VALLEY RAIL PROJECT

On April 26, 2018, the California State Transportation Agency announced that the Valley Rail Project would receive $500.5 million in state funding. The money will primarily be used for new stations and track improvements and will ultimately connect Sacramento to the Altamont Corridor Express, which currently provides service between San Joaquin County and Silicon Valley. New stations are planned in Natomas, Old North Sacramento, midtown Sacramento, Elk Grove, and at Sacramento City College.

Sacramento Vice Mayor and City Councilman Steve Hansen voiced his excitement for the Sacramento community. “Right now we have train tracks that run through midtown without providing any benefit to the local area. By building a new station in midtown we will now tap into that existing infrastructure, bringing customers to our local businesses, giving business travelers access to the Capitol without clogging up our roads, and providing new easy access for our local residents to reach key parts of the Bay Area or destinations throughout the Central Valley.”

What is excitement for many, may lead to agony for some. The building of new stations will inevitably result in the taking of private property unfortunate enough to be located on the sites of the proposed stations and connecting tracks. Article I, section 19 of the California Constitution enables the government to take private property through a process called eminent domain. Under section 19, private property may only be taken or damaged: (1) for a public use and (2) when just compensation is paid to the owner.

Just compensation is often subject to dispute as the amount the government claims to be the fair market value of a property rarely aligns with the amount a landowner believes their property is worth. With the help of an experienced attorney, landowners facing the threat of eminent domain can better protect their interests and rights in a property subject to condemnation.