Court Opinion

ID: 9855687
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 06:29:17.823544+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:36:20.004094
License: Public Domain

CARTER, J.
I dissent.
The majority opinion in the case at bar is another link in the chain of confusion which exists in the opinions of this court which involves the exercise of the police power and the exercise of the power of eminent domain. I pointed out in my concurring opinion in Southern Calif. Gas Co. v. City of Los Angeles, 50 Cal.2d 713 [329 P.2d 289], that eases in which the right of eminent domain was involved are cited as authority in cases involving the exercise of the police power and police power cases are cited in support of cases involving the eminent domain power.
I am unable to understand on just what theory the majority relies in the ease under consideration. It appears that it must be the police power given to the flood control district by the majority of this court which is the basis for its holding that the Edison Company must relocate its facilities at its own expense.
It has long been a rule of law in this state that political subdivisions such as drainage districts, irrigation districts, *340and the like, are entities of limited powers—those which have been expressly granted them by the Legislature. (Stimson v. Alessandro Irr. Dist., 135 Cal. 389, 392, 393 [67 P. 496,1034] ; City of Madera v. Black, 181 Cal. 306, 310-312 [184 P. 397]; Leeman v. Perris Irrigation Dist., 140 Cal. 540, 543 [74 P. 24]; Bottoms v. Madera Irr. Dist., 74 Cal.App. 681, 694, 695 [242 P. 100]; Harden v. Superior Court, 44 Cal.2d 630, 642 [284 P.2d 9].) The only qualification to this rule is that certain powers strictly necessary to carry out those expressly granted by the Legislature are implied.
The Los Angeles County Flood Control District was created by the Legislature in 1915 (Stats. 1915, eh. 755, p. 1052-1512, §§ 1-23 inclusive). The act is now found in Deering’s Water Code as Act 4463, sections 1-23 inclusive, pages 325-354.
Section 2 sets forth the objectives of the act as providing for the control and conservation of the flood, storm and other waste waters of the district “and to conserve such waters for beneficial and useful purposes by spreading, storing, retaining or causing to percolate into the soil within said district, or to save or conserve in any manner, all or any of such waters, and to protect from damage from such flood or storm waters, the harbors, waterways, public highways and property of said district.” The same section then provides: “Said Los Angeles County Flood Control District is hereby declared to be a body corporate and politic, and as such shall have power: . . .
“1. To have perpetual succession.
“2. To sue and be sued . . .
“3. To adopt a seal . . .
“4. To take by grant, purchase, gift, devise or lease . . . real or personal property of every kind within or without the district necessary to the full exercise of its power.
“5. To acquire or contract to acquire lands, rights of way, easements, privileges and property of every kind, and construct, maintain and operate any and all works or improvements ...
“6. To have and exercise the right of eminent domain, and in the manner provided by law for the condemnation of private property for public use, to take any property necessary to carry out any of the objects or purposes of this act, whether such property be already devoted to the same use by any district or other public corporation or agency or otherwise, and may condemn any existing works or improvements in said district now used to control flood or storm *341waters, or to conserve such flood or storm waters or to protect any property in said district from damage from such flood or storm waters. ’ ’ (Emphasis added.)
Subsection 7 provides for the incurment of debt and the issuance of bonds; subsection 7a provides for the borrowing of federal funds; subsection 7b provides for the sale of bonds to the county; subsection 8 provides for the collection of taxes; subsection 9 provides for the making of contracts; subsection 10 provides for the granting of easements; subsection 11 provides for the disposal of rubbish; subsection 12 provides for the payment of bond premiums; subsection 13 provides for the disposal of property. The subsections to section 2 as just set forth provide all the powers granted to the district by the Legislature. It is apparent that the district is not granted the right to exercise the state’s police power.
Article I, section 14, of the California Constitution provides, in part, that “Private property shall not be taken or damaged for public use without just compensation having first been made to, or paid into court for, the owner. ...” This refers to the right of eminent domain.
