I want to thank the readers of my blog which until now has been dedicated to the issue of Eminent Domain because of the proposed Lynwood Promenade/Power Center project.  The scope of Perspective on Lynwood as of today will change to include the news from the City Hall Council Chambers. 

As many of you know I frequently speak at Council Meetings on Agenda items.  Most of these items involve money;  Either the inept and inappropriate spending of our tax dollars or the increase in fines and fees.  From this point forward, I will post my comments directed to the Council.

Citizens and reporters know that currently there is a recall in progress to recall Council Members Leticia Vasquez, Alfreddie Johnson, Fernando Pedroza, and Louis Byrd.  Progress and updates on the recall will be posted here.

The reasons for the broadening perspective of this blog are:  

    1)  The unjust, deconstructionist approach to the City Code applied
         by the Council to achieve their personal agenda, not the good of 
         the community.

    2)  The lack of moral conviction of the Council Members that the 
         position of Council Member is that of Civil Service to the 
         community, not a position to lord over and disrespect the
         residents. 

    3)  The identified corruption by the Los Angeles County District
         Attorney's Public Integrity Division.

I will not stop blogging on the Lynwood Promenade/Power Center and eminent domain issues.  We must not let our guard down on the Promenade/Power Center.

 Lynwood Resident Meeting

Sunday November 19, 2006

3:30 p.m.

Ace Hardware
11144 Atlantic Ave.
Lynwood, CA

Topic: The proposed Lynwood Promenade and NFL Stadium that will take up to 1000 households, 200 businesses, 3 schools and school support buildings, and 3 churches.

Resident Meeting

Sunday, November 19, 2006
3:30 p.m.
Ace Hardware
11144 Atlantic Ave.
Lynwood, CA

In the dissenting opinion for Kelo v. New London, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote:

Any property may now be taken for the benefit of another private party, but the fallout from this decision will not be random.  The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms.  As for the victims, the government now has license to transfer property from those with fewer resources to those with more.

Lynwood is a small city southeast of Los Angeles.  Of the 14,432 households, 7,006 or 48.54% of the households make under $35,000.  John McDonald and Imperial Partners, LLP, who want to take 1000 houses from low and middle income people for a football stadium, are truly taking advantage of those who have few resources.

Justice O'Connor was correct.

Saturday October 28, 2006.  I should have known it was going to be a bad day.

After I put out my USC Trojan banner for game day, my neighbor Jose came over and asked me if I knew about a community meeting on Monday.  He told me that the City Council wanted to take our homes to build a NFL Football Stadium and shopping center.  I was in shock.  Kelo v. New London had not only come to Lynwood, but had come to me. 

Jose did not know about Kelo.  I filled him in on the grim details of the Supreme Court decision that allows the government to take our private property and give it to a private developer.  I promised that I would do some research to see what we could do.

I got more details on the Kelo decision.  I found the Nancy Pelosi Press Conference when she was asked about Kelo.  After bumbling and demonstrating that she needs an 8th Grade Civics course covering separation of powers (and church and state) the questions and answers on Kelo continued: