SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20509
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FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) October 27, 2003
Tejon Ranch Co.
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(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
Delaware 1-7183 77-0196136
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(State or Other Jurisdiction of (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.)
Incorporation)
P. O. Box 1000, Lebec, California 93243
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code 661 248-3000
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(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Not applicable
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure.
SIGNATURES
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Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure
On Friday, October 24, 2003, the Kern County Superior Court issued its
ruling in Center for Biological Diversity v. County of Kern, a case brought
under the California Environmental Quality Act to challenge the sufficiency of
the Environmental Impact Report ("EIR") certified by the county for the Tejon
Industrial Complex-East development ("TIC-East"), a proposed 1,109 acre
expansion of Tejon Ranch Company's industrial and commercial development at the
south end of the San Joaquin Valley near the junction of Interstate 5 and State
Route 99.
The Court voided the County's certification of the EIR based on two
grounds. First, the Court found that there was not sufficient evidence that the
EIR adequately described the impacts that TIC-East would have on the air quality
of the San Joaquin Valley air basin. The principal reason for this conclusion is
that certain data and guidance provided by local air quality districts, which
was cited, discussed and relied upon in the EIR, could not be used to support
the County's decision because it was not physically included in the
administrative record. Second, two "species of concern" (i.e. species not listed
under the sate and federal endangered species acts but which are for other
reasons required to be discussed in EIRs if they could be affected by a
development) found on or near the project site were not specifically discussed
in the EIR, due to a mistake by the consulting biologists.
The Court found that the EIR was adequate in all other respects, and
ruled in favor of Tejon on separate claims asserted by plaintiffs under the laws
governing planning and zoning in California. The Court did not void the land use
entitlements approved by the County. The Court retained jurisdiction over the
case until the County certifies an amended EIR and administrative record
correcting the deficiencies identified by the Court. The land use entitlements
cannot be used to support real estate developments until the EIR is corrected
and recertified by the County and returned to the Court for its review.
Tejon estimates that it will take 2-4 months to gather data and correct
the EIR and record as directed by the Court, and 3-4 months for the County to
process the corrected EIR. It is expected that plaintiffs will contest the
adequacy of the corrected EIR before both the County Board of Supervisors and
the Court.
The Information contained in this report on Form 8-K is being furnished
to meet the requirements of Regulation FD Disclosure. Statements contained
herein, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements based on
the estimated time to complete reprocessing and approval of a corrected EIR,
which by its nature involves timing risks and uncertainties. These
forward-looking statements are subject to factors beyond the control of Tejon
such as the ability of Kern County to move the approval process forward within
the time frames indicated. No assurance can be given that the actual future
results will not differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Date: October 27, 2003 TEJON RANCH CO.
By: /S/ ALLEN E. LYDA
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Name: Allen E. Lyda
Title: Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer
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