Walmart opposition files suit

A group opposed to Walmart’s expansion in Chico has filed a lawsuit challenging the City Council’s recent decision to greenlight the project.

On Oct. 5, the Chico Planning Commission voted 5-2 to approve the nearly 64,500-square-foot expansion; a couple of weeks later, Brett Jolley, an attorney out of Stockton, filed an appeal on behalf of Chico Citizens for a Responsible Economy (CARE), which mounted a successful campaign against Walmart’s plans for a supercenter a decade ago. On Nov. 15, the council voted 4-3 to deny the appeal.

On Thursday (Dec. 15), Jolley filed a petition for a writ of mandate, which “is necessary to remedy the city’s failure to address the project’s environmental impacts,” the document reads. The council met to discuss the litigation in closed session during its meeting on Tuesday (Dec. 20).