This Land Is My Land

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The four takings initiatives, which are largely funded by libertarian activist Howard Rich, a New York real estate investor, are modeled on a 2004 Oregon initiative. Measure 37 effectively overturned the country's strictest planning regime, a 30-year-old law that concentrated growth in cities while protecting farmland and open space. So far, aggrieved property owners have filed 2,724 claims seeking $6.1 billion in compensation. Under the law, local authorities can "pay or waive," and so far, strapped for funds, they are mostly choosing to waive zoning rules. As a result, some Oregonians fear that sprawl will soon strangle Portland's famous greenbelt.

For Robert Blue, back on Hollywood and Vine, the issue is fairness, whether the government seizes land or merely passes a law affecting the value of a home or business. "If you make an investment and the rules change," he says, "you should be compensated." It's up to his fellow taxpayers in California and the three other states to decide whether they are ready to pay up.