April 2, 2025
Friday Night Lawsuit: School Lighting Plan Lands in Court
Decades-long battle over high school stadium lighting plans heads to court
It was never just about the lights.
For nearly three decades, the battle over stadium lighting at Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, California has been less of a local dispute and more of a philosophical clash between two deeply entrenched factions: the school, which argues that its students deserve the same nighttime sports experience as every other high school in America, and the homeowners of Ross Valley, who view bright lights, amplified cheering, and evening traffic as an existential threat to their quiet, expensive slice of Northern California.
But now, after years of heated public meetings, shifting county policies, and multiple failed attempts to get lights approved, the war has finally escalated to its highest level yet: a lawsuit.
In December, Marin County’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a lighting plan that would allow Marin Catholic to install four 80-foot galvanized steel light poles at its Don Ghilotti Motta Athletic Stadium. Within weeks, the opposition group Preserve Ross Valley filed a lawsuit against the county, arguing that the approval violated California environmental law and the school’s zoning regulations. The case is now winding its way through Marin Superior Court, and if history is any guide, this fight is far from over.
The Anatomy of a Lighting Dispute
On paper, Marin Catholic’s lighting plan is relatively straightforward. The specified system, manufactured by Musco Lighting, consists of four 80-foot poles, each outfitted with seven 1,500-watt LED fixtures. Additional wayfinding lights (Lithonia Lighting specified) — atop 13 aluminum poles, each 16 feet tall — will illuminate paths and bleachers. According to county records, the design is meant to keep light spill to a minimum, using shielding technology to direct illumination only onto the field.
The expected usage schedule? No more than 10 Friday night varsity football games, with lights off by 9:30 p.m. For most of the year, practices would end by 7:00 p.m., with the lights shut down by 7:15 p.m. During the overlap of football playoffs and winter sports, the plan allows for 25 nights of practice extending to 9:15 p.m. Soccer and lacrosse games would also run under the lights, with up to 55 night games ending by 8:15 p.m.
To many, this might sound like a reasonable compromise. But to longtime opponents, it’s the latest in a long history of shifting promises.
Public records reviewed by the Marin Independent Journal show that Marin Catholic has been attempting to install stadium lighting since at least 1998, with multiple failed attempts over the years. Opponents argue that each new proposal has sought more events and longer operating hours than the last, a pattern they say justifies their skepticism.
The Legal Battlefield
At the heart of Preserve Ross Valley’s lawsuit is a claim that the Board of Supervisors illegally granted Marin Catholic an exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The group argues that the county should have required a full environmental impact study, citing concerns over noise, traffic, and wildlife disruption.
The county, however, insists that its approval was legally sound. A staff report from the Marin County Planning Commission concluded that the stadium’s LED system met “DarkSky” standards, that noise levels would not exceed legal thresholds, and that traffic increases would be “modest.” The county also argues that under a 1975 agreement, the school is allowed to make facility upgrades through a Design Review process rather than applying for a new use permit.
Above: Excerpt from third-party engineering review of proposed lighting plan
What Comes Next?
The next step in the case is a specially set hearing on April 23, when the court will simultaneously consider a preliminary injunction, a demurrer filed by Marin Catholic High, and hold a case management conference — all before Judge Lichtblau in Marin County Superior Court.
If history is any guide, this won’t be resolved anytime soon. A ruling against the county could mean years of environmental reviews. A win for the school? Possibly more legal action, more hearings, more delays.
Thirty years in, it’s clear: the legal process may outlast the LED lights themselves.
