The Case Of The Urban Farm
You know what's even more fun than watching grass grow? No, not watching grass grow while Europeans play soccer on it.The correct answer is: watching a trial about the South L.A. farm! NBC Channel 4 reports that a trial begins on Thursday, before the Hon. Helen I. Bendix, Superior Court Judge, regarding the City's decision to sell the property in 2003.
The attorneys for the "urban farmers" plan to call the Mayor and members of City Council to testify. The odds of that happening are, in my opinion, approximately zero.
But go watch. It could be fun. The Courthouse is at 111 North Hill Street.
Posted by Walter Moore @ 7/13/2006 02:13:00 AM
7 Comments:
Actually, Judge Helen Bendix is good to look at and very smart, but the result of this trial is pretty predictable.
Illegal immigrants cannot acquire property by emminent domain or adverse possession, especially when they don't pay the taxes, nor may they acquire a prescriptive easement when have been on the property with the consent of the rightful owners.
Their lawyers are leading them down a primrose path with no hope of victory. All they will accomplish is to show the world what an asshole Ralph Horowitz really is while he wins the case.
What a waste of taxpayers' money. Everyone that has ever met or known Ralph already knows that indeed, he is a bonefide, card carrying putz.
Ask anyone, especially The Mayor.
So, why no Molotov Cocktail for Ralph?
He seems seriously deserving, no?
Should the mayor be called to testify, he will be presented with an intense dilemma that does not often present itself to politicians. . .
He can tell:
1) the truth;
2) the whole truth;
3) nothing but the truth
. . . but, obviously not all three at the same time!
"Pick two, your honor, and be DAMN quick about it, the red lights on the cameras are coming on!'
Testify for what gadfly?
Actually, the farmers have a good chance of winning. The press has not accurately characterized what this trial is about.
The farmers are not asking for title to the property. Instead, they are arguing that the city's decision to sell the property back to Horowitz in 2002 had no rational basis, and was so wasteful as to constitute a gift of public funds.
They have good arguments for this. The sale to Horowitz was a settlement of a lawsuit that Horowitz had filed. But that lawsuit had already gotten thrown out of court three times. Moreover, the city sold the property for far less than it had been appraised for two years earlier (a small portion was taken out for a soccer field, but not nearly enough to make up the difference).
Essentially, Horowitz and the city made a deal to cut off the farmers. They may be allowed to do that, but then they have to go through the normal public processes, and allow those who disagree to contest it. In order to avoid public participation, it was pitched as a "settlement of a lawsuit," which can be done in closed session. But then they have to have a settlement that reflects the lawsuit's merits, which was nonexistent.
The farmers' current lawsuit, on the other hand, has a lot of very strong arguments. Lets withhold our own judgment until we have an appellate decision on it; no matter what Bendix does, it will be appealed.
Can't wait! I'm looking for free land too, but I want a view of the ocean and a 6 bedroom 6 car garage on it too, for free from the City.
to anonimous said...
what do you mean you want "free land"..you mean you want "MORE FREE LAND"--more manifest destiny land!
I was at the farm hearing for a day and I did not hear or understand that the farmers claims are for rightful ownership to free land, contrarily it is Ralph Horowitz who wants to preserve his "free land" (the land he got at 1/2 price) as "rightfully" his.
Elementary economic basics--there is no such thing as a free lunch. Horowitz price cut is not his free lunch, but rather someone elses lunch--the people of LA's lunch. The farmers are bringing light to the lunch bully (and his gang members--LA City Rep, Jan Perry) and are demanding that there be reparations for the bully's theft.
The people are simply saying--
I want my lunch back!!
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