In Bakersfield, the Kern Kaweah Chapter of the Sierra Club did the unsurprising:  they filed a lawsuit. Against a development project that they oppose, one that would add homes, small shops, public parks and trails. But since it's difficult to tell a judge you simply want to keep jogging, horseback riding, hiking and bird watching on private property, you must think of something. So the Sierra Club uses the well worn path of claiming violations under CEQA - California's Environmental Quality Act.

The only problem with that might be the initial statements made by the Sierra Club's spokesperson himself, who spoke at the hearing where the project was approved by the City. In his own eloquent words he stated, "Um, we, uh, cannot oppose the, uh, staff recommendation wholeheartedly because we haven’t studied the, um, new e... - the recirculated EIR.  But we’re more comfortable, uh, being in opposition.”

Now the city is required to defend this lawsuit and numerous others, with only some payment by the project applicant, but otherwise utilizing scarce taxpayer-funded city resources for a private group's "no development" political agenda. So just file a lawsuit and think of a good reason later. After all, it's the taxpayers who, uh, get to pick up the tab.