City and County of San Francisco v. Golden Gate Heights Investments

In City and County of San Francisco v. Golden Gate Heights Investments (1993) 14 Cal. App. 4th 1203, the Courtaffirmed a judgment despite the trial court's admission of evidence, over the condemnee's objection, of a city's purchase of neighboring properties. The condemnee contended that the 1987 amendment to section 822(a)(1) applied only to utility property. The court seemed to dismiss this interpretation, stating, "We do not read the statute as so limited. Nor does the condemnee's cited authority so state." ( Id. at p. 1210, citing 1 Matteoni & Veit, Condemnation Practice in Cal. (Cont.Ed.Bar supp. 1992) 9.49, p. 161.) But the court offered no interpretation of its own. Instead it held that any error in the admission of the evidence was harmless. (Ibid.)