Valley VOTE on Private Property Rights

According to a Wall Street Journal editorial and Valley VOTE treasurer Vic Viereck, individual property rights are the basis for the great economic success of the United States of America. The consequence of when groups try to deprive individuals of their property rights is lack of availability of resources provided by industrious people. Due to the City of Los Angeles' rental housing policies, the city's scarcity of housing has been severely aggravated.

Locally, the opposition to condo conversions effectively demonstrates that problem. Another local example of promoting group over individual rights is a campaign against the Weddington Golf and Tennis property in Studio City. Since 1955 the Weddington family has provided the Studio City community the opportunity to play golf and tennis there. With the May 31, 2007 expiration of the lease on the property the owners have plans to update the existing driving range, rebuild the 17 tennis courts, install a new golf putting green, and provide a new club house on 70% of the land. On only the remaining 30% of the property a 272-unit first class senior citizen condo development is planned. But the Studio City Resident's Association seems to forget that it is not their land, but privately owned land. They want to deprive the property owners of the American right to improve their own property for the golfers and tennis players, provide comfortable living accommodations for local seniors, and significantly improve the tax base and revenue.

Says Viereck: When initiatives are on the ballot, such as those that profess to prevent eminent domain abuses, it's necessary to determine which one protects the rights of all property owners