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NAACP v. City of Palo Alto

United States District Court for the Northern District of California
Case No. 5:20-cv-07251-EDJ (2020)

Written by Jamie Milne, JD

Facts

As part of its park system, the City of Palo Alto (city) (defendant) owned and operated Foothills Park, a 1,400-acre park with hiking trails, campgrounds, and meeting spaces overlooking the ocean. An ordinance in the Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC) restricted park access to city residents, city employees, and their guests. Violation of the ordinance was a misdemeanor carrying a penalty of up to six months’ imprisonment, a $1,000 fine, or both. The ordinance was adopted in 1969, at which time there was a well-documented pattern of racial discrimination in the city. Local government policies, restrictive covenants, lending limitations, and realtor conduct combined to prevent non-White persons from acquiring property in the city. Nearly 50 years after the PAMC provision was adopted, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) (plaintiff) sued the city in federal district court, seeking both a declaration that the ordinance was unconstitutional and an injunction preventing its ongoing enforcement. The NAACP argued that when the city ordinance was viewed in the context in which it was adopted, the ordinance was intended to restrict park access to White persons, making the ordinance unconstitutionally discriminatory.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Davila, J.)

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A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
The procedural disposition (e.g., reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

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