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Hundreds Of Property Seizures Due To California Rail (That May Not Be Built)
Artist’s conception of what rail would look like.
The biggest seizure of private property by eminent domain in decades in the United States has started in California. The state is planning to take hundreds of properties — most of them in rural areas and small towns — to get land to build a high speed rail system which would connect San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The California High Speed Rail Authority has begun seizing properties even though legal challenges could still derail the project.
The State Public Works Board voted to let the Rail Authority seize a commercial building in Fresno in December. That decision gives the authority the green light to use eminent domain to get the properties it needs for the first segment of the rail system. It also puts a cloud over thousands of property owners in the San Joaquin Valley, a mostly rural agricultural region in Central California.
Property Owners Frustrated And Worried
“Everybody is scared of the state of California coming to your house and saying we’re going to take this, we’re going to take your parking lot or your business, and they don’t know what to do,” said Frank Olivera, the cochairman of Citizens for High Speed Rail Accountability, a group opposed to the rail project.
Source: http://www.offthegridnews.com/2013/12/28/hundreds-of-property-seizures-due-to-california-rail-that-may-not-be-built/
