Eminent Domain Report

If you're a right of way professional, your fall schedule could be quite busy.  I'm having difficulty keeping track of all the upcoming events, so I thought I'd put them all in one place.  Here's what we have on the agenda:

• September 5:  Mobility 21's annual Southern California Transportation Summit.  The event will take place at Disneyland Hotel, and will feature an array of fantastic speakers from various local public agencies, including Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC), Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), the California Transportation Commission & Caltrans, California High Speed Rail Authority, Southern California Edison, the City of San Diego and the Transportation Corridor Agencies.  Nossaman's Geoff Yarema will also be a panelist.  There will be over 1,000 attendees from the transportation industry, so this will be a great event.  If you're in attendance, please stop by Nossaman's booth to say hello.
• September 9:  International Right of Way Association (IRWA) Chapter 67's (Orange County) regular lunch meeting.  The luncheon will feature a presentation by Paul Cowdery of ParcelQuest, who will be discussing "Prop. 13 and Prop. 8:  Past, Present and Future", and specifically how property value assessments are handled given the recent decline -- and subsequent increase -- in property values.
• September 10:  IRWA Chapter 57's (Inland Empire) regular lunch meeting.  Mike Parker from Overland, Pacific & Cutler (OPC) will be speaking on issues related to utility coordination in California, especially for projects that have state, federal, or stimulus funding. The topic will include Buy America issues, and how it relates to Right of Way Certification.
• September 13-16:  The American Planning Association, California Chapter's annual conference.   The event will also take place at Disneyland Hotel, and will feature some exciting topics on issues facing the development industry.  There will also be topics on regulatory takings, eminent domain, and inverse condemnation, and with my colleagues Rick Rayl and Jeff Stava, we will be providing an update on the status of redevelopment in California and what the future holds.
• September 17: The Northern California of the Appraisal Institute's Annual Fall Conference: Real Estate and Appraisal Symposium to be held at the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco.  The keynote speaker is Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan, Executive Director of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority and she will be speaking on Enhancing Real Estate Values Through Transit Oriented Development.  There are a number of breakout sessions for you to enjoy as well.  See the conference schedule here.
• October 10: IRWA Chapter 67's Educational Seminar on Rail Road Right of Way.  The event will take place in Santa Ana and will includes speakers from Union Pacific and BNSF discussing the Real Estate Application and Contract process.  Topics also include valuing railroad right of way, regional rail projects and federal funding.  You will hear from folks in Arizona and Nevada, as well as get an update on the California High Speed Rail Project.
• October 17: IRWA Chapter 57's Education Seminar and Casino Night Fundraiser at the Eagle Glen Golf Course in Corona.  The seminar will feature Lindy Lee from LAMTA.  There will also be three panels  discussing how various businesses are impacted by public projects.  My colleague Bernadette Duran-Brown is a panelist.
• November 16-18: Self-Help Counties Coalition annual Focus on the Future conference.  The event will take place at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara.  You can join your fellow participants in a bike tour of downtown San Jose or enjoy some time with colleagues on the links.  Then enjoy hearing speakers in various breakout sessions on topics from Autonomous Vehicles to Sustainability.  Yours truly will also be presenting a session on Precondemnation Planning Best Practices to Acquire Right-of-Way without Blowing Your Project's Budget.
• December 2: IRWA Tri-Chapter Lunch hosted by Chapter 1.  This year the Los Angeles  hosts Chapter 67 (Orange County) and Chapter 57 (Inland Empire) for the annual gathering of right-of-way professionals from throughout the region.  Everyone will gather at Universal Studios for the festivities.
• December 4: WTS-OC Awards & Scholarships Gala- "Pathway to Excellence."  This event will be at Disney's Grand Californian and promises to offer a great opportunity to enjoy the holiday spirit with your colleagues throughout the transportation industry.

This should keep everyone busy this fall and we look forward to seeing many of you at these events.