Court Denies Schwarzenegger's Plea to Allow Sale of State Buildings
The Earl Warren Building at Civic Center Plaza is included in a controversial plan for the state of California to sell 11 office buildings to a group of private investors, then lease the space for 20 years
At 4 p.m. Tuesday, seven acting California Supreme Court dustices denied Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s last-ditch attempt to get court clearance to close the controversial sale of 11 premier state office complexes before the governor leaves office on Jan. 3. The sitting state Supreme Court justices had all recused themselves from the case because their court is housed in the Earl Warren Building in San Francisco’s Civic Center. That complex is one of those slated to be sold to California First LLC, a mysterious consortium of private investors who have offered to pay $2.33 billion for them. The state would continue to rent the buildings for at least 20 years, should the deal close. Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling “is a huge victory,” said attorney Joseph Cotchett, who has