Using the Courts to Preserve Fragile Coastal and Mountain Ecosystems in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

The Los Angeles urban metropolis sprawls across roughly 1,000 square miles of highly diverse environment. The late 1960s and early 1970s were periods of dramatic population growth for Los Angeles. But moderate population gains have continued even during the past 10 years. High development costs caused by geological hazards and hilly terrain have not, however, deterred new urbanization from encroaching into important natural resource or high hazard areas.