A new petition for signatures to put a new
ballot measure on February’s Primary election ballot may be coming to a store
front near you. The subject of
the proposed initiative- Eminent Domain. California Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced on
Friday that the proponents of the new initiative may begin collecting petition
signatures for their measure. The Attorney General has prepared the
legal title and summary which is required to appear on initiative petitions.
The Attorney General's official title and
summary for this measure is as follows: EMINENT DOMAIN. ACQUISITION OF OWNER-OCCUPIED RESIDENCE.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. This new law would prohibit state and local governments from using
eminent domain to acquire an owner-occupied residence, as defined, for
conveyance to a private person or business entity. The law would create
exceptions for public work or improvement, public health and safety protection,
and crime prevention. The
Summary of estimate of costs to taxpayers done by the Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance
say the measure would likely not have any significant fiscal impact on state or
local governments. The proponents for this measure, Christopher K.
McKenzie, Susan Smartt and Kenneth Willis, must collect the signatures of 694,354 registered voters –
the number equal to 8% of the total votes cast for governor in the 2006
gubernatorial election – in order to qualify the measure for the ballot. The
proponents have 150 days to circulate petitions for this measure, meaning the
signatures must be collected by December 3, 2007. The initiative proponents can be reached at (415) 389-6800.
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