Look for more on this in the MSM tomorrow — but it appears that the League of Cities and the Redevelopment Industry is shifting strategies.
A coalition of organizations including the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the California Farm Bureau Federation, and the California Alliance to Protect Private Property Rights has collected the necessary financial resources to gather signatures to really end the ability of governments to engage in eminent domain abuses, providing the real protections that ALL private property owners (individuals, businesses, places of worship, etc.) should have in place. Get more info on this important measure here.
The League of Cities and the redevelopment industry have been working overtime to try and get the state legislature to place on the ballot a faux (fake) reform measure that provides only a shadow of the protections provided by the measure now seeking qualification via signature.
So now we hear that the League of Cities is also going to go to the ballot with their vastly inferior measure. As a matter of fact, passing their measure would be worse than passing nothing at all because it does not provide uniform protections for all private property owners but might mislead voters into thinking they have solved a problem, when they have not!
Of course, in a further sign that this measure is designed not to provide reform, but actually to STOP reform, I am told that this measure contains "poison pill" language so that if it gets more votes than the real Kelo reform measure I mention above, then it would nullify that one. I am also told that other language to try to ‘entice’ GOPers to support the legislative form of this measure (ACA 8) are being stripped out.
I think it may be time to start to examine who is in the leadership of the League of Cities, and start to question why these politicians want to fight efforts to protect the property rights of Californians.
Anyways, look for more on this tomorrow and in the days to come…
Also, I have asked the League folks if they want to submit something to our readers that makes their case, and I’ll let you know if they bite. We try to present all views (within the center-right to right perspective) on the FR.
August 9th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Is there commonality between the Howard Jarvis people and the rest of the organizations? Or is it the same coin? Enquiring minds want to know.
August 9th, 2007 at 12:00 am
I don’t understand the question. What do you mean by commonality? The Farm Bureau is obviously a separate organization that has been around forever. Clarify your question and I will be happy to satisfy your “inquiring mind.”
Jon Coupal