The American Association of Small Property Owners

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American Association of Small Property Owners

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Welcome, small landlords, property owners and real estate investors!

Based in Washington, D.C., and with experts and advisors from California to New England, we're the only national organization for the more than ten million small landlords and real estate investors to share information and strategies on important issues of the day.  AASPO is the premier public policy organization for anyone who owns real property, whether they be urban landlord or rural landowner.

Why you should JOIN.
Membership Levels and Benefits.
Then JOIN.

Latest News from AASPO

  Sen. Orrin Hatch with Pat Callahan and Dan Lubell, chairman of AASPO's Iowa chapter

Sign up for free E-mail Updates. To subscribe, please click here.

Justice For Everyone Legal Services, Inc. 
AASPO has started a new national legal institute to provide legal services to anyone whose rights, property, business and assets have been threatend by government corruption, public-private collusion, and abusive regulations.  Justice For Everyone has its own web site.  For more information, visit the JFE web site.

Award Winner!
Our print newsletter, The Small Property Owner, was voted the "Best Independent Real Estate Newsletter for 1996" by the National Association of Real Estate Editors. To read archived headlines and articles, click here.

AASPO Highlights...

NEW!!! National Taxpayers Conference '03
Organized by
National Taxpayers Union Foundation & Iowans for Tax Relief

Thursday Evening, June 19 - Saturday June 21, 2003 at the Washington Court Hotel, Washington DC

Come to Washington for the next phase of the 21st Century Tax Revolt

• Discuss how activists can beat hostile court challenges to their tax-limit measures.
• See how "citizen lobbyists" can make the most of emerging opportunities to pass tax reductions and reforms in their State Legislatures.
• Learn why new technologies are helping state and local taxpayer groups to become bigger, better, and more visible.

For more information, visit the NTU web site.  This is an AASPO-endorsed event.  Come and learn how to litigate against taxpayer waste and fraud.  Meet AASPO's new legal services company, Justice For Everyone.  JFE has filed a Qui Tam law suit in Oklahoma City.  Learn how we can work with you in your community.
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ACTION NEEDED TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION IN NEW YORK STATE

 Question:  Why should consumers care that a New York City broker's real estate license was revoked for operating an online apartment listing portal? 

 Answer:  Because the overzealous, protectionist regulatory decision of the New York Department of State to revoke the real estate broker's license for operating an innovative, convenient, cost effective pro-consumer service will set a precedent detrimental to new business innovation, technology and consumer choice.

READ MORE.  OR GO DIRECTLY TO SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION.
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Preserving the American Dream of Mobility and Homeownership - new national coalition emerges from conference held in Washington, DC

Congestion, unaffordable housing, and restrictions on property rights increasingly threaten the American Dream of mobility and homeownership. The American Dream conference - held in Washington, DC from February 23-25, 2003 - brought together more than 300 experts, professionals and activists working to protect freedom, mobility, and livability in their home cities and regions.

The conference showed particpants how to effectively oppose rail transit boondoggles, high-density urban zoning, restrictions on rural property rights, and other so-called "smart-growth" policies.  The most significant result of the conference was to start a new national movement aimed at Preserving the American Dream of mobility and homeownership. 

AASPO president, Pat Callahan, spoke on how to influence local planning and effective grassroots organizing and coalition building.  She also moderated the legal issues panel and facilitated the media strategy session.  For a conference summary, click here.
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TIME SENSITIVE:  A Splash of Progress on Isolated Wetlands

The Bush Administration issued proposed regulations on isolated wetlands in light of the SWANCC decision.  See, Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, January 15, 2003.  While this development is definitely a move in the right direction, the proposal only reaches the half-way mark and is generating dissatisfaction from environmentalists and developers. The comment period has been extended to April 16, 2003.  Scroll down this page to read more__________________________________

Notorious California Coastal Commission Declared Unlawful

On December 30, 2002, an appeals court decided that the powerful commission that regulates development along the 1,100-mile coastline is unconstitutional.  The California Coastal Commission is now bared from issuing building permits or ruling on offshore oil leases.  The reason for the decision is technical: an unlawful delegation of legislative authority that violates the separation of powers doctrine.  For a news account, click here.

Debating the merits of 'downzoning'

Pima County Arizona took action to downzone property without the owner's consent, in direct conflict with a state law. This is being challenged and is truly a watershed case - a “must win” for anyone who has been concerned about Smart Growth and the way our adversaries use the environment as a club for no-growth.  The plaintiff, Emmett (Bucky) McLoughlin is a long-time AASPO member.  Click here for more information.

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AASPO's NEW LITIGATION UNIT - is now operating!

Justice For Everyone Legal Services, Inc., a national legal institute to provide legal services to private citizens whose rights, property, businesses and assets are threatened by government and corporate corruption, abusive regulations and unwarranted interferences.

JUSTICE FOR EVERYONE is a project of AASPO which is seeking start-up funding.  Make a contribution.  All contributions are tax-deductible.  For more information, visit the JFE web site or e-mail us at info@aaspo.org.

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Save SWANCC - restore the law on isolated wetlands.  President Bush is not being served by his subordinates who continue to ignore the law. Washington Times prints AASPO hard-hitting commentary on December 15, 2002.

For more than a year, AASPO president, Pat Callahan, along with attorneys Gary Baise and Stewart Fried have been meeting with officials of the Justice Department and leaders on Capitol Hill to discuss the need for a new policy and approach in the enforcement of environmental laws.  As was shown at a  Congressional hearing, the actions by the Justice Department in responding to their clients, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, often result in the denial of fundamental constitutional rights of property owners.  A new policy needs to be struck. 

