Back in March, I noted the case of Victor Gudzunas in La Puente, California. He bought three acres of property 50 years ago and hoped to pass it on to his sons. The city used to appreciate the property, which has a strip mall with 13 tenants in residence. In fact, City Hall once promoted the property has exactly the type of development officials wanted in La Puente.
City officials decided at some point that Gudzunas’ property was no longer what they were looking for and decided the strip mall should be replaced by another one, or a “retail center” as the city calls it.
Gudzunas gave up the fight against city hall this week and accepted their offer, telling the Pasadena Star-News: “I don’t have the same kinds of resources as the city…and I have nothing good to say about the city or the way they handled this matter or eminent domain as it was used here.”