Sierra Club sues city of San Diego over revised Surf Cup lease

Two months ago, the San Diego City Council rewrote the terms of a decades-old grant deed to help win a lawsuit challenging the commercial use of public parklands along the San Dieguito River.

Now the city is facing a new lawsuit from the Sierra Club accusing officials of violating state environmental laws in favor of Surf Cup Sports, which runs youth soccer games and other events that have frustrated some neighbors for years.

The environmental nonprofit is seeking a court order setting aside any approvals and directing San Diego to conduct a review of the project under the California Environmental Quality Act.

The lawsuit accuses officials of violating state law in October, when a divided City Council voted to end the 1980s-era grant restrictions and approve a new lease that allows Surf Cup to make millions of dollars off events there.

“The city’s approval of the termination agreement and first amended lease stripped att protective use restrictions from the affected land, which had been enacted to ensure the affected land would be protected as open space for the community in perpetuity,” the legal complaint says.

The City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the new suit, citing a policy of no...