In January 2001, the United States Supreme Court made it clear that there are limits to federal jurisdiction over the environment.  But the Bush administration has failed to respond.  So AASPO is taking the case to the media and grassroots America.  Read " Rescue needed for property rights edict" published in the Washington Times, October 7, 2002.  We are truly in the fight of our lives to save our lands from unlawful regulation.  Victims of isolated wetlands regulation need to write to the President.  "Dear President Bush...here is my story."  For a briefing paper, click here.

See, Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook City (SWANCC) v. Army Corps of Engineers decided January 9,2001. Chief Justice Rehnquist delivered the opinion of the Court.  For a review of the controversy, read "Battle to continue over mud puddles" in the Florida Real Estate Journal.

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EARLIER NEWS

Federal Housing Officials Looking for Regulatory Barriers

Have you experienced a significant regulatory barrier in providing affordable housing in your community?  Were you able to overcome the barrier, or did you need to work around it?  How does this affect your plans to stay in the landlording business?  What do you think can and should be done better?

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has created a database specifically dealing with this issue and would like to hear from you. Please submit your "barrier" - and if you were able to overcome it, please tell how - to Regulatory Affairs Clearinghouse, c/o HUDUSER, P.O. Box 23268, Washington, DC 20026-3268.

You can also e-mail HUD at rbcsubmit@huduser.org.  Please feel free to check out the Web site www.huduser.org/rbc/ which provides further information on this initiative. When submitting your barrier, please reference AASPO and provide us with a copy (info@aaspo.org).

AASPO FILED U. S. SUPREME COURT BRIEF

On August 5, 2002, AASPO filed a brief before the United States Supreme Court in another important property rights case.  The amicus brief was in support of a petition for certiorari to the U. S. Supreme Court in Trustees v. County of Santa Barbara, another "takings" case, where the California Supreme Court did an end run around the Nollan v. California Coastal Commission landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court limiting the right of public authorities to condition approval for variances, building permits, etc., on the owner granting "public use" easements.

As we were lucky enough to have in the recent Tahoe case, Atlantic Legal Foundation was again AASPO's counsel.  The brief was written by Martin Kaufman, Atlantic Legal’s General Counsel.  He is often quoted by the high court in its decisions so this was a unique opportunity for us all.  Several AASPO Associations joined as co-amici.  For more information, click here.  To become an Association member of AASPO, click here.

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Major Grassroots Event a Resounding Success.  Real Estate Summit 2002.  June 21-23, Washington, DC 

The American Association of Small Property Owners organized and hosted the first ever Real Estate Summit in Washington, DC from June 21-23, 2002 to motivate and educate small property owners in the fundamentals of public policy advocacy.  For too long, the voice of the small investor has been unfocused and untargeted.  We intended to change all that. 

The conference, aptly named "Saving Private Property," featured three days of intensive classes taught by experts and peers to motivate, activate and unleash the potential of this vigorous grassroots network.  It is time that we restored fairness and common sense to property rights and that we make real estate once again the best road to financial independence.

The three-day Washington conference and trade show attracted a capacity crowd of upwards of three hundred small property owners, landlords and real estate investors from all over America and showed them how they could become more involved in national, state and local level property rights issues.  View the conference AGENDA.  For more general information.  
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 U.S. Supreme Court Decides Against Propety Owners in Tahoe-Sierra Case.

Property rights were dealt a blow on April 23, 2002 when the high court ruled in a 6-3 decision that government may impose temporary moratoria on land development without paying compensation to affected landowners.  Earlier on September 19, 2001, AASPO filed an amicus brief before the United States Supreme Court on this major, high-profile, property rights case.  Tahoe-Sierra Preservation Council v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (No. 00-1167) went to the U.S. Supreme Court from the 9th Circuit in California.  At the heart of this litigation, which had been going on since 1984, was the question of who should bear the cost of preserving Lake Tahoe for all citizens to enjoy.  Atlantic Legal Foundation was counsel to AASPO.  More than a dozen AASPO association members signed on the brief as co-amici.  An electronic version of the AASPO brief will be e-mailed upon request.

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Sneak Attack - Senate Committee Reports Out Federal Zoning Bill.  AASPO Sent Out Grassroots Mobilization ACTION ALERT. 

In a surprise sneak attack, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee reported out the Community Character Act, S. 975, on April 25, 2002.  The mischief was done in a secret room in the U.S. Capitol building that was inaccessible to the public.  Only Grassroots Action can prevent the bill from reaching the Senate floor.  For details, read the AASPO Alert.

S. 975, 'The Community Character Act,' would provide millions of dollars in bribe money for local governments that adopt the HUD/APA Legislative Guidebook.  It is moving fast in the Senate.  After a quickie, stack-the-deck hearing on March 6 -- where all property rights groups were shut out -- the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee marked-up the bill and plans to send it to the full Senate for vote.  ONLY GRASSROOTS INTERVENTION CAN DERAIL IT. 

The Committee had originally scheduled a mark-up for Thursday, April 11, 2002.  An AASPO Action Alert urged members to call their Senators immediately.  This they did.  The mark-up was postponed, first for one week and then postponed again until the Sneak Attack on April 25.  We need to keep on this.  Our opponents are strong and powerful.  Support for the bill includes Guidebook authors from the American Planning Association (APA), the REALTORS, and the National Multi-Housing Council.  Of the major trade associations in Washington, only the National Association of Homebuilders is actively working against the bill.  Go to the AASPO Back Room Briefing Room for details and instructions.
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Review AASPO Highlights from 2001

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Lawyer Humor
A Bill To Regulate The Hunting And Harvesting Of Attorneys

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Why You Need To Get Involved
Click here to find out.

All Material ©2001-03: The American Association of Small Property Owners
"Your Capital Connection" . Washington, DC

E-mail: info@smallpropertyowner.com


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