Fighting City Hall, Trump Style

It doesn't look like this will be the Christmas that Donald Trump's Grinch heart grows three sizes bigger. This holiday season, the mogul is suing the little city of Rancho Palos Verdes for $100 million -- five times its annual budget.

What injustices could possibly warrant such an immense claim?

In 2002, Trump's company bought 300 acres of land in Rancho Palos Verdes, and built a super-luxurious, world-class golf course. Now, Trump says that the city is refusing to allow improvements needed to maintain the "Trump image."

"Improvements" like changing the name of Ocean Trails Drive, a local highway, to Trump National Drive. And forcing the Donald to cut down a row of 12-foot-tall ficus trees that he planted to block views of "unsightly" houses from the golf course.

But the meat of the matter is that Trump wants to build 20 luxury homes in the golf club grounds, and the local government is requiring a series of geological studies and reviews before he breaks ground on the landslide-prone site (a 1999 landslide on the property was one reason Trump was able to buy it up so cheaply).

Town officials say they have an obligation to ensure that everything is built in compliance with city codes, for public safety reasons; Trump's people say the tycoon is being held to higher standards.

Plus, he could really use that $100 million right about now. Trump's organization has been hurt by tight credit markets, affecting construction projects from Dubai to Chicago. Even if Rancho Palos Verdes gave him the green light tomorrow, it's hard to image that Trump would be able to build.

While by all accounts Trump's relationship with the town started on good terms, it's probably safe to say that the good will has vanished --right? Not according to the Donald.

From the Los Angeles Times:

"Trump is confident he remains popular among Palos Verdeans -- he said he had conducted a private poll of residents in the area and found he had an 88 percent approval rating."

Riiiiight....
You may remember another civic-minded exploit by Trump this year, one which left him unpopular across the Atlantic as well: fighting the Aberdeenshire Council for permission to build a $1.5 billion golf resort in Scotland.

Liz Gunnison