High-speed rail route took land from farmers. The money they’re owed hasn’t arrived

[Victrola1]

John Diepersloot squinted under a bright Central Valley sun, pointing to the damage to his fruit orchard that came with the California bullet train.

He lost 70 acres of prime land. Rail contractors left mounds of rubble along his neat rows. Irrigation hoses are askew. A sophisticated canopy system for a kiwi field, supported by massive steel cables, was torn down.

But what really irritates Diepersloot is the $250,000 that he paid out of his own pocket for relocating wells, removing trees, building a road and other expenses.

“I am out a quarter-million bucks on infrastructure, and they haven’t paid a dime for a year,” he said. “I don’t have that kind of money.”........

 

 

https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-bullet-train-cash-20190610-story.html?fbclid=IwAR3_nIQI9f1Jnu6lmgN0oXZMqL2g3lNtfglMXobAKaoQwnJnMNOAlVPGBnI  

[BaltACD]

Sounds like a State of California legal problem.

[Overmod]

Or the opening shot in California's attempt to keep the money it owes the Federal Government now.  Watch Newsom et al. get all self-righteous about how taking "California's" money will keep these poor victims unpaid!

[Erik_Mag]

I would think the farmer in question would have some recourse with respect to the "takings clause" in the U.S. Constitution. As someone who has lived in the state longer than 80% of the current residents, I'm rather appalled at how inept the state government has become.

(Wednesday, June 26: One of today's SCOTUS decisions makes it much easier to go to Federal Court to resolve a fifth admendment takings clause case.)

[CMStPnP]

No sympathy for Central Valley Farmers.   Should they even be farming there would be my question.    Also, it is not like the land is scarce they are basically tera forming the land there to grow crops with their fairly massive use of water.

[runnerdude48]

This is what is happening in Zimbabwe and South Africa.  The government marches in and takes the farmer's land and doesn't pay for it.  The California state government is no better than a third world African dictatorship.  I hope he sues them for every penny he can get.  And, this should serve as a warning to others to not deal with the government and if they do it is at their own risk.

[Flintlock76]

Erik_Mag

I would think the farmer in question would have some recourse with respect to the "takings clause" in the U.S. Constitution. As someone who has lived in the state longer than 80% of the current residents, I'm rather appalled at how inept the state government has become.

 

Erik_Mag, with yourself more than excepted, the people of California are like people everywhere else.  They get the government they deserve.  

I keep reading about people bailing out of California, and the most productive ones to boot.  I can see why.  It's for the same reasons we bailed out of New Jersey.  

[ROBIN LUETHE]

California is one of the states that produce a large balance of payments to the federal government.  It is one of the 'givers', not one of the takers.  Taker states for some reason seem to resent the help they get from giver states. 

 

 

[JPS1]

ROBIN LUETHE

 California is one of the states that produce a large balance of payments to the federal government.  

According to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, 10 states are so-called donor states, meaning they pay more in taxes to the federal government than they receive back in funding for, say, Medicaid, public education, etc.

 

The ten in order of magnitude, i.e. percent of outflow to the federal government offset by flow backs are Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Illinois, New Hampshire, Washington, Nebraska and Colorado.  For example, Connecticut got back just 74 percent of its outflows to the federal government.

 

"The analysis -- which considered not only direct federal funding for programs but also money for grants, contracts and income earned by federal workers in each state -- is the second study of this kind published by the institute. This year’s report saw some shifts compared with the 2015 one."

 

California, which had been on the list of donor states, was no longer on the most recent list of donor states, although just barely -- taxpayers there receive, on average, $12 more from the federal government than they pay out to it. 

[CMStPnP]

ROBIN LUETHE

California is one of the states that produce a large balance of payments to the federal government.  It is one of the 'givers', not one of the takers.  Taker states for some reason seem to resent the help they get from giver states. 

You have to also be careful of grabbing stats like this.   I'm not going to spend time looking  but if I had to guess at this specific stat it is taken from a narrow context of year to year vs. over a long time frame.    Excludes items such as Federal Disaster Aid due to wildfires (that in my opinion could have been avoided or damage limited with better state management).

[charlie hebdo]

I've looked at those data bases from time to time and the givers and takers remain fairly stable. 

[MidlandMike]

JPS1

The ten in order of magnitude, i.e. percent of outflow to the federal government offset by flow backs are Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, ...

I would guess that North Dakota shows up on the list because of all the oil & gas severance tax.