Last year California was one of the states targeted by libertarians in the post-Kelo environment for an initiative that, if successful, would essentially outlaw takings. The country is still at near-fever pitch about eminent domain, but the really scary aspect of the legislation (modeled on Oregon's Prop 37) was that it would have virtually tied local governments' hands with regard to regulatory takings as well. In California Proposition 90 failed to pass after the New York developer who was financing the campaign stopped funding it. However, the Yes campaign had created some strange bedfellows, with poor African-Americans in particular advocating Yes votes as a way to end the destruction of their neighborhoods through badly managed redevelopment initiatives.
Well, they're trying again. This time, the stated goal of the initiative backers is to remove the vestiges of rent control that are still legal in California. However, they won't stop there - the Reason Foundation and their confederates seek nothing less than to immobilize government by making it illegal to enact any law that puts any legal person (that includes, recall, corporations) in a worse economic position than they were previously. No rezoning. No inclusionary zoning. No taking health impacts into account when making land use decisions. No congestion pricing. The list goes on.
Gird up. It's going to be a long battle.
Comments
Revoke their 501(c)(3) status?
Perhaps a proper girding up would be serious concerted, legal based efforts to revoke Reason and cohort's 501(c)(3) status.
Another tactic would employ some sort of gimmick, say, create a colorful puppet - Hire a lovable, hug-able avatar (re: Drew Carey)...
Michael Cote
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Student, Environmental Design-Urban Studies
Whatever you do
Don't have a serious discussion about the proper role for government! Just do whatever you can to silence those who think differently...
Have a serious discussion on eliminating zoning. By all means.
Just do whatever you can to silence those who think differently...
When I worked on WA's I-933 campaign, I found that when small l ideas were made more clear, resistance to eliminating zoning increased. Of course, I-933 was handily defeated because folks weren't hoodwinked like our southern neighbors were.
So I call for _more_ discussion of the implications of these schemes. I'd enjoy looking at another 2:1 defeat like in Mat-Su, Idaho, etc. Bring it on!
Best,
D
M37
I sincerely hope that everyone is paying attention to the chaos Measure 37, and its "fix" M47, are creating in Oregon. It can be argued that any kind of long range planning at the county level is pretty much an exercise in futility. And believe me the front line of these types of land use measures is the county and not the city planning counter. The problem is compounded by the fact that most counties are not well funded and the ability to address the public and elected officials post-election issues can sometimes be marginal at best.