Political Action Committee Speaks Out On State Propositions

Sonora, CA — When it came to recommendations for statewide Propositions 98 and 99 respectively in Tuesday´s Primary Election, the Political Action Committee ended discussions with a split vote.

The Committee voted “no” on Prop. 98 with a “no-support” recommendation on Prop. 99.

Prop. 98 would bar state and local governments from taking or damaging private property for private uses. It would prohibit rent control and similar measures and eliminate deference to government in property rights cases. The fiscal impact; increased costs to many governments due to the measure´s restrictions but the net statewide fiscal effect would probably not be significant.

Chamber President George Segarini stated the Committee voted “no” because some of the language that is used could be harmful to future development of water availability. Segarini added that “the language scared us enough to say we don´t want to deal with this in the future … this issue will probably end up in the courts.”

Prop. 99 would bar use of eminent domain to acquire an owner-occupied residence for conveyance to a private person or business entity. It would also create exceptions for public works, public health and safety and crime prevention. There would be no significant fiscal impact for either local or state government.

Segarini commented, “Both propositions have good and bad language … the bad just seems to outweigh the good. We just couldn´t come to a conclusion on Prop. 99 so we are not supporting it.”

Written by Bill Johnson