Costs, Private Attorney General: $7,670.55 Costs Award And $613,893.75 Private Attorney General Fee Award To Prevailing Petitioner Affirmed On Appeal

On Appeal, Appellant Failed To Take Trial Court’s Findings Into Account, And Failed To Show Abuse Of Discretion.

Prevailing petitioner, a local citizens group, successfully obtained a preliminary injunction to vindicate CEQA concerns in Save Petaluma v. City of Petaluma, Case No. A169925 (1^st Dist., Div. 2 Aug. 5, 2025) (unpublished). It successfully fought city approval of a gas station without following CEQA. Subsequently, it obtained a costs award of $7,670.55 and a CCP § 1021.5 award of $613,893.75 in attorney’s fees (fees included a 1.5 positive multiplier) against City.

City’s appeal was unsuccessful. With respect to costs, even though the petitioner was not a catalyst, it still prevailed by stalling a project based on not adhering to CEQA directives. Fees, too, were justified because CEQA is an important right which often gives rise to fee entitlement (see Canyon Crest, 45 Cal.App.5^th at 409).