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Nobody should face the government alone.

Pacific Legal Foundation defends Americans in court when their rights are threatened by government overreach and abuse. We take on the states, counties, towns, and agencies that don’t respect the U.S. Constitution. And we represent every client free of charge, thanks to our supporters.

We were founded in California. Unfortunately, our home state continues to be one of the toughest legal battlegrounds for freedom.

But there’s hope for California, thanks to heroes who don’t accept injustice—they fight back in court, with PLF’s help.

Meet four Californians who refused to back down.

Family fined $4 million for wine tastings

Lindsay Hoopes did everything Napa County asked. She got the permits and met with code enforcement. Then the county changed the rules and called her family’s wine tastings a “public nuisance.” A judge ordered her to pay nearly $4 million in penalties. She has already sold the home she grew up in. Now Lindsay and PLF are fighting back against excessive fines.

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Homeowner fined $2.5 million over gates

John Levy loves his Carlsbad bachelor pad so much he dubbed it “Levyland.” Then the Coastal Commission came after the 75-year-old, claiming he was blocking public access with two gates (one of which is actually on his neighbor’s property). After a public hearing in which commissioners called the gates “a direct affront to the people of California,” the Commission fined John a stunning $2.5 million. Now John and PLF are fighting for due process.

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Landlord forced to house tenant who threatened her

Sheanna Rogers and her husband rented out part of their Alameda County house to a tenant. Then the tenant stopped paying, threatened their lives, and refused to leave. Alameda County’s COVID19 eviction moratorium trapped them with him for three long years while he ran up about $30,000 in unpaid rent. Now Sheanna and PLF are fighting to make the county answer for what it took.

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Coastal Commission tries to block house

Tim Shea wanted to build a home on a lot he owned in Los Osos. San Luis Obispo County approved it. Then the California Coastal Commission overrode the county by claiming the land was an “environmentally sensitive habitat area.” Tim fought back with PLF. In April 2026, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Commission broke its own rules—which shows California’s nightmare can end in court.

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Lindsay, John, Sheanna, and Tim didn’t choose this fight. They just refused to accept government overreach as California’s new normal.

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