Outrage over the city’s land seizure

Re “Land Seized for Animal Shelter May Be Sold to Developer-Donor,” Jan. 14

I am absolutely outraged about the taking of private property from a furniture factory owner, only to hand it over to Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks’ political donors. Apparently private property rights mean nothing to our elected leaders. Based on this case, none of our property is secure; it is all seizable by the state at its whim. Once our rights to our property are gone, are any of our rights really secure? Parks and L.A. City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo should submit their resignations immediately.

MIRIAM JANNOL

Los Angeles

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Parks cloaks his back-door deal (turning the purpose of an eminent domain seizure into a benefit for a private business interest) as an economic opportunity for the community. The land was wrested from private hands for the sole purpose of building a much-needed South Los Angeles animal shelter that would serve the public good.

Parks and his friends should change the address of their multimillion-dollar business proposal to the city-owned land one block away and create an economic opportunity for the community out of that location. Anyone on the Los Angeles City Council who doesn’t see through the smoke and mirrors of this power game is ethically twisted.

LUCIA M. CONFORTI

Los Angeles

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The city of Los Angeles’ decision to seize a business from its unwilling seller for the stated purpose of building an animal shelter, and then to abandon the idea so that the property can be sold to a politically connected donor, illustrates the need to reform California’s eminent domain laws. Today’s eminent domain laws benefit the rich and powerful. Absent reform and new private property rights protections for homeowners, you can be assured that there is no truth to the saying that one’s home is his castle.

MARKO MLIKOTIN

President

California Alliance

to Protect Private Property

Sacramento