Woodruff & Smart attorneys Bradley R. Hogin and Ricia R. Hager successfully defended the South Coast Air Quality Management District against a challenge to the Air District’s cooperative agreement with the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. In a decision filed on September 28, 2026, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joseph Lipner denied the Center for Biological Diversity’s petition for writ of mandate in full.
The agreement requires the Ports to prepare and implement plans for charging and fueling infrastructure to support zero-emission port operations. CBD challenged the agreement under the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Clean Air Act. It also alleged that the Air District had unlawfully surrendered its regulatory authority.
The court rejected all three claims. It upheld the Air District’s reliance on the program environmental impact reports for its 2016 and 2022 Air Quality Management Plans, finding that the agreement’s environmental effects had already been analyzed and no new CEQA document was required. The court also recognized the agreement’s enforceable contractual obligations and concluded that the Air District had preserved its regulatory authority. The ruling leaves the agreement in place and allows the Air District and the Ports to continue their work on zero-emission infrastructure.