AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Inc. v. City & County of San Francisco

208 F. Supp. 3d 1095, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 131688, 2016 WL 5358594
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedSeptember 26, 2016
DocketCase No. 16-cv-02319-RS
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 208 F. Supp. 3d 1095 (AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Inc. v. City & County of San Francisco) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Inc. v. City & County of San Francisco, 208 F. Supp. 3d 1095, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 131688, 2016 WL 5358594 (N.D. Cal. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO DISMISS PETITION AND COMPLAINT

RICHARD SEEBORG, United States District Judge

I. INTRODUCTION

This suit is the latest development in an on-going land-use dispute between Plaintiff AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Inc. (“AHF”) and the City of San Francisco (“the City”). AHF claims it was unconstitutionally targeted by San Francisco city legislators for taking a public and unpopular position in opposition to a HIV/AIDS medication known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (“PrEP”). AHF avers that, in retaliation for its stand on PrEP, the city legislators passed new zoning rules to delay its proposed building project in the Castro neighborhood. AHF previously sued the City in a related case alleging the new zoning rules violated its constitutional rights. The Court dismissed that complaint with leave to amend. AHF then requested a stay to seek conditional use authorization from the San Francisco Planning Commission in order to proceed with its project under the new rules.

On January 28, 2016, the Planning Commission disapproved AHF’s conditional use application. In response, AHF filed this new complaint and petition. AHF argues that the Planning Commission acted unconstitutionally and abused its discretion in denying its conditional use application. Defendants move to dismiss on the basis that AHF’s state-law claim is barred by the statute of limitations and the doctrine [1098]*1098of exhaustion of administrative remedies, and that its constitutional claim is barred by res judicata. Defendants’ motion is granted in full as to AHF’s state-law claim and in part as to AHF’s constitutional claim.

II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND1

The background of this dispute was described in detail in this Court’s January 21, 2015 order granting the City’s motion to dismiss AHF’s first amended complaint in AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Inc. v. City and County of San Francisco, et al., No. 14-ev-03499 (“related case”). There, AHF challenged the constitutionality of the new zoning rules (“Interim Controls”). The City moved to dismiss and the Court granted that motion because AHF failed to satisfy its pleading burden and exhaust administrative remedies. AHF filed a second amended complaint, which the City again moved to dismiss. While the second motion to dismiss was pending, the parties agreed to stay the case so that AHF could apply for conditional use authorization under the Interim Controls, which AHF did on May 20, 2015.

On January 28, 2016, the Planning Commission disapproved AHF’s conditional use authorization application in Motion No. 19533 (“the Motion”). The Motion provides:

APPEAL AND EFFECTIVE DATE OF MOTION: Any aggrieved person may appeal this Conditional Use Authorization to the Board of Supervisors within thirty (30) days after the date of this Motion No. 19553. The effective date of this Motion shall be the date of this Motion if not appealed (after the 30-day period has expired) OR the date of the decision of the Board of Supervisors if appealed to the Board of Supervisors.

Def.’s Request for Judicial Notice (“RJN”), Ex. A.2 AHF did not appeal to the Board of Supervisors within thirty days. Instead, on April 28, 2016, ninety-one days after the decision of the Planning Commission, AHF filed this action against the City and County of San Francisco, the Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Scott Weiner, the Planning Commission, and the Planning Department (collectively “Defendants”). The complaint includes a writ of mandate, under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1085 or § 1094.5, to set aside the Planning Commission’s disapproval of AHF’s conditional use authorization and a claim for violation of AHF’s constitutional rights, under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

III. LEGAL STANDARD

Federal courts maintain limited jurisdiction and possess only power authorized by Article III of the United States Constitution and statutes enacted by Congress. See, e.g., Bender v. Williamsport Area School Dist., 475 U.S. 534, 541, 106 S.Ct. 1326, 89 L.Ed.2d 501 (1986). The party asserting jurisdiction bears the burden of establishing that subject matter jurisdiction exists. Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Ins. Co. of Am., 511 U.S. 375, 377, 114 S.Ct. 1673, 128 L.Ed.2d 391 (1994). The role of the federal courts “is neither to issue advisory opinions nor to declare rights in hypothetical cases, but to adjudicate live cases or controversies consistent [1099]*1099with the powers granted the judiciary in Article III of the Constitution.” Thomas v. Anchorage Equal Rights Comm’n, 220 F.3d 1134, 1138 (9th Cir. 1999).

A complaint must contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). While “detailed factual allegations” are not required, a complaint requires sufficient factual averments to “state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (citing Bell Atlantic v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). The allegations in the complaint “must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955. “[WJhere the well-pleaded facts do not permit the court to infer more than the mere possibility of misconduct,” the complaint has not shown that the pleader is entitled to relief. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937.

IY. DISCUSSION

Defendants argue that the Complaint should be dismissed for three reasons: (i) pursuant to Cal. Gov. Code § 65009, AHF’s action challenging the disapproval of its conditional use application should have been—and was not—filed within ninety days of the Planning Commission’s decision; (ii) AHF did not appeal the disapproval of its application to the Board of Supervisors and thus failed to exhaust its administrative remedies; and (iii) AHF’s Section 1983 claim is barred by res judica-ta. Each argument is addressed separately below.

A. Statute of Limitations

Defendants contend that Section 65009 of the California Government Code bars this action.3 Section 65009 is located in division 1 (Planning and Zoning) of title 7 (Planning and Land Use) of the Government Code. It establishes a short, 90-day statute of limitations, applicable to both the filing and service of challenges to a broad range of local zoning and planning decisions. Defendants rely on subdivision (c)(1):

[N]o action or proceeding shall be maintained in any of the following cases by any person unless the action or proceeding is commenced and service is made on the legislative body within 90 days after the legislative body’s decision:...

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
208 F. Supp. 3d 1095, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 131688, 2016 WL 5358594, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/aids-healthcare-foundation-inc-v-city-county-of-san-francisco-cand-2016.