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| Title and Summary | Analysis | Arguments and Rebuttals | Text of Proposed Law |
PROP |
EMINENT DOMAIN. LIMITS ON GOVERNMENT ACQUISITION OF OWNER-OCCUPIED RESIDENCE. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. |
| ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF PROPOSITION 99 |
ARGUMENT AGAINST PROPOSITION 99 |
YES on PROP. 99. Real Eminent Domain Reform—No Hidden Agendas We need to act now to PROTECT HOMEOWNERS. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that government can use eminent domain to take a person’s home and give it to a private developer. Since then, more than 40 states have reformed their eminent domain laws, but California has failed to act. We need to act now to close this legal loophole created by the Supreme Court decision and to protect California homeowners from abuses of eminent domain. Prop. 99 is the straightforward solution we need to PROTECT AGAINST EMINENT DOMAIN ABUSES. Prop. 99 provides simple, powerful eminent domain reform.
Homeowner, community, and senior groups have united to support this critical reform. “As an official proponent of Prop. 99, I urge all Californians to vote YES. Prop. 99 provides urgently needed eminent domain reform to protect homeowners across California.” “The League of Women Voters of California has carefully examined Prop. 99. This is a straightforward measure that does what it says: prohibits the seizure of homes for private development projects.’’ “Prop. 99 ensures that seniors and other vulnerable citizens are protected from losing their homes to a private developer.’’ ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES: Prop. 99 is the only real eminent domain reform on the ballot. Other measures may pretend to reform eminent domain, but Prop. 99 is the best way to protect homeowners and prevent future abuses. Prop. 99 is straightforward and strong. It protects our homes from eminent domain abuse. Pure and simple. No hidden agendas. Vote YES to Protect California’s Homeowners. Vote YES on Prop. 99. KEN WILLIS, President REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF PROPOSITION 99 According to California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office Proposition 99 “is not likely to significantly alter current government land acquisition practices.’’ Meaning: “Proposition 99 does nothing.’’ Yet the politicians and developers spent $4,000,000.00+ to put Prop. 99 on the ballot, when it does almost nothing! Why? Because they filed 99 only after homeowners, family farmers, and small business owners filed Proposition 98. The politicians and developers don’t want you to vote Yes on 98, so they are trying to trick you into voting for “do-nothing’’ Proposition 99 instead. Prop. 99 took out every protection for farmers, small businesses, rented homes. Read Prop. 99 in this Voter Guide. Small businesses? Family Farmers? Renters? Places of Worship? All gone. But homeowners? 99 looks like it protects homeowners. Again the nonpartisan analysis: Proposition 99 “is not likely to significantly alter current government land acquisition practices.’’ Meaning 99 protects virtually nothing. Homeowners have virtually no protection under 99. Worst yet! If 99 gets more votes than 98—EVEN IF PROPOSITION 98 GETS A MAJORITY—99 kills ALL the Proposition 98 protections for everyone, INCLUDING HOMEOWNERS! Read it yourself in Proposition 99, SECTION 9, in this Guide. Stick together, protect everyone, not just the few. That’s fair. Vote Yes on 98. Vote No on 99. The politicians and developers who paid $4,000,000.00+ to put 99 on your ballot are trying an old election trick. They did not trick us back when we passed Proposition 13; don’t let them trick you now! Visit YesProp98.com. No on 99! JON COUPAL, President |
The State of California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, says that Proposition 99 “is not likely to significantly alter current government land acquisition practices.” In everyday language: “Proposition 99 does nothing.’’ So why did the politicians and developers spend $4,000,000.00+ to put Prop. 99 on the ballot, when it does almost nothing? They filed Proposition 99 and spent $4 million+ on it, only after homeowners, family farmers, and small business owners filed Proposition 98. Proposition 98 protects ALL private property in California. Proposition 99 protects virtually nothing. The politicians and developers don’t want you to vote Yes on 98, so they are trying to trick you into voting for “do-nothing’’ Proposition 99 instead. In past elections, you have seen powerful special interests use this trick to try to defeat popular ballot propositions. Two propositions on the same subject matter can confuse voters. The politicians who are against Proposition 98 tried the same trick years ago when they opposed Proposition 13. They put on a weak, do-nothing Proposition hoping to trick voters into being against Prop. 13! Well the old game of “let’s trick the voter’’ is back—brought to you, this time, by the very politicians and developers who seize homes, small businesses, family farms, and places of worship from owners who don’t want to sell and turn them into car dealerships, chain stores, and the like. In 99 they took out every protection for farmers, small businesses, second homes, and rented homes. Read Prop. 99 carefully in this Voter Guide. Small businesses? Family Farmers? Renters? Places of Worship? All gone. No protection whatsoever. But homeowners? 99 looks like it protects homeowners. But the devil is in the details. Under 99 they can easily seize your home. Read 99, it says houses can be taken “under certain circumstances.’’ And these “certain circumstances’’ are many! In the end, homeowners have virtually no protection under 99. Read again the nonpartisan analysis: Proposition 99 “is not likely to significantly alter current government land acquisition practices.” This means 99 protects virtually nothing. But it gets even worse! The politicians and developers added that if 99 gets more votes than Proposition 98—EVEN IF PROPOSITION 98 GETS A MAJORITY—99 kills all the protections in Proposition 98 for everyone, INCLUDING HOMEOWNERS! REALLY! If you don’t believe us, read it for yourself in SECTION 9 of Proposition 99 in this Voter Guide. Renters, small business owners, homeowners, religious congregations, family farmers . . . none of us want to see our homes and property bulldozed. Let’s stick together, protect everyone, not just the few. It is only fair. Vote Yes on 98. Remember, only Prop. 98 protects all private property in California, Prop. 99 protects virtually nothing. Vote No on Proposition 99, the politicians and developers who paid $4,000,000.00+ to put it on your ballot are trying to pull off an old election trick. They did not trick us back when we passed Proposition 13; don’t let them trick you now! Visit YesProp98.com. No on 99! JON COUPAL, President REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT AGAINST PROPOSITION 99 The people opposing Proposition 99 are the same apartment and mobile home park owners who want to trick you into passing Proposition 98—the flawed measure on this ballot that’s a bait and switch scheme by wealthy landlords to abolish rent control and other renter protections. While Prop. 98 is full of hidden agendas, Prop. 99 is straightforward and powerful eminent domain reform: it stops the government from taking homes to transfer to a private developer. California’s independent nonpartisan Legislative Analyst writes: Prop. 99 “prohibits government from using eminent domain to acquire a home . . .’’ The State Attorney General reviewed Proposition 99 and in the official summary writes: Prop. 99 “Bars state and local governments from using eminent domain to acquire an owner-occupied residence . . .’’ And the League of Women Voters of California says: “This is a straightforward measure that does what it says: prohibits the seizure of homes for private development projects.’’ LEADING CALIFORNIA ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORT PROP. 99, including:
Proposition 99 is the only measure on this ballot that contains pure eminent domain reform, with no hidden provisions written to benefit special interest sponsors. Prop. 99 would stop government from taking homes to give to a private developer. No hidden agendas. No costly and damaging consequences. Vote Yes on Prop. 99—Protect California Homeowners. JANIS R. HIROHAMA, President |
Arguments printed on this page are the opinions of the authors and have not been checked for accuracy by any official agency.
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