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By JEREMY HAY
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Officials in Sonoma County struggled Thursday to gauge the local impact of a state Supreme Court ruling that upheld the state’s elimination of redevelopment agencies.
“There’s more questions than answers right now,” said Gabe Gonzalez, city manager in Rohnert Park, which stands to lose about $1.5 million a year in general-fund revenues as a result of the ruling.
Uncertainty remained about the ruling’s implications, especially to redevelopment projects already under way, including in Roseland, Boyes Hot Springs and a swath of Santa Rosa that takes in Coddingtown mall, Railroad Square, a chunk of downtown, the West End, South Park and Apple Valley.
The court’s decision spurred overwhelmingly negative reactions from officials at agencies that earmark redevelopment money for special projects, often using it to leverage private investment.
It “is the worst of all the possible scenarios,” said Dave Gouin, Santa Rosa’s director of economic development and housing.
“It potentially does a great deal of damage to affordable housing,” for which 20 percent of all redevelopment property tax revenue is set aside, said John Lowry, executive director of Burbank Housing, a Santa Rosa-based nonprofit developer.
But schools officials, who hope revenue that has been going to the agencies will flow their way instead, greeted Thursday’s decision warmly.
“That money was being siphoned off from local schools,” said county schools superintendent Steve Herrington. “It’s beneficial to us that (the) agencies are no longer funded. It’s going to have a long-term positive effect.”
The 85-page ruling said the state can legally abolish redevelopment agencies, a move Gov. Jerry Brown took to help fix a budget deficit.
The court also said the state couldn’t permit agencies to continue operating if they shared a portion of their property tax revenue with the state, a compromise the state legislature had reached. Some agencies said that provision amounted to a requirement that they pay a ransom to the state.
California’s redevelopment agencies and cities had challenged the state’s actions. According to the state Redevelopment Association, the agencies control $5 billion in annual tax revenue.
The ruling could effectively shut down the redevelopment agencies maintained by the county and its nine cities. Together those 10 agencies took in roughly $70 million last year in property tax revenue meant to create affordable housing and make other improvements in areas defined as blighted.
Sonoma County has three such areas, Roseland, the Springs area of Sonoma Valley and the Russian River. The ruling will hit them hard, said Kathleen Kane, executive director of the Community Development Commission, the county’s redevelopment agency.
“It means a loss of $7 million into communities that really do need work in affordable housing, infrastructure and economic development,” Kane said.
In Roseland, where residents have for years been working to refashion a largely derelict shopping center into a community shopping, housing and plaza area, the ruling prompted new concerns.
“This is a whole other thing that we now have to understand the ramifications of,” said Magdalena Ridley, a neighborhood resident and member of the Roseland Redevelopment Project Area task group.
The Community Development Commission in April bought half the shopping center for $3.5 million. While differences over the project’s form remain, the purchase had been seen as a big step forward.
The state’s approach to disbanding the agencies “does seem to give us some flexibility” in regards to pursuing projects that are under way or for which the agency has contracted with other agencies for work, Kane said.
“But it’s not clear how we can exercise that,” she said. “Whether those ongoing projects, especially in Roseland and Highway 12 in the Springs are allowed to continue will make a huge difference into how much impact (the ruling) will have.”
Redevelopment agencies, established in 1945, raise money through property taxes and bond sales. Supporters say they have been key to creating jobs and revitalizing rundown and struggling areas, mostly in urban areas.
Critics, though, have said monies often have been spent on nonessential projects while benefiting developers and sucking money from local governments and particularly, schools.
“Although we don’t have a firm number on it yet, we’re comfortable saying it will be more than $1 billion for schools this year,” said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the state Department of Finance.
One expert, though, said no one won in the ruling.
“The Supreme Court managed to do something that no one asked them to do, which hurt the state, hurt economic development, violated the intent of the state legislature, and did not provide a dime to school kids,” said Murray Kane, a Los Angeles attorney who specializes in redevelopment law. “It’s pretty amazing.”
Kane said the additional monies school districts will get from property tax revenue will be offset as the state cuts back on what it has been giving them.
Just as the state’s action to disband the agencies led to political fights and lawsuits, so too will the court’s actions, Kane and others said.
“There are many, many questions about its applicability which are unanswered, so they have managed to also generate a massive amount of litigation in the future,” Kane said.
In Rohnert Park, Gonzalez said, “We’ll be working with our legislators to see if they can pass some emergency legislation to undo” the law abolishing the agencies.
“I don’t think we’re at the end of the story,” said Lowry of Burbank Housing.
You can reach Staff Writer Jeremy Hay at 521-5212 or jeremy.hay@pressdemocrat.com.
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Weirdly, I am a pro-Union person and a conservative. Unfortunately, Ms. Maldonado is typical of the union leadership today. Can you get a phone call back from any of your “business agents” if there is a conflict at work?
Nope.
Can Unions help you not get fired or suspended?
Nope.
If Lisa and the Unions would focus more on actually helping the “membership” instead of bleating on the PD, Twitter, Facebook & the like that would be a great thing.
What Unions do today is lobby Sacramento, Washington DC and organize rallies. That is all they do. Due to this horrible attitude (and it’s been about 3 decades that this stuff has been going on) they are going to be out of existence. Union members don’t like their Unions anymore. Unions don’t do anything for the working classes anymore.
Lisa – heed what I say. You will be out of a job and the high pay you get soon enough. And it’s no one’s fault but your own. Get in there and actually help people or else you will hang on your own petard. You help no one. No one.
I’ve heard the term; union thug.
Why not a thug-ette?
