Redevelopment on the Chopping Block?

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Dear Friends, I just returned for my first full legislative term here in Sacramento, having gained valuable experience serving for the past 10 months since the special election. One announced reform I can embrace is the new governor’s goal of abolishing redevelopment agencies and restoring their funds to counties and schools. As a longtime critic of these agencies, I’ve been called by numerous media outlets and colleagues on issues related to this little understood level of government.

Redevelopment agencies capture 12% of all property taxes statewide-that’s $6 billion annually diverted from school districts, counties and municipal police and fire protection. The funds are largely spent subsidizing private development projects whose promoters acquire land under threat of eminent domain, while 20% pays for low income housing projects.

The government should not be in the business of subsidizing private developers, nor of building housing projects. That’s the job of the private sector. This money needs to be restored to pay for infrastructure and services. Public money should build classrooms, not Costcos.

The agencies cannot be closed, however, until their nearly $100 billion indebtedness is paid off, but a phase-out over time could start, and long-evaded sunset clauses enforced.

While the legislature requires me to be in Sacramento on a weekly basis through June, I’ll keep regular district office hours every Friday. Visit or call 714-672-4734. I’m there for you.

11 Replies to “Redevelopment on the Chopping Block?”

  2. as a tax payer, my gratitude for ending government sponsored enterprises that unfairly compete with the private sector by using the private sector’s taxes. I hope you stay in office long enough to win the war on government obesity

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  4. Thank God the city council didn’t just vote to borrow millions of dollars without letting the citizens vote on it. Oh wait…

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  6. A brain surgeon from Anaheim Hills removed all the fat from Hairbag Sidhu’s cranium. It was completely hollow.

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  7. I’m not getting this. The Leg. can’t erase bonded indebtedness, and property tax increment is used to pay off the debt.

    The 20% low/mod housing requirements can be removed by the Leg., but good luck with that! Still when it comes down to either their cherished programs or their regimes existence the Dem pols will push their “poor” clients and their house-acrats under the bus.

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  8. Assemblyman Norby: Thank you for your service. Your knowledge on topics from someone like yourself who was once in the classroom as a teacher requires necessary “Education” to the Sacramento political elites!

    Keep up the good work 🙂

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  9. “Public money should build classrooms, not Costcos.”

    Norby starts 2011 with one of the great lines of the year!

    Reply

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