On Thu, 20 Apr 1995, Anna Coles wrote:

> Teresa,
> I'd like to know if there is an initiative out there for me to sign
> opposing the one you mentioned in your post. If there is one, I'll be on
> the lookout so that I can sign it. Thank you in advance for more info on
> this subject. --Anna coles, Seattle, WA acoles at u.washington.edu
>

Yes, there will be a referendum petition to repeal Initiative-164, the
"Private Property Rights" Initiative. It should hit the streets Friday
of next week. We have until July 22 to collect 90,000 signatures -- then
the measure to repeal the initiative will go on the ballot in November.
If you are interested in helping to collect signatures (even just friends
and family) please send me an e-mail with your address and I will make
sure that you get petitions.

If you haven't heard, I-164 requires that government compensate property
owners for any regulation that reduces or restrains the value of property by
any amount. It will effectively wipe out all regulation of wetlands
unless government buys the wetland. In addition, it will make zoning
laws so expensive to enforce that the costs will be prohibitive. Imagine
having to pay someone up the street to keep him from turning his house
into an apartment complex or tavern. The Bar Association has said that
the Initiative will cause "regulatory chaos" and the Office of Financial
Management estimated that it would cost taxpayers at least several
hundred million dollars over the next two years. Our legislators passed
it anyway and it cannot be vetoed.

I'd be happy to provide more information for anyone interested.

Tracy Burrows
tuber at eskimo.com
1000 Friends of Washington
1305 4th Ave. Suite 303
Seattle, WA 98101