Eminent domain debate not over yet
Critics say council was weak
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

While downtown residents were celebrating a victory last week as city leaders rejected a proposed eminent domain amendment, some Moorpark residents reprimanded officials for caving in to pressure.

The amendment would have enabled the redevelopment agency to acquire private properties to revitalize downtown Moorpark.

"People were reacting to misinformation. The amendment had nothing to do with homes, it wasn't intended to affect residential properties," said Robert Peskay, a Moorpark Planning Commissioner, adding that eminent domain is a useful tool that should be available to redevelopment agencies.

"The unanimous vote not to reinstate the agency's eminent domain authority was appalling," said former City Councilmember Clint Harper. The council was "gutless" said Harper in an e-mail to Councilmember Roseann Mikos.

They bowed down to "a bunch of uninformed sheep lead by a few demagogues," he said.

Mikos countered that she voted to bring about trust and begin a bigger dialogue with downtown residents.

However, she said, residents should know there maybe risks associated with the rejection of Amendment No. 2. "Some unknown future council could resurrect the eminent domain proposal and include homes in the plan," said Mikos.

Councilmember Janice Parvin, who opposes the use of eminent domain for redevelopment, said city leaders made the right decision.

The blight report that was created to justify the need for eminent domain authority had many flaws. Irregularly shaped parcels and cracks in stucco homes should not be considered as signs of blight.

Other concerns, like inoperable and unregistered vehicles, should have been addressed by the city's code compliance department, she said.

Last week's vote enables the redevelopment agency to take a new direction.

Parvin also encouraged residents to stay involved with the redevelopment efforts. "If 20 percent of the people who showed up at the meeting get involved to help improve their neighborhoods, Moorpark could set a model for other communities," she said.

Working together

"We've been dying for a few years, we were sick thinking we were going to die, but now we're reborn and it's a new beginning," said Teresa Cortes, one of the leaders in the movement to oppose the eminent domain amendment.

Now that eminent domain is off the table, local residents have the responsibility to resolve community problems together, said Cortes.

She proposes to create a nonprofit coalition to help residents obtain funds from state and federal grants to rehabilitate their homes.

"This is in conjunction with what the city is doing." The grants could help people who don't qualify for the city rehabilitation loan program, she said.

Cortes also hopes to unite the community and involve all Moorpark residents in the dialogue.

Now members of the community are walking with a bounce in their step as if the city council reaffirmed that we are a vital part of this community," said Pam Castro, a downtown resident who runs the First 5 program on High Street.

"The council couldn't have done a smarter thing," said Castro. "We needed to see some kind of restoration to trust city leaders and assurance that residents have property rights," she said.

The subject of eminent domain invoked much passion because it erodes a foundational American right, which is to own property.

Castro, along with Cortes and another core group of downtown residents met earlier this week to discuss the renaissance of downtown Moorpark.

While people got used to looking to government for assistance, the group aims to encourage mutual assistance among neighbors, Castro said.

The group may organize volunteer efforts, raise funds and seek corporate sponsors to assist residents that need and want assistance.

"We'll buy the bucket of paint, but they get to choose the color," said Castro.