Free Republic

CONAWAY RANCH is a 17,300-acre spread north of Davis. On property that sidles up to I-5 and provides a fine view of the Sacramento skyline, owners grow rice and alfalfa, boast rights to 50,000 acre-feet of water and extract natural gas. The gray sky and Sierra runoff are home to countless birds -- ducks, egrets and hawks -- some of which the owners hunt. Yolo County wants the land. In 2004, county supervisors voted to seize the ranch by eminent domain. "We want to keep it from being developed," explained Supervisor Mike McGowan. The owners are fighting back, and they're...

Saying he questions a sovereign Indian tribe’s role in a local government process, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger late on Friday vetoed the bill that would have made the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians an official partner in managing Conaway Ranch, if Yolo County officials acquire it through eminent domain. The legislation, AB 1747 by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, would have made the tribe a member alongside Yolo County officials and others of the joint powers authority created for Conaway Ranch. The tribe has offered to loan the county money for the acquisition. The county and tribe say the veto does not...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sided Friday with a local developer who is embroiled in a fight with Yolo County over the future of the 17,300-acre Conaway Ranch. The governor vetoed Assembly Bill 1747, a measure that would have allowed a casino-owning tribe to share management of the land if the county is successful in buying it or taking it through eminent domain. Developer Steve Gidaro, who bought Conaway Ranch for about $60 million last year, is fighting the county's efforts to take the land in court. He opposed AB 1747, written by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, because it would have allowed...

Some of the bills signed Friday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: STUDENT ATHLETES - Bars students participating in high school sports from using certain dietary supplements. VIOLENT VIDEOS - Prohibits the sale or rental of extremely violent video games to minors. CIGARETTES - Bans the sale of cigarettes that do not meet fire-safety standards designed to extinguish them when they're not being puffed. HUNTING - Prohibits use of Internet sites designed to allow people to shoot at animals by clicking a button on a computer mouse. VIOLENT DOGS - Allows cities and counties to require spaying or neutering of certain breeds...

The newly established California Alliance to Protect Private Property Rights announced that former state Senator and minority leader Jim Nielsen of Woodland was elected to serve as chairman of the board. Serving as the organization's "honorary" co-chairmen are Senator Tom McClintock of Ventura County and Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa of Butte County. "The Alliance is honored to have Senator McClintock and Assemblyman LaMalfa as part of a citizen led campaign to protect private property from the abuses of eminent domain," said Nielsen. "While today so many elected leaders are quick to join the U.S. Supreme Court in eroding private property rights,...

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this summer that governments could seize homes and other property to facilitate private development projects, it touched off a political firestorm throughout the nation - including California - and fueled demands for new barriers to misuse of governmental "eminent domain" powers. California's version of the debate centered on the aggressive use of eminent domain - or the threat to use it - by city redevelopment agencies to assemble land for hotels, auto malls, big box retailers and other projects. Although California law says that redevelopment powers can be invoked only to combat "blight," local...

Legislation by Assemblywoman Wolk, D-Davis, to authorize the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians to participate in a Joint Powers Authority with Yolo County and other local governments and agencies was passed by the Assembly Wednesday with a 43-22 vote. Last year, Yolo County initiated efforts to acquire public ownership of the Conaway Ranch property in order to preserve the important natural resources on the property for public benefit. Assembly Bill 1747 would authorize the Rumsey Band to participate in a JPA with Yolo County, the cities of Woodland, West Sacramento, Davis and Winters, the Yolo County Flood Control and Water...