That provides more context. Back East, people threaten and sue over this sort of thing all the time, on all sides of the issues. Whether or not they prevail, lawyers can nearly always find grounds to sue. Often, municipalities will settle rather than play out costly litigation, and often, public boards will be cautious to avoid being sued in the first place. I guess that doesn't happen in California. -----Original Message----- From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Ron May Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2005 1:33 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: How Do You Feel About Gutting an Historic Building? Lauren, There would be no grounds for a lawsuit, either against the board or individuals, as the property owner has a permit in process. In California, processing the permit gives government staff the legal right to seek opinions of government-appointed citizen boards. The permit applicant has to go along with the process. Threatening a government official or board member with a lawsuit is meaningless, as there is a stable of government litigators who would defend the government process. I think this was simply a case of shopping around for the opinion that best suits someone's needs. Ron May Legacy 106, Inc.