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October 29, 2006
Taking 'Takings' to the Voters: The California, Idaho, Arizona, and Washington initiatives.
The Weekly Standard
Save a wetland, get a bulding permit! Enviro organizations should really consider that as their new premium. Does anyone really need another miniature plush spotted owl?
But the hypocrisy of this tactic was recently exposed by Steven Greenhut of the Orange County Register. He reported that the California Public Securities Association--a group of financiers and attorneys, much of whose business consists of providing services to local governments--has donated $400,000 to California's "Vote No on Prop. 90" campaign. Similarly, Forest City Residential, a Cleveland-headquartered real estate company with many building projects in California, has contributed $250,000 to the "no" campaign. These businesses are big enough to absorb the costs of complying with wetlands and other land-use regulations. What they want most is a good relationship with local authorities so that they can obtain speedy variances and building permits for their mega-projects. "Their support is motivated by business, not ideological reasons," says David Gilliard, spokesperson for the "Protect Our Homes" or "Yes on 90" coalition. "This is simply Big Business's attempt at pay-to-play." No developer has made donations anywhere near this large to the pro-initiative side, he notes.
Posted by amy at October 29, 2006 10:53 AM