Why Support Our People's Initiative?
Why so many initiatives on eminent domain?
Are you competing with McClintock's initiatives?

 

Why support our People’s Initiative?

It is the simple, single issue Initiative which provides: “No eminent domain for private gain.”

Our “people’s initiative” is an all volunteer, non-partisan, grassroots effort that brings together people from every political persuasion. Our initiative was written by people representing the full spectrum of political values from conservative to liberal. One proponent of our initiative is an active Republican and one is an active Democrat. We have set aside our partisan differences to focus on this one all-important issue of protecting our homes, businesses and places of worship from eminent domain seizures for private gain. With public opinion polls showing 80-90% of Californians opposed to the use of eminent domain for private profit in the Kelo v. New London Supreme Court decision, this is the one issue we can all get behind. Overwhelming public support for this one issue, and this one issue only, will end eminent domain abuse in California.

We call ourselves “The People’s Initiative” because we represent and base our campaign on a groundswell of support from ordinary Californians like you. We stand for a single-issuethat simply fixes the kind of abuse that has so outraged the nation in the Kelo decision. Our cause and our initiative is simply “no eminent domain for private gain.” Nothing has been added to attract funding from special interest groups to finance a paid signature gathering effort. We are not playing politics and using the public’s passion for eminent domain reform to further other political or economic agendas. We are using the initiative process in the way it was intended – to give voters a voice and a vote when the courts and our legislative process fails us.

This isn’t about politics, it’s about people. In her testimony at the Supreme Court, Suzette Kelo says it best: This battle against eminent domain abuse may have started as a way to save my little pink cottage, but it has rightfully grown into something much larger – the fight to restore the American Dream and the sacredness and security of each one of our homes.

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Why so many initiatives on eminent domain?

Because the other initiatives have included other partisan issues. We filed a separate initiative that was written by Democrats and Republicans to be a nonpartisan proposal for the single issue of eminent domain reform: No Eminent Domain for economic gain.

The McClintock/Jarvis Taypayer Association Initiatives have made the decision to join eminent domain reform with other partisan issues of ending rent control and limiting regulations (such as environmental regulations) on land use. This strategy brings financial support from various lobbyist groups to fund a paid initiative drive, but these additional issues do not bring the kind of broad, nonpartisan support for eminent domain reform that has galvanized public opinion across political lines. They risk losing the majority of voters needed to pass our single most important issue: eminent domain reform: No eminent domain for economic gain.

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Are you competing with the McClintock initiatives?

There is room for all our parallel efforts.

If more than one Initiative makes it to the ballot, many people may decide to support more than one. Having a variety of opinions is what democracy is all about.

We are asking everyone to PLEASE give your strong support the People’s Initiative to Limit Eminent Domain, regardless of your support for other initiatives. Our People’s Initiative offers an opportunity for all Californians, regardless of where they are on the political spectrum, to vote their conscience.

We must face some political realities in California. All of us, regardless of party, appreciate Republican Senator McClintock’s outspoken and passionate support for eminent domain reform. In like fashion, we all appreciate Democrat U.S. Representative Maxine Waters for carrying the eminent domain reform battle to the U.S. Congress. Eminent domain reform is too important an issue to put all our hopes on any single political party, or to let the issue become divided between liberals and conservatives. Winning this battle against entrenched special interests will be difficult enough without dividing our base of support. Our foes can’t wait for liberals and conservatives to be at each other’s throats, making it impossible for any of our initiatives to be successful.

Is partisan politics more important than winning the battle against eminent domain abuse? In the final analysis, our nonpartisan, single-issue initiative may be the only one that can win in a statewide election.

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