A California lawmaker is backing an effort to protect homeowners and small businesses from eminent domain actions. A 2005 Supreme Court ruling made it legal for a local government to take possession of private property and turn it over to a private company redeveloping an area.
Los Angeles area Assemblyman Hector De La Torre says this legislation was created in direct response to that ruling. The measure is one of several eminent domain reforms that could end up on the ballot. De La Torre says this one is being drafted in full public view.
De La Torre : All those other groups are doing their own thing, you know, obviously it reflects their viewpoint and not the collective viewpoint that a legislative proposal can give you.
The De La Torre proposals have the support of homeowner's groups, the California Small Business Administration, and the state's building and construction trades council.
