Kelo and Grand Terrace... When will ED REFORM Be on the AGENDA

This Saturday, June 23, 2007, marks the second anniversary of theKelo ruling.

The backlash against the Kelo ruling was swift and nearly unanimous. Public opinion polls consistently show that more than 80 percent of Americans disapprove of using eminent domain for private gain,as is going on in National City. (Or threatened in Grand Terrace)

Already 41 states, including California,have reformed their statutes to some degree to afford property ownersgreater protection against the wrongful seizure of their property. The two state supreme courts that have squarely considered the Kelo question unequivocally rejected the use of eminent domain for economic development.

The California Supreme Court has not taken a case in three decades addressing statutory and constitutional limitations on redevelopment. Withso many Californians, many of them economically disadvantaged and minority,facing gross eminent domain abuse, the time is ripe for the California Supreme Court to consider this important issue and rein in this awesomepower of government.

# # #Christina WalshCastle Coalition Coordinator