Opinion ID: 3030204
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Power to Sue or Be Sued

Text: [10] An entity’s power to sue or be sued weighs against a finding of Eleventh Amendment immunity. Belanger, 963 F.2d at 254. It is undisputed that California law provides that “[a] district shall have power . . . [t]o sue and be sued in the name of the district in all actions and proceedings in all courts and tribunals of competent jurisdiction.” Cal. Health & Safety Code § 40701(b). In addition, state law specifically contemplates that claims for damages may be brought against air pollution control districts. See id. § 40707 (providing that “claims for money or damages against a district are governed by” provisions in the California Government Code pertaining to claims and actions against public entities). And at least one California court has allowed a damages lawsuit against an air pollution control district. See Colusa Air Pollution Control Dist. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County, 277 Cal. Rptr. 110, 112-13 (Cal. Ct. App. 1991) (holding that an air pollution control district was properly joined as a defendant in an environmental lawsuit seeking, among other relief, monetary damages). Although this third factor of the Mitchell test is not dispositive, it clearly favors a finding that the District is not an arm of the state.