In a press release last week, Dr. Sam Wakim, county chairman of the Siskiyou GOP, declared the proposed county ordinance "a vital response to the Justices on the Supreme Court who ruled in the most irresponsible way against the homeowners in the City of New London, Connecticut."
Referring to the Supreme Court's Kelo v. City of New London ruling three weeks ago, Wakim said, "All our rights granted to us in the Constitution by our Founding Fathers stem from Divine Authority: That an individual's private property is sacrosanct and cannot be taken away. It is the source of all our other freedoms including the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion and the right to bear arms."
Leo Bergeron, Master of the Greenhorn Grange, has submitted a proposal to the County Board of Supervisors to enact an ordinance that would protect the citizens of Siskiyou County from seizure by eminent domain. It is scheduled to be on the supervisors' agenda August 9th in Yreka.
The Grange proposal specifies that government may use its eminent domain power to seize land only for public use and only upon an independent judicial determination. If the property taken ceases to be used for public use, the former property owner, beneficiary or an heir would have the right to reclaim it.
Assemblymember Doug LaMalfa has introduced a similar measure, a constitutional amendment known as ACA 22, which would protect all Californians from seizure by eminent domain.
Wakim said the Republican Central Committee also endorsed LaMalfa's constitutional amendment
"This ruling affects all Americans, from our rural areas to the inner cities," said Wakim. "I have invited several organizations including, in the spirit of bipartisanship, the Democrats of Siskiyou County, to join us in this issue that is critical to all the freedoms we cherish."
Mt Shasta News: www.mtshastanews.com
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