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EMINENT DOMAIN from page 1....... New State Legislative Proposals Three democratic legislators have introduced new proposals, following a series of combined Senate and Assembly policy committee oversight hearings late last year that examined both eminent domain and the practice of redevelopment in Califor- nia. The bulk of the testimony at the oversight hearings from attorneys knowledgeable about the decision and the California laws governing the use of eminent domain concluded that, media reports to the contrary, the Kelo decision did not grant new powers to California public agencies regarding the use of eminent domain. Nevertheless, measures intended to alter California's eminent domain laws and/or the laws governing redevelopment agencies have been introduced by Sen. Tom Toriakson, Senate Dem<r cratic Caucus Chair and the former chair of the Senate Local Government Committee; Sen. Chris- tine Kehoe. Chair of Senate local Government Committee; and Assemblymember Gene Mullin, Chair of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee. The League urges city attorneys to carefully review these measures in light of the potential impacts they pose to city redevelopment plans. Assembly Housing and Community Develop- ment Committee Chair Gene Mullin has deleted the content of two of his former housing bills, and amended them to address redevelopment. These are: AS 773 (Mullin). This bill extends the time to file a referenda petition for redevelopment projects to 90 days in all cities and counties. It also sets the number of valid signatures is 10 percent of the number of voters in the last gubernatorial election. Currently, these requirements only apply in cities in counties with a population that exceeds 500,000. AS 782 (Mullin). This bill would eliminate as one finding in the determination of "blight," the finding that a project area includes subdivided lots in multiple Continued on Page 6 SA Page 19 NLC TO SEEK 'AWARDS FOR MUNICIPAL EXCELLENCE' NOMINATIONS Coming next month: your city's opportunity to compete for an Award for Municipal Excellence! Given through a partnership between the National League of Cities (NLC) and CH2M HILL, the Awards for Municipal Excellence recognize outstanding programs that have improved the quality of life in America's communities. Formerly known as the James C. Howland Awards for Municipal Enrichment, the awards honor a range of population sizes, with two awards in each population category. Nominated programs will be judged on several criteria, including: successful public-private partnership ventures; productive citizen and community collaborations; effective management of municipal resources (public or private); innova- tive government policies; project implementation with tangible results; and the ability to replicate the project in other cities. Nomination forms will be available in March and the deadline for submission is June 21. Up to eight winners will be nationally recognized at a ceremony at NLC's Congress of Cities Confer- ence and Exposition in Reno, Nev., in December. Visit www.nlc.ora for information about the Awards program, nomination forms and to learn about past Award winners. If you have any ques- tions, send an e-mail to mrs@nlc.orQ or call (202) 626-3130. LEAGUE LIBRARY IS LOOKING FOR TRIVIA Do you have interesting or humorous factoids about California cities, the state or other local government "humor?" Share it with the League! Please email your trivia to Lorraine Okabe at lokabe@cacities.org. PAGE 4 - PRIORITY FOCUS February 3, 2006 . Issue '5 Visit the League's Official Website--www.cacities.org ., ,. ....... ,,--, ... ""~-"'~'-'-" .,-----.,--.---...,.,--------.."