Judge blocks big California development over wildfire danger

By DON THOMPSON
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California judge has blocked portions of the largest proposed residential housing development in San Diego County’s history. He acted Thursday after the state attorney general and others objected that it would be too prone to wildfires. That and a similar recent challenge in Northern California are the first known times in the nation where a state has intervened to argue that its interests in preventing wildfires overrides a county’s interest in building more housing. Spokesmen for San Diego County did not immediately comment. The president of the state’s building association previously said the attorney general is overstepping by questioning local officials’ safety precautions.