Property Owner Battles Land Bill

When a piece of land has been in the family for more than a century, you don’t give it up without a fight.

Francis Gherini is battling legislation proposed by Rep. Andrea Seastrand (R-Shell Beach) to purchase his interest in a 6,200-acre property on Santa Rosa Island and give it to the National Park Service as part of Channel Islands National Park.

Gherini, 82, says the bill seeks to force him to sell his property for less than its market value. “It takes my property without paying for it,” said the Ventura resident, a retired lawyer.

In a written statement, Seastrand said she is trying to “independently adjudicate the value for compensation” while assuring the protection of the natural resources of the property.

The land in question has been in Gherini’s family since 1869, when it was purchased by his great-grandfather and investors from San Francisco. The property eventually made it into the hands of Gherini, his two sisters and his brother.

His three siblings have since sold off their interests in the property, although Gherini’s brother had little say about his stake. “He was dead and couldn’t argue for fair market value, and he had to take what the government offered him,” Gherini said.

Gherini said he is angered by Seastrand’s proposal because it would circumvent state and federal condemnation laws. To fight the plan, he has enlisted former U.S. Secretary of the Interior William Clark to help him modify the legislation.

“I intend to get the fair market value before this is all over,” Gherini said.

Seastrand is working to have the legislation, HR 4059, attached to a bill dealing with property in San Francisco’s Presidio and expects a vote in the House within the next few weeks.