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<br />8A <br />Page 2 <br /> <br />'Homeowners Protection' Continued from Page 1... <br /> <br />last session, the California legislature failed to approve an eminent domain reform amendment <br />due to the objections of special interests that are fielding a deceptive initiative for the June 2008 <br />ballot. As a result, the people will need to take matters into their own hands to achieve this goal, <br />and the league of California Cities strongly supports the Homeowners Protection Act, an <br />initiative that provides honest, straightforward eminent domain reform. <br /> <br />Members of the league of California Cities' board of directors are actively involved in gathering <br />signatures on their personal time to qualify the Homeowners Protection Act for the June 2008 <br />ballot, and I urge you to join the board in its efforts. <br /> <br />The Homeowners Protection Act will prohibit state and local governments from using eminent <br />domain to take a home to transfer it to a private developer. Unlike a competing, deceptive <br />measure called the California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act (CPOFPA), the <br />Homeowners Protection Act does not apply to water or other public works projects. <br /> <br />CPOFPA is supported by a group of landlords and other special interests, and it is riddled with <br />hidden agendas. Its sponsors want you to believe that CPOFPA is about eminent domain when <br />it's actually a cynical attempt to abolish local land use regulations, environmental protections, rent <br />control and affordable housing laws and other renter protections, and to obstruct future water <br />projects. <br /> <br />The Homeowners Protection Act is the real eminent domain reform initiative measure <br />supported by the league and a broad coalition of homeowners, labor, business, local government <br />groups, seniors and environmentalists. The league is requesting everyone's help to put this <br />measure on the ballot. <br /> <br />Please contact your league regional public affairs manager (look yours up at <br />www.cacities.orq/leqresources) to volunteer to help with signature gathering. It will help qualify <br />the Homeowners Protection Act and stop the phony reform initiative. <br /> <br />Remember to follow the strict laws that prohibit the use of public funds for such activities. For <br />some helpful guidelines, see "Working on a Ballot Measure Campaign: Important Do's and Don'ts <br />for City Officials and City Employees," on Page 3. <br /> <br />Chris McKenzie is the executive director of the League of California Cities. <br /> <br />'City Officials Join Protest' Continued from Page 1... <br /> <br /> <br />Just like Prop. 90, supporters of CPOFPA are using <br />eminent domain as a "trojan horse" to enact drastic <br />changes to abolish rent control, affordable housing <br />laws and other renter protections. CPOFPA also <br />contains poorly drafted provisions that could stop <br />future water projects, destroy local land-use <br />planning and erode environmental protections. <br /> <br />The protest and accompanying news conference <br />was held at AOAC's convention at the los Angeles <br />Convention Center. Inside, apartment owners were <br />discussing campaign plans to pass the measure. <br /> <br />The protest outside had a noticeable impact on local media. The army of local officials and angry <br />seniors and tenant advocates armed with homemade picket signs attracted news coverage from <br />locallos Angeles TV, radio and print media outlets including: <br /> <br />. Univision <br />. KFWB Radio <br />. Downtown News (weekly newspaper) <br />· Hoy (Spanish newspaper) <br /> <br />2 <br />