Eminent domain, which is on the California ballot as Proposition 90, will be extremely detrimental for Californians. I believe the proposition to be a double-edged sword. Voters need to ensure that the government can decide when to take land or buy houses for the purpose of eminent domain.
The new proposition of eminent domain, if it passes, will require the government to pay property owners for substantial economic losses of property. Also, it will limit the government’s power to take private property. The only time when these rules would not apply is when it protects public health, is under a state of emergency or is part of a regulation by California Public Utilities Commission.
With these new limits, it should be easier for California voters to accept eminent domain. A story published on the Web site for MSNBC mentioned how in Stillwater, Okla., a university (which was previously named Agricultural and Mechanical College) had bought several homes so that it could build an athletic complex. The college paid the homeowners above market value and also paid the homeowners $300 for each year they lived there. But the project is on hold because one homeowner refuses to sell.
The homeowner, Kevin McCloskey, filed against it because he believes the Board of Regents didn’t follow the requirement that at least five members of the board must be farmers. I believe this dispute should be settled because I the college should be able to expand or build something that the school may need.
If our college needed to expand or build a new building that would benefit the student body, homeowners and voters should decide if it’s worth it to sell their homes for their future students.
Let’s face it, it seems that almost every year, there is a school, college or university that is too overcrowded and doesn’t have the buildings for students to use as labs or classes. There’s also a concern about dorms not having enough rooms for everyone and the lack of affordable apartments.
Also, a major pain for students is parking. With more student body coming from home or apartments, we’re running out of parking spaces. Students and voters need to decide what is important and if it is worth it for the university to buy homes or land to expand certain schools to benefit the student body. I believe as long as eminent domain benefits a school, hospital or some organization, then it is something worth considering.
Vote no on Proposition 90. Schools like ours could benefit from it someday.
Julie Sparkhul is a junior journalism major and the calendar editor for the Daily Forty-Niner.
