MEDIA ADVISORY
Community Alliance for Redevelopment Accountability
For IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Cruz Baca
Wednesday, January 9, 2008 (626) 806-9583
baldwinpark1@gmail.com Home and Business Owners to March on City Hall
Property Owners protest Eminent Domain - To Burn City Eviction Notices
Baldwin Park, CA – While city council members publicly claimed for weeks that there were no immediate plans to seize over 500 homes and businesses by eminent domain to benefit the wealthy and politically connected Bisno Development Company, over the Christmas Holiday over 100 of the 500 threatened property owners received notices from the city informing them that they stand to lose their homes and jobs by eminent domain. The city has also been criticized for sending English only letters to Spanish speaking property owners.
According to campaign finance reports posted on the city's website, the Bisno Development Company and other development interests contributed thousands of dollars to city council candidates in the 2007 election, all of which support displacing hundreds of local residents.
WHO: Community Alliance for Redevelopment Accountability (CARA), a group of concerned homeowners and small business owners have organized to stop the City of Baldwin Park from using eminent domain to seize their homes and small businesses to benefit the politically connected Bisno Development Company and their investors.
WHAT: Property owners to march on city council meeting and burn eminent domain letters sent to over 100 of 500 property owners.
WHEN: Wednesday, January 9, 2008
WHERE: March will commence at 6:00 p.m. on the corner of Clark Avenue and Maine Blvd.
Council Meeting will commence at 7:00p.m., Baldwin Park City Hall, 14403 E. Pacific Avenue, Baldwin Park, CA 91706
BACKGROUND: Baldwin Park home and business owners have united as CARA to fight the proposed demolition of homes and businesses to make way for a project the size of about 125 football fields by Century City-based Bisno Development. Local property owners are concerned that the city is working to expedite eminent domain proceedings in order to acquire over 500 homes and businesses prior to the June Election. A 1/5/2007 letter from the developer to the city reveals that the developer's investors are concerned that their project, that requires the use of eminent domain, is threatened by the "California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act," an eminent domain reform ballot measure slated for the June ballot that protects all private property from eminent domain abuse.
