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May, 200~; ~
<br />Dear ~eil;;hbors in neariUC Riverside (includin¢ the U~iversity Neighborhood Assn. area):
<br /> in t. he past. l've har~ded Out flyers ~{~ warn ,m~ area s resideHs when something bad was
<br />ab{mt ~,~ happq~ to our neighborhood~ like a propo ~e~ freeway route along the base of the }/ox
<br />Sprim~,; M(mnmins ~d the loss of parkland. I hopelyou will read th:is flyer, because now, we
<br />are fitcint~ another critical issue, and we need to Ee informed and 'work together again.
<br />
<br />Otlr Single Family Homes Are At Risk Of
<br /> Being Taken By Eminent Domain.
<br />
<br />What is Eminent Domain?
<br /> tt used to be that the government could only take your property fora public purpose, like
<br />to buiild a freeway or a school. Slowly but surely, th~ power of"-'redeVelo,p, ment" ,,was used to let
<br />governments tak.~ property not to put in a public fitctlity, but to get rid o£' blight, ' which was
<br />considere~t to be bombed-out, nm-down, inner city ~ reas.
<br />
<br /> l'his concept then changed again, to allow '%
<br />economically unproductive - sc, orange groves couk
<br />more sate:-; tax money by putting in a Costco instead
<br />city used tt~e power of eminent ,domain to take a chu
<br />So. n,t)~ governments are using the power of emine~
<br />
<br />light" to be defined as anything that w as
<br /> be declared "blight" if a city could make
<br />· Things came to a head when a Calif(~rnia
<br />cch so it could put in a big box store instead.
<br />,t domain to take private property and .give it;
<br />
<br />so~nelimes ibc as little as a dollar, to private busines:;es for the business's profit. That's been
<br />} ....... ;' ~ h.'-rc ~iverside, too -- r,,~ o~.~,,,~ ~h~ '~4a~n ~m-;ly'~ business property ,va< t~ken
<br />by the
<br /> ,_ ~ty and then sold tbr a qoll~ to a developer, who then put in crowded, ugly houses at thc
<br />corner 0~' Mark,.~t and First Street
<br />
<br /> ~ tc t~dc ~.¢ begmmng to turn agmnst ~s abuse et government power ~d ~nterference
<br />with private prop,:ny fights. %re Michigan Suprem,~ Co~just held that using eminent domain
<br />to take private prope~y tut another private pu¢ose Is ~constitutional ~d (;al ifomia's definition
<br />cf"bii-i,~,:,. ~hat al' lowe ,d orange groves to be declare{~ "blight" w&$ finally, tightened up.
<br />
<br /> But at lhis very moment, redevelopment f,~rces are trying yet again to redefine
<br />blight in a wa),~ that puts OUR homes here near I ~CR at risk of being taken~,b~.e_?inent
<br />domain. Homeowners around Riverside Communi~ College, who we~~~ aware of
<br />this risk. have already banded together to fight tills; we need to do so, too.
<br />
<br /> Senate Bill 521 would define blight as an~i"low densi~' use. Our single family
<br />nom~ 3E~_~ow dens~ use._ What makes th~st~ally sc~y ~s that low density uses near
<br />'"Frar~: i~ X"illa~c Districts'' can be taken by the Git;, py eminent domain, to be used tbr higt~
<br />dcnsi~, ~.~scs~ [iLc -- surprise- ap~ments lbr stude~i~ housing, and the kinds of businesses lhat
<br />w(,ui,:l ca, er tc~ ?tudents. Is there a "transit village district" planned ibc our area'? Think
<br />Mctroti~k. q'hi~k about what I]~CR calls its new, b~[ p~king lots on Martin Luther King Blvd.
<br />W,m?.,:~ ~h,., ('¢t5 (t,~ lhal to us? Yesf Recall its plan lb use Islander Park fi~r fill dirt fbr
<br />
<br /> Please join me in protecting our area ]again. There's a lei we can do right
<br />now ~o stol} iris plan in its trac~. To find (mt what you can do, TURN THIS
<br />FI,YER OVER. See bulletin hd. at htt~://d=lsc.se~er, com/Indices/197310.html
<br />
<br /> 'rhanh' you~ Lefitia Pepper; 503 Hi~lanffer Drive, 92507, 781-8883
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