GUEST COLUMN

John Sisker

There is no doubt in my mind that the Huntington Beach City Council is

going to reinstate eminent domain procedures for residential property

that they simply want to take.

In spite of the overwhelming opposition to this procedure during the

public comment session at the last City Council meeting, I felt such

concerns were totally falling upon deaf ears. From my experience in the

planning field, I know very well that such decisions by some politicians

are made long before anyone even has the opportunity to utter the first

word at any public comment session.

The input allowed by the public, either written or verbal, is naturally a

legal requirement, but in many situations is totally useless. This was

certainly the impression I came away with when our City Council members

started to put their own spin on the matter to justify their end results.

The concerns actually brought some people to tears and naturally so. For

three minutes, a living, breathing human being must condense his or her

entire life, feelings, and concerns to convince a City Council that has

apparently made up their collective minds beforehand to do otherwise.

That is why I seldom will limit myself to a three-minute public hearing

session that falls upon deaf ears when I can express myself in written

form in far more detail.

Likewise, the City council did receive late (written) communications far

in excess of any I have ever seen before in opposition to eminent domain.

The concerns today regard the redevelopment of the Downtown area.

However, as one person aptly and wisely pointed out, once this eminent

domain procedure takes hold and gets started anywhere within our city,

the taking of the next property anywhere by the city is just that much

easier. It seems, for the most part, the vast majority of those concerned

about the city taking their property through eminent domain, were

actually more than willing to participate in the redevelopment process

and upgrade their own property themselves. However, it seemingly looks

like the city is more intent on the taking of one person’s property

simply to give it to their major developer of choice.

Yet, even with the tearful reaction by the public at such apparent

underhanded and possibly illegal actions, the city was totally cold and

calculating in their response: that they do not “take” property -- “You

will be paid the fair market value for it.” To me, this city no longer

cares or even understands the citizens. Compassion has gone to profits.

The trick word here is apparently “blight.” By the city claiming

everything and anything is blight, the procedures are set for eminent

domain. Yet, to me, “blight” is simply a legal catch phrase that this

city is now using to their advantage. In reality, the property doesn’t

have to be a real blight, in the sense of rundown or decaying slums, but

must simply be classified as an economic blight.

In other words, they can make more money with your piece of property than

you can, so therefore they take it. Of course this is all justified by

claiming such “taking” is in the best interest of all citizens. After

all, money talks!

After the public had their say about why the City Council should not

reinstate eminent domain procedures, I have never heard such a crock of

backsliding spins by our City Council to justify their intended actions.

However, after all their rhetoric, one not only felt justified by them

putting a gun to out heads, but we now supposedly looked forward to them

pulling the trigger.

This brings me back to a recent meeting I had with former mayor Shirley

Dettloff, in which those attending with me were told that the residents

of Huntington Beach don’t have to worry because the city does not take

residential property through eminent domain. Yet, even though she did a

total 180-degree switch on her former promise, her new promise

mysteriously seems to justify her new cause.

With a mismatched, out-of-scale Downtown that looks like Frank Lloyd

Wright threw up, I feel we’re now living under a roller coaster at Coney

Island. Maybe the time has finally come for the people of Huntington

Beach to take back what’s left of our city, before these “barkers” cause

any more damage than they already have.

JOHN SISKER is a Huntington Beach resident.