California School Employees Ass'n v. Sequoia Union High School District

272 Cal. App. 2d 98, 77 Cal. Rptr. 187, 1969 Cal. App. LEXIS 2249
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 21, 1969
DocketCiv. 25397
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 272 Cal. App. 2d 98 (California School Employees Ass'n v. Sequoia Union High School District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
California School Employees Ass'n v. Sequoia Union High School District, 272 Cal. App. 2d 98, 77 Cal. Rptr. 187, 1969 Cal. App. LEXIS 2249 (Cal. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

SIMS, J.

The California School Employees Association has appealed from an order denying a preliminary injunction against the Sequoia Union High School District. (Code Civ. Proe. former § 963, subd. 2; now § 904.1, subd. (f).) The injunction was sought to restrain respondent district- from contracting for vending machines to dispense foodstuffs prepared off the school premises to pupils within the district.

The facts of this case are undisputed. Appellant is an employee representative organization representing employees in the public school system in the classified form of noficerti *101 fied service. Respondent is a school district within the County of San Mateo.

During April of 1967, the district employed 35 persons in connection with its cafeteria service. On May 8, 1967, the governing board of the district decided to discontinue cafeteria services in its schools for the school year 1967-1968. The board at that time gave no indication that any substitute form of food service was being considered. The 35 food service employees were discharged as of July 1, 1967 by action of the board.

Prior to the above action of the board, a vending machine program had been operating for several years within respondent district. The machines served ice cream, nonearbonated drinks, and some prepackaged snack items to the students of respondent district. On October 2, 1967, at the request of some student’s and parent’s groups a proposal was received by the district board from the Pen-Pac Automatic Co. to install vending machines on campus which would serve hot and cold food items and contain a manual snack bar. The proposal was considered by the board at its regular meeting on October 4, 1967. At that time the board approved a motion by one of its members “that the Superintendent [of schools] be authorized to work with any vendor he chooses an arrangement for the supply of a more balanced diet at Menlo Atherton High School on a temporary basis, and that the Superintendent is free to do this as he sees fit, so long as it is clear to the vendor involved that the District may have to change the arrangement in the near future. ’ ’

The district then negotiated with the Pen-Pac Automatic Co. with the intent of granting a concession to that or some similar company for the sale of food on campus through vending machines. The district required that the food to be sold in the machines be prepared and packaged off campus. The district would not pay any money to the company for supplying the machines, or receive any money from the company for granting the concession.

On October 13, 1967, the association filed a complaint for an injunction to restrain the district’s “performance of an illegal contract and illegal expenditure of public monies by a state agency.” On November 6, 1967, the trial court found (1) that the association had standing to bring the action for the injunction; (2) that the association showed no grounds for a preliminary injunction; and (3) that “the proposed *102 agreement for the furnishing of vending machines and the supply of food and beverages to be dispensed through such machines is not invalid.” The request for a preliminary injunction was thereafter denied. This appeal followed.

The association contends that the district does not have authority to contract for the furnishing of food services through the sale of foods prepared off the school premises in vending machines, and that the privileges granted the supplier render the arrangement unconstitutional. The district renews its objection to the association’s standing to sue. (See Thomas v. Joplin (1910) 14 Cal.App. 662, 664-666 [112 P. 729].) 1 It is determined that although the association has standing to sue because of the interests of its members past, present and potential, its objections are not well taken. The judgment must be affirmed.

Standing

Plaintiff association alleged that it is a California nonprofit corporation and a taxpayer of the State of California; that it is an employee-representative organization representing public school employees in the classified service and has members in good standing employed by the defendant school district; that its membership is entirely composed of residents and taxpayers of this state; that members of the association were employed in the classified service as employees for the food services connected with cafeterias operated in various schools of the district until on or about May 1, 1967, when the cafeteria operation was discontinued and the employees were dismissed ; that the district has agreed to and threatens to permit others to purvey foodstuffs to various schools through vending machines; that the law requires that the purchasing, preparation and distribution of foodstuffs be done by employees in the classified service; and that the proposed arrangement is not authorized by law. The association sought the following relief: ‘‘For Judgment permanently enjoining Defendant District, its officers, agents, employees, and any and all persons acting for, with, or on behalf of said Defendant from performing any agreement or contract for the furnishing of food services or cafeteria services, including but not limited to *103 the purchasing, preparation, sale or dispensing of edibles and potables to pupils or employees in or about any school within said Defendant District by any means whatever, directly or by indirection, save and except only as such contract be with persons employed by the governing board in the classified service in accordance with the laws applicable thereto. ’ ’

The association’s representative capacity was established by the declaration filed on its behalf, and the trial court found that it had capacity to sue.

In California School Emp. Assn. v. Willits Unified School Dist. (1966) 243 Cal.App.2d 776 [52 Cal.Rptr. 765], it was established that the association had standing to sue in its own name to enforce the employment rights of its members. (243 Cal.App.2d at pp. 779-780; and see Professional Fire Fighters, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles (1963) 60 Cal.2d 276, 283-285 [32 Cal.Rptr. 830, 384 P.2d 158]; and International Assn. of Fire Fighters v. City of Palo Alto (1963) 60 Cal.2d 295, 298-299 [32 Cal.Rptr. 842, 384 P.2d 170].)

The district asserts that the foregoing principle cannot apply, because the program of food service, through school cafeterias employing persons for food service positions as part of the classified service, has been terminated. The case is unlike that arising in the Willits district. There the janitorial services for which the district had contracted would have to be performed by someone in any event. If the contract, allegedly unauthorized, was found to be beyond the power of the school district, someone else would have to be employed to perform the services. In this case, however, the establishment of a cafeteria, or any provision for food service is optional. (See Ed.

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Bluebook (online)
272 Cal. App. 2d 98, 77 Cal. Rptr. 187, 1969 Cal. App. LEXIS 2249, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/california-school-employees-assn-v-sequoia-union-high-school-district-calctapp-1969.