Measure T backers take cause to appellate court

By Lake Tahoe News

Proponents of Measure T, the initiative that would give South Lake Tahoe voters a say in the loop road, want back in the game.

Attorney Bruce Grego last week filed the civil case questionnaire with the Third Appellate Court in Sacramento. He is representing himself and Laurel Ames.

The loop road would reroute Highway 50 behind Harrah’s and MontBleu, with the current highway becoming a city-county road. The environmental documents are being released Monday.

Grego and Ames two along with the late Bill Crawford were the original backers of Measure T. While voters approved it in November, a lawsuit had been filed by Jason Collin, who is now on the City Council, in the summer to stop the measure from being on the ballot. El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Jim Wagoner let the vote go through.

However, in December Wagoner narrowed the suit to be Collin v. South Lake Tahoe. This meant the voters no longer had a voice. In January the judge said the measure was invalid and unconstitutional. 

“My best hope is confirmation that Measure T is constitutional and enforceable. That means the public has the opportunity to vote on that issue and the city would be restrained from supporting a proposal until a proposal is presented to the public and we have a full venting of issues,” Grego told Lake Tahoe News.

Before the court can hear arguments it must decide that Grego and Ames are real parties of interest to the case since they were not parties in the case when the judgment was made.