations, in which representations are made that there is adequate infrastructure to accommodate development at the density they requested. Even if this were true, the Kawaokas fail to state a due process violation because there is no law requiring the city to zone property for maximum use and density. Such an approach to land use planning would prohibit municipalities from zoning property for anything less than maximum development, an approach that has clearly been rejected.
41 The Kawaokas next argue that the City's water moratorium was arbitrary and a mere pretext for blocking development on their property. They cite to Johnson's declaration, in which he states that Paul Karp, a city engineer, told him that the City was using water as a pretext to stop development. This claim fails for several reasons. 42 First, as the district court noted, the temporary moratorium lasted only a year; it merely limited new development plans during that time period and did not in any way restrict the processing of specific plans. Because the Kawaokas may not develop their property until a specific plan is prepared, and because the moratorium did not deter the processing of specific plans, the water moratorium did not delay any development efforts by the Kawaokas. But even if it could be argued that the moratorium delayed development of their property for one year, such a short-term delay does not rise to constitutional dimensions. See Agins, 447 U.S. at 263 n. 9, 100 S.Ct. at 2143 n. 9; Zilber, 692 F.Supp. at 1206. 43 The record also supports the City's decision to enact the water moratorium as a rational one. Although the Kawaokas point to a declaration that the water moratorium was a pretext for preventing development, the City points to estimates by its Department of Public Works that if all pending development applications were approved, it would face a water shortage of 637 to 833 acre feet per year. Given the serious drought conditions and water shortages faced by California cities, we cannot say that the City's efforts temporarily to limit development while it studies its future water supply is irrational. 44 Except for a declaration that merely asserts that the moratorium is pretextual, the Kawaokas do not provide any evidence that this is so. 10 This case is therefore unlike Lockary v. Kayfetz, 917 F.2d 1150 (9th Cir.1990), the case cited by the Kawaokas. In Lockary, we held that a moratorium on new water hookups might be arbitrary where the plaintiffs demonstrated that during the moratorium water use increased by 70%, water storage capacity increased by 1100%, the city had provided water for swimming pools, the city had voluntarily relinquished rights to certain water sources, and the leakage rate for the City's water was at least twice normal. Id. at 1155-56. Unlike the plaintiffs in Lockary, the Kawaokas provide no evidence to suggest that the City's numbers are in fact contrived. 45 The Kawaokas also argue that they have evidence that demonstrates that if their property is converted to residential use at 5.0 units/acre, it would still require less water than they currently use for strawberry farming. Assuming this is true, these numbers do not make a one year water moratorium irrational or pretextual. The record supports the City's argument that in enacting the moratorium, the City was responding to a perceived water shortage faced by the entire community. See Barancik, 872 F.2d at 836-37 (zoning ranch area to preserve rural landscape is not irrational merely because as many cows would graze on plaintiff's property if there were twenty-eight residences as would graze if there were nine). The record simply does not support the contention that the one-year moratorium (now expired) was mere pretext for preventing all development on the Kawaokas' property.
46 We conclude that the Kawaokas have failed to plead or present sufficient evidence to allow their substantive due process challenges to go to trial. The Kawaokas cite to several cases for the proposition that they are entitled to a jury trial and that summary judgment is inappropriate. However, unlike those cases, in which we found that the plaintiffs did in fact provide some evidence suggesting that a city's actions were irrational, the Kawaokas have failed to provide such evidence. See Del Monte Dunes, 920 F.2d 1496 (city acts irrationally where it approves 190 unit project provided that fifteen conditions are met, plaintiffs fulfill those conditions over an eighteen month period, and city denies permit, giving only conclusory explanation); Lockary, 917 F.2d 1150 (water moratorium may be arbitrary where city has significantly increased provision of water to other parties); Bateson v. Geisse, 857 F.2d 1300 (9th Cir.1988) (city's refusal to issue building permit is irrational where Bateson meets all of the requirements for the permit and city regulations require the city to issue a permit in these circumstances). Furthermore, this is not a takings case, in which we must balance the public interest supporting the government action against the severity of the private deprivation; in a substantive due process case such as this, our concern is with the rationality of a government action regardless of its impact. See Kenneth H. Young, 1991 Zoning & Planning Law Handbook Secs. 7.02-7.03 at 144-45 (1991); Nollan v. California Coastal Comm'n, 483 U.S. 825, 834 n. 3, 107 S.Ct. 3141, 3147 n. 3, 97 L.Ed.2d 677 (1987). The takings cases cited by the Kawaokas that discuss the need to consider the harm to the plaintiff are therefore inapplicable. 47 Because the Kawaokas do not raise a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the City's general plan and water moratorium are irrational or arbitrary, the district court properly granted the City's motion for summary judgment with respect to the Kawaokas' substantive due process challenges.