by Michael Shaw

Opponents of a planned $2.3 billion sale of state office buildings won a temporary victory Monday when a state appellate court halted the deal for the 11 state-owned properties after an appeal was filed earlier in the day. The sale had been scheduled to be completed Wednesday.

The Sixth District Court of Appeals in San Jose issued the stay, saying it would put a hold on the sale “to permit further consideration of the issues raised by the petition.” Regardless of the outcome of that case, the sale now seems unlikely to be completed before the end of the year. That’s because the Department of General Services or others defending the sale will be allowed to file in opposition to the motion Dec. 27 and opponents can then respond to that motion Dec. 29.
The case had been filed with an appellate court in San Francisco, but the case was moved because the building that houses that court is one of the properties to be sold.

The appeal was filed by prominent Bay Area attorney Joe Cotchett, who argued that the sale would be “have disastrous long-term effects on the taxpayers of California.” One of the three petitioners looking to block the sale is Donald Caspar, a former member of the San Francisco State Building Authority who questioned the wisdom of the sale. He was released as a member of that board shortly after he questioned the wisdom of the move. (Sacramento Business Journal)