A group of individuals who have identified themselves as a “social welfare organization” are filing a lawsuit against the owner of Laguna Seca, Monterey County, and the non-profit Monterey County Board of Supervisors. The party, officially known as the “Highway 68 Coalition”, claims that the track violates noise regulations, current zoning laws, and California’s Environmental Quality Act while also creating too much traffic. It appears that there are ample reasons to believe that the plaintiffs will end up losing their case though.
Laguna Seca has existed as a racing hub since the late 1950s, and many of the current residents around the track moved in long after it became a racing Mecca. Despite that, the Highway 68 Coalition wants to ban racing events and track rentals that are “in excess of the level of use and noise that existed at the time the legal nonconforming use was established … which was in 1985.”
The coalition claims that the track is rented for 340 days a year, a statement that seems to be at odds with the information available on Laguna Seca’s public calendar. However, what’s beyond dispute is the significant economic boost the track provides to the county annually. In 2022 alone, events held at Laguna Seca generated an “impressive total direct spend” of over $246 million.
As such, county officials don’t appear too worried about the lawsuit. “It is unfortunate certain individuals have chosen to file a complaint against the County concerning operations at Laguna Seca,” Nicholas M. Pasculli, Monterey County’s communications director, wrote to SFGATE in an email last week. “The County does not recognize any merit to the allegations and expects a favorable legal conclusion.”
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Highway 68 Coalition has filed numerous lawsuits in the county in the past. Most appear to be aimed at stifling development and in at least one of those cases, the court found that the claims had no merit. For now, it doesn’t appear that the 2024 schedule at the track will see any impact based on this lawsuit. It is however a thorn in the side of a handoff between operators at the track.
In terms of noise pollution, it’s worth noting that not all of the events held at Laguna Seca are motorsport-related. For example, the annual Sea Otter Classic is a cycling festival held in part on the track itself. Laguna Seca also hosts running events and other non-motorsport-related experiences. The first major event of the year, the abovementioned Sea Otter Classic isn’t held until April. Perhaps a bit of peace and quiet between now and then will allow the parties to get things straightened out.
