Sonoma County appealed a lower court's decision to invalidate amendments to its well-permitting ordinance under the public trust doctrine. Genevieve Bertone, a Sonoma County program manager, said in an email to Courthouse News. In 2022, the county drafted proposed amendments to groundwater well ordinances to comply with the public trust doctrine and sought the board’s approval. The panel did not provide direction on its decision to uphold the lower court’s judgment about CEQA review exemptions. The panel denied the nonprofits’ petition for writ of mandate to challenge the amended ordinance under the public trust doctrine, making the amendments valid.