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An incestuous circle
3/28/2008
(Excerpted from a piece by Leo Sears)
Property rights reforms have been enacted by 41 states since Kelso v. City of New London declared that “public use” can be whatever states want it to be -- including private developments designed to expand the tax base.
But municipal governments led by the California Redevelopment Association (comprised of over 346 redevelopment agencies and 289 private sector companies such as financial institutions, redevelopment consultants, developers and law firms that are involved in the redevelopment process) and other entrenched special interests have been successful in blocking reform in California.
The proponents of last year's eminent domain reform (the narrowly defeated Proposition 90) were outspent $13 million to $4 million.
The Prop. 98 proponents of true reform are fighting back with complaints filed with California's Fair Political Practices Commission. And AB1992, introduced by Assemblyman Chuck Devore, would prohibit public agency associations from using anonymous campaign accounts.
The legislation is in response to public complaints that the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties and the California Redevelopment Association are using so-called “non-public fund” accounts (that don't disclose their sources of revenue) to support Prop. 99 and opposition to Prop 98.
”It's a convenient way to create a political slush fund that should be illegal if it isn't already,” reported the Long Beach Press Telegram.
”Governments use of tax dollars to lobby for more tax dollars, or, in this case, to stop efforts to halt their anti-property-rights policies,” is, in the words of U.S. Rep. John Campbell, “an incestuous circle.”
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