Ventura council adds $350K to outside counsel for Channelkeeper water case
The fourteenth amendment to the city's outside-counsel agreement raises the not-to-exceed cap to $9.38 million as the long-running water-rights litigation continues.
The Ventura City Council on March 10 authorized a $350,000 increase to its outside-counsel contract with the law firm of Best, Best and Krieger, LLP, raising the not-to-exceed amount to $9,378,000.
The increase covers continued representation in Santa Barbara Channelkeeper v. State Water Resources Control Board and the City of San Buenaventura, the long-running water-rights litigation now docketed in Los Angeles County Superior Court as Case No. 19STCP01176. The case was originally filed in San Francisco County Superior Court as Case No. CPF-14-513875.
According to the March 10 agenda packet, this is the fourteenth amendment to Legal Services Agreement 100003210 since the case began. The recommendation, brought by City Attorney Javan N. Rad, authorized him to execute the amendment to continue the firm's work on the matter and related cases.
The agenda packet did not break down how the new $350,000 will be used or estimate when the litigation will conclude.
No further council action on the contract is currently scheduled.
Sources
- Item 1, March 10 Regular Meeting (city council agenda packet)Mar 10, 2026
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