(A cool event if you can make it to SF’s Civic Center at noon today. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)
Last month, Brian wrote about the return of Proposition 90. This “Son of 90” initiative is once again rearing it’s ugly head in California — today marks the kickoff of the opposition campaign.
At noon, across the street from San Francisco’s City Hall, Assemblyman Mark Leno will rally against this deceptive ballot measure with Susan Leal, General Manager, SF Public Utilities Commission; Ted Gullickson, SF Tenants Union; Barbara Blong, Senior Action Network; John Rizzo, Sierra Club; Tim Paulson, SF Labor Council and the League of California Cities.
The San Francisco Sentinel reports:
Opponents argue the Government Acquisition, Regulation of Private Property measure could displace 180,000 residents living in rent-controlled residences.
“If this measure were to pass, thousands of San Franciscans would be forced out of the city,” said Ted Gullicksen of the San Francisco Tenants Union.
“Seniors especially would be hard hit if they lost their rent control protections.”
Paul Hogarth has a long piece for Beyond Chron:
But you don’t have to be a tenant to be outraged about CPOFPA – you just have to drink water. Other parts of the ballot initiative – which would be enshrined in the state’s Constitution – would prohibit the acquisition of land and water through eminent domain to develop public water projects. The initiative would ban eminent domain for private use, but Section 19(b)(3)(ii) includes such “private use” as the transfer of property rights to a “public agency for the consumption of natural resources.”
What does that mean? Any construction projects to deliver running water would be ruled unconstitutional. San Francisco’s long-term plan to revamp Hetch Hetchy that provides our clean water would be nixed, as well as other efforts to bring public drinking water to California’s growing population. That’s why Susan Leal, who manages our Public Utilities Commission, will be speaking out at today’s rally in opposition.
Anyone who cares about the environment should oppose CPOFPA. The proposition would ban laws or regulations that “transfer an economic benefit to one or more private persons at the expense of the private owner.” Because the courts have ruled that virtually all land-use decisions and environmental laws can transfer an economic benefit from one party to another, these laws could suddenly be out the window. That’s why John Rizzo, who chairs the local Sierra Club, will be speaking out today. Other environmental groups are expected to come out in opposition as well.
Right-wing proponents of CPOFPA are hoping that voters will get confused – and simply support it because it says it will restrict eminent domain. There are legitimate reasons to oppose eminent domain abuse – nobody wants the government to take someone’s property and give it to a private developer like Wal-Mart. The Supreme Court’s 2005 decision allowing a local city to take peoples’ homes for private use was certainly misguided. But the solution is not to ban rent control, repeal environmental laws and make it impossible to provide clean drinking water.
Attend if you can.