The City of Menifee announced it filed a lawsuit against the City of Perris for unlawful designation of Ethanac Road. “The decision by the City of Perris to remove Ethanac Road as a designated truck route was made without proper public notice, any effort to comply with CEQA, or consideration of regional welfare,” the city said.
To protect the plans, investments, and permanent improvements that many public agencies, property owners, businesses, and members of the public have reasonably and justifiably made based on Ethanac Road’s truck route designation, the City of Menifee has filed a Petition for a Writ of Mandate and Complaint against the City of Perris for unlawfully de-designating the roadway as a truck route.
Ethanac Road serves as the northern gateway to Menifee and bisects the border between Perris and Menifee, with Perris owning the northern portion of the road and Menifee owning the southern portion. This route is part of a significant regional transportation network between I-15 and I-215, for which plans, commitments, and funds have been devoted for many years, including funding from multiple jurisdictions such as the City of Menifee, City of Lake Elsinore, County of Riverside, Western Riverside Council of Governments, and the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
Despite the shared use of Ethanac Road by several local jurisdictions, the City of Perris recently moved forward with plans to permanently de-designate Ethanac Road as a truck route. The Perris City Council approved a General Plan Amendment to remove several roadways from the General Plan’s Circulation Element Truck Routes Map, including Ethanac Road, on June 14, 2022.
The City of Menifee said it filed the lawsuit after several attempts to work with the City of Perris to identify a solution to the issue. The City of Menifee said it was compelled to file a lawsuit to “protect the interests of its residents and businesses as Perris’ action will harm Menifee’s future economic vitality.”
In the lawsuit, the City of Menifee argues that the City of Perris violated CEQA and other state laws including failing to consider and evaluate the regional and cumulative impacts on the surrounding environment, including (without limitation) the City of Menifee, or persons, businesses, or other public agencies in that city or any other neighboring community; failing to meet state requirements for public noticing and allowing at least a 30-day period for public review on issues of regional or area-wide significance; passing an ordinance for a highway that is not under the exclusive jurisdiction of the local authority enacting the ordinance; disregarding regional welfare in the evaluation of its ordinance; and violating regional transportation commitments and agreements.
“Ethanac Road is a key roadway for Menifee and the action taken by the City of Perris to eliminate trucks from this vital corridor will cause irreparable harm to the future growth and economic development of our city,” Menifee City Manager Armando Villa said. “We remain hopeful that we can continue to work collaboratively with Perris to come to a resolution that meets the needs of both our communities.”