In 1953, section 16 of Act 4463 was amended to provide for certain powers in the board of supervisors in the exercise of the district’s right of eminent domain. The amendment provides, in part, as follows: “[P]rovided, however, that nothing in this act contained shall he deemed to authorize said district in exercising any of its powers to take, damage or destroy any property or to require the removal, relocation, alteration or destruction of any bridge, railroad, wireline, pipeline, facility or other structure unless just compensation therefor he first made, in the manner and to the extent required hy the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of California.” (Emphasis added.)
In my opinion, the Legislature of this state could not have more clearly expressed its meaning: That the relocation of any facility was an exercise by the district of its power of eminent domain and that compensation should be made therefor as provided in the California Constitution, article I, section 14.
The reasoning found in the majority opinion on the meaning and effect of the 1953 amendment heretofore set forth, while extremely ambiguous and a masterpiece of confusion, apparently means that since the Constitution of California does not spell out in words of one syllable that relocations of various types of facilities are to be compensated in money, the *342Legislature did not really mean what it said—that it intended just compensation to be made for such relocations. It is first argued in the majority opinion that if the amendment only required the district to abide by its constitutional obligations, the amendment was unnecessary; and then that it was ‘ dubious ’ ’ that the Legislature intended by implication to negative “others” (probably constitutional obligations) that “might also exist.” Then the following unclear language appears: “Had the Legislature in 1953 clearly not wanted the district to pay relocation expenses, it could have expressed this intent also more clearly than by merely reaffirming the district’s constitutional obligations. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the plain language of the 1953 amendment provides for payment only to the ‘extent required’ by the constitutional provisions, and if it is anything more than an admonition to obey the constitutions, it constitutes legislative recognition that the district is not obligated to pay for utility relocations unless constitutional provisions so require.” When the Legislature clearly states that compensation is to be made for relocations how is it possible for the majority to assume that the Legislature clearly did not want the district to pay for such relocations? The entire section (16) deals with the district’s right of eminent domain and the supervisors’ duties and powers in connection therewith. The Constitutions provide that private property shall not be taken or damaged without just compensation being made therefor. There is no reason whatsoever for the nebulous reasoning and negative thinking set forth in the majority opinion.
If we assume that the theory on which the conclusion reached by the majority is that the district is exercising the police power of the state, a complete answer is that the district has no police power. In the majority opinion is the following statement: “Section 2 of the Los Angeles County Flood Control Act expressly authorizes the district to ‘ construct, maintain, and operate,’ the drains here involved (West’s, Water Code-Appendix, § 28-2.) In doing so it is exercising the police power of the state. (House v. Los Angeles County Flood Control Hist., 25 Cal.2d 384, 392 [153 P.2d 950] ; O’Hara v. Los Angeles County Flood etc. Dist., 19 Cal.2d 61, 64 [119 P.2d 23].)” In constructing, maintaining and operating the drains here involved the district was exercising a power expressly granted to it by the Legislature of this state. It is true that the grant of the power was given by the state as an exercise of the state’s police power but that is *343not to say that in the delegation of the powers specifically enumerated in the act creating the district the Legislature also granted to the district the state’s police power in other respects. In the House ease this court reversed a judgment of dismissal entered after the trial court had sustained a demurrer to the plaintiff’s complaint for damages to her property occasioned by the district’s negligence in planning, construction and maintenance of certain flood control channel work. We noted that the plaintiff “rests her right of recovery upon article I, section 14, of the state Constitution, which provides that private property shall not be taken or damaged for public use without just compensation to the owner. The trial court erred in failing to sustain the constitutional basis of the plaintiff’s claim under the distinguishable concept of her pleading.” (Mouse v. Los Angeles County Flood Control Dist., 25 Cal.2d 384, 386 [153 P.2d 950] ; emphasis added.) While the court spoke of the police power the ease was not decided upon the theory that the flood control district was exercising the police power of the state. It was said: “While the police power is very broad in concept, it is not without restriction in relation to the taking or damaging of property. When it passes beyond proper bounds in its invasion of property rights, it in effect comes within the purview of the law of eminent domain and its exercise requires compensation. [Citations.] In fact, on the point of a governmental agency’s liability for damages arising in connection with its undertaking construction work, the prevailing opinion in the Archer case [Archer v. City of Los Angeles, 19 Cal.2d 19 [119 