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The Possible Impact of Eminent Domain in California

A decision by the US Supreme Court today expanded the concept of eminent domain, which allows government to take private property for public purposes under the Fifth Amendment. Today's 5-to-4 decision means that homeowners in New London, Connecticut will have to sell their homes to make way for a private office complex, providing more property tax revenue for the city. Does today's decision put home-owners at risk of losing their property? We hear about the possible impact in California from Tim Sandefur, staff attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation, and Rick Cole, City Manager for Ventura. Making News: House Won't Cut Public Broadcasting Funds Last week, the House Appropriations Committee voted to cut public broadcasting money by almost 50%. Late today, on a roll-call vote, the full Congress restored the funding to the current level. Meantime, a former Republican activist was named top administrator for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It's the agency that hands out the money. We get updates on both stories from Bill Swindell of Congressional Quarterly and Paul Farhi at the Washington Post. Reporter's Notebook: More Homeowner Skullduggery on Southland Beaches The California Coastal Commission is involved in another dispute about beach sand being moved by bulldozers--not in Malibu this time, but in Newport Beach. Today's Orange County Register reports that an oceanfront property owner saw it happening well after midnight one April morning. By the time the sun rose, several four-foot high dunes were missing. Laylan Connelly wrote the story.