@RC – yes, I was forgetting about the portion that does go to general funds. I couldn’t find the amount for Santa Rosa, but in non-redevelopment incorporated areas in 1997/98, the shares were: cities (16%), counties (18%), special districts (10%) and schools (56%). Based on these numbers, the city would lose control of 84% (74% if you include special districts) of the money from City redevelopment areas, and the 56% that goes to schools would then be used by the state to balance its budget, unless they decide to give extra money to the schools.
.
http://www.californiacityfinance.com/PropTaxShares.pdf
When the City started our 1100 acre ‘redevelopment’ project in ’06 I beleive there wasn’t a blight issue, there was an affordability issue.
Blight:
‘A combination of circumstances so prevelant, as to never attract economic investment without government intervention’.
LOL.The biggest detriment to economic investment at the time was that most of the area was too expensive (desireable).
Without oppressive ‘down zoning’, land use, pre-redevelopment shananigans, the town would have realized a LOT more private, Free Market redevelopment all on it’s own.
THAT’S what redevelopment stands for; picking winners and losers, which is the definition of fascism.
It’s getting to be a full-time job refuting Lisa Maldonado. If I were a dues-paying member of SEIU/North Bay Labor Council I’d want to know why my dues were going to pay for her to post on here all day and attack those of us who are working for the citizens of Santa Rosa–for free.
Rather than focus on poor Lisa, I’d like to thank the hundreds of small business people and local citizens who supported our lawsuit to stop the huge Gateways Redevelopment Project here in Santa Rosa. During that fight, which went to the SF Appellate Court in 2009, we saw the tactics used by the City of Santa Rosa to try and push through a project designed to benefit cronies. They used fraudulent data, tried to wreck our referendum efforts by publishing a fake ordinance in the PD, accused me (while I was on the Gateways Redevelopment Project Area Committee) of a Brown Act violation that I didn’t do in an effort to get me removed from the committee, spread false information about the Santa Rosa Neighborhood Coalition, tried to take over our meetings, the list goes on.
Your government at work. Gary Wysocky even went to people in our group and said that Kay and I were not trustworthy and should be avoided. The PD solicited and printed quotes from people who were willing to say that we were untrustworthy. And of course, Ms. Maldonado is always willing to attack.
This kind of behavior is despicable. Santa Rosans will not stand for it. Now the truth about Redevelopment is acknowledged by the courts and no amount of lying rhetoric by Redevelopment boosters will change that.
Congratulations, California. Now let’s stop Redevelopment across the nation.
Rosa Koire, ASA
Steering Committee
Santa Rosa Neighborhood Coalition
RE: Lisa Maldonado –
“She was wrong. She misspoke. She was in error. She made a mistake. She told an untruth. ”
“Just to correct one of the (numerous) lies posted here by Rose Koire.”
So, which is it? If someone ‘misspoke’ or was ‘in error’ or ‘made a mistake’, that’s not the same thing as then accusing someone of telling an untruth and calling them a liar. And it’s a rather interesting comment from you, since I’ve read plenty of your ‘opinions’ and ‘comments’ that you state as ‘fact’ that are anything but.
Regarding your comment “… is such an affront to your delicate sensibilities, then may I suggest you do what I do when I see your posts-roll your eyes, curse under your breath and move on…in fact you can just not read them if you like.”
Taking issue with you for calling people a ‘liar’ has nothing to do with my ‘delicate sensibilities’; it’s taking issue with you for your lack of respect and professionallism with people here expressing their opinion or what they believe are facts as they see it.
Hopefully you don’t spend much time wondering why people don’t respect you, SEIU and cast unions in such a negative light. As unions continue on down the slippery slope, headed to oblivion, everyone can say ‘thank-you to Lisa’ and other union reps that can’t show any respect.
As for your comment …”then may I suggest you do what I do when I see your posts-roll your eyes” and curse… is that something you learned in a ‘How to act like a Professional’ training seminar at SEIU? It hurts me to think that my union dues I used to pay went to your salary. What a waste…
And now, your welcome!
Hang on the Redevel Agencies are rising back up from this ruling to take our money.
Of course the PD is on it. Wait. Well, it MIGHT be on it in a week or two. Meanwhile darlings look at how the Dems are going to help the millionaires get our tax dollars again at the LAT.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-redevelopment-20120101,0,1974316,full.
LBR,
No doubt this will get complicated, but an end to redevelopment agencies should benefit the general fund of most cities. As it now stands, redevelopment money is diverted from schools and local govt general funds to benefit, usually, downtown urban renewal.
When undone, that money will return property tax money to its original distribution formula. The benefit to the state is that less state money will be needed for schools, etc., because they’ll now get their full share of property taxes.
@Let’s be reasonable, If you had even a rudimentary understanding of redevelopment you would know that the city’s General Fund will increase by ending redevelopment. You claim that all increases in property taxes are attributable to redevelopment projects in a redevelopment area. That is incorrect. Property taxes generally increase on all properties whether or not they are located in a redevelopment area. With redevelopment, huge areas of town are declared blighted and all the property tax increases are scraped off by redevelopment agencies whether or not any redevelopment projects have been built. Most properties are not redeveloped. That fallacy was discussed at length in the State legislature during the debates they had prior to their decision to end redevelopment. You must have missed those debates.
A State audit revealed that for every two dollars of redevelopment money spent, only one dollar of additional revenue was created. That’s 50% waste. On top of that, the supposedly wonderful affordable housing projects pay no property taxes at all and are a drain on city revenues.
Affordable housing also receives funding from the state’s low-income housing tax credits, a dollar for