Editorial: Wrong fix for rising water rates
“In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of eminent domain to transfer land from one private owner to another private owner to further economic development, thus sparking a backlash. California passed only a weak reform bill, but cities mostly stopped abusing eminent domain amid the bad publicity. Gov. Jerry Brown’s successful efforts to shut down the state’s redevelopment agencies last year effectively ended the practice.
Now, officials in some Southern California cities are turning to eminent domain to clamp down on water rates that have been rising throughout the country, in both government-run and privately run water systems. The reasons: new conservation rules, rising costs for employees and investments in neglected infrastructure.”
Orange County Register 22 February 2013.