Weatherford v. City of San Rafael

Cuéllar, J.

*1244 In California, concerns about improper government expenditures can give rise to more than just criticism in the public sphere or *1245 complaints to elected officials. Under Code of Civil Procedure section 526a, 1 certain individuals and corporations also have a right to pursue legal actions enjoining wasteful or illegal expenditures by government entities. Whether someone can use this provision to begin a lawsuit depends on whether the person has standing to do so. At issue in this case is whether an individual's standing to sue under section 526a requires the payment of a property…