By A.J. Hazarabedian
We posted an article in March about San Pablo and the city council’s hope to reinstate the power of eminent domain for 12 years.
In yesterday’s Mercury News there was a new article discussing the results of a recent city council meeting, where the San Pablo city council voted against “a series of ordinances and resolutions to amend redevelopment plans covering more than 90 percent of the city.” Among those ordinances was one to restore the city’s power of eminent domain for 12 years. The article, “San Pablo dumps eminent domain plans,” recounts the four month long public debate where residents argued against everything from blight surveys to power point presentations glorifying the accomplishments of past redevelopment projects.
The residents would not budge, and even threatened a recall. Per the article, residents were feeling betrayed by the city, calling eminent domain, “a cruel and brutal tool and accused the city of a secret agenda to kill working-class people’s American dream of homeownership to accommodate out-of-town developers’ vision of a gentrified San Pablo.”
At this point, residents can have some comfort in knowing that their efforts paid off (at least for now).