The prop 90 ad begins with an elderly couple who lost their home to eminent domain. Oh my God, you think! We need to save grandma and grandpa from the big evil government. The commercial persuades you to vote yes on proposition 90 and save grandma. The problem with this picture is that proposition 90 is NOT about eminent domain.
The real power in proposition 90 is to give developers more power than local government in land use regulation. Almost all the funding for proposition 90 comes from an out of state developer named Howie Rich. Like an dirty old man offering candy to a child - he wants something in return. He has cynically co-opted the image of grandma losing her home as cover to kick the teeth out of local government's ability to regulate land use. He doesn't want to protect property owners. If you own a home he wants to be able to buy the home next-door and tear it down to build a parking garage. He wants to be able to build a liquor store across the street from your child's elementary school - without the local government being able to do anything to stop him. Proposition 90 would take away almost all of local government's ability to regulate land use and put that power in the hands of big developers.
Proposition 90 doesn't benefit property owners. 99.999% of property owners will NEVER be affected by eminent domain but they are ALL affected by land use regulations. Local governments are your democratic power to decide how land should be developed. From what can be built in your neighborhoods, next to your child's school or next to the river the provides your drinking water. Who do you trust most to make those decisions? Howie Rich, multimillionaire New York developer or your own, locally elected and accountable government?
Tell Howie Rich that we want to be able to control our own lives.