P.2d 1]] supra, does not purport to dispute the settled principle that public necessity limits the right to exact uncompensated submission from the property owner if his property be either damaged, taken or destroyed. Bather it is expressly stated there in the prevailing opinion (19 Cal.2d 23-24) : ‘The state or its subdivisions may take or damage private property without compensation if such action is essential to safeguard public health, safety or morals. [Citing authorities.] In certain circumstances, however, the taking or damaging of private property for such a purpose is not prompted by so great a necessity as to be justified without proper compensation to the owner. [Citing authorities.] ’ (Italics added.) Thus there is recognized the incontestable proposition that the exercise of the police power, though an essential attribute of sovereignty for the public welfare and arbitrary in its nature, cannot extend beyond the necessities of the case and be made a *344cloak to destroy constitutional rights as to the inviolateness of private property.” (Pp. 388, 389.) The House case, with its reliance upon the Archer case, demonstrates again the confusion which exists in the eases. The House case involved an action against the flood control district. The Archer case involved an action against the city of Los Angeles. Article XI,' section 11, of the California Constitution provides that “Any county, city, town, or township may make and enforce within its limits all such local, police, sanitary, and other regulations as are not in conflict with general laws.” This is known as the constitutional police power provision. It does not provide that any flood control, or sanitary, or mosquito abatement district may exercise the police power of the state. O’Sara v. Los Angeles County Flood etc. Dist., 19 Cal.2d 61 [119 P.2d 23], also relied upon by the majority for its statement that the district was exercising the “police power” of the state was decided upon the theory that a lower riparian owner has no redress for injury to his land caused by improvements in the stream when there has been no diversion of water out of its natural channel. The following statement is found in the majority opinion in the O’Hara case: “Compensation for private property taken or damaged for a public use must be made under article I, section 14, only when the taking or damaging of property is not so essential to the public health, safety, and morals as to be justified under the ‘police power,’ and the injury is one which would give rise to a cause of action on the part of the owner if it were inflicted by a private person. (Archer v. City of Los Angeles, ante, p. 19 [119 P.2d 1], this day decided.) ” Again, it will be noted, that while the flood control district was involved, the Archer case, which involved the city, was cited as authority. "While the city of Los Angeles may, by constitutional authority, exercise both the police power and the power of eminent domain, a flood control district has only the authority and powers specifically delegated to it by the Legislature. In this particular instance the flood control district of Los Angeles County may exercise only the power of eminent domain and, by reason of the 1953 amendment to the act as heretofore set forth, the required relocation of certain enumerated facilities by the district is considered by the Legislature to be an exercise of its power of eminent domain and the owner of the facility must be compensated for such relocation. It is only where the state, or one of its political subdivisions having the right to exercise the police power, is involved that the so-called “twilight zone” *345comes into play and the heretofore quoted language from the Archer case is pertinent. In the case at bar, as in the House and O’Hara eases, a political subdivision, the Los Angeles Flood Control District, is involved and it is emphatically pointed out that the Los Angeles Flood Control District has no right to exercise the police power of the state inasmuch as the Legislature has not seen fit to so authorize it in the act which created it and the amendments thereto.
The 1953 amendment to the act was not an “unnecessary” legislative act as intimated in the majority opinion. The purpose thereof was to make certain that a required relocation of certain facilities by the district was part of its eminent domain power. While the language therein specifically requiring compensation to be paid therefor might be considered unnecessary in view of the constitutional requirement that just compensation be paid for the taking of private property, under the reasoning of the majority it was obviously necessary-—even if, under the holding here, quite futile.
I recently prepared a concurring opinion upholding the right of the city of Los Angeles to require a utility company to relocate its facilities without compensation to make way for a sewer line which the city was installing in a public street or road (Southern Calif. Gas Co. v. City of Los Angeles, 50 Cal.2d 713 [329 P.2d 289]). In said opinion I stated that under the authorities the city was performing a governmental function and was exercising the police power granted to it by the Constitution of this state. It should be perfectly clear from that opinion that the rule announced in the majority opinion there cannot be relied upon in support of the position of the plaintiff here, as neither the Constitution nor the statutes of this state purport to give the plaintiff any of the power exercised by the city in that case.
In my opinion the judgment of the trial court in favor of defendant and cross-complainant, Southern California Edison Company, should be affirmed.