Lawmakers may be asked once again to approve a bar on suits filed under CEQA for a proposed sports facility. Developer Philip Anschutz is developing plans to build a 64,000-seat NFL stadium in Los Angeles with the ability to expand the seating capacity up to 78,000. At this time, the proposed stadium project has not been officially submitted to the city council. The project would be required to complete an environmental impact report, but there is a possibility that the project proponent may ask the Legislature to protect the project from being sued under CEQA, similar to the immunity granted in 2009 to a rival stadium project in the City of Industry. So far, the stadium proposal has been endorsed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former basketball player Magic Johnson, among others. At least one state senator has also openly stated it would be fair for the Legislature to grant the same immunity granted to the project proponent in the City of Industry stadium.

More information is available at: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-aeg-20110202,0,7964050.story and http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-aeg-20110202,0,7964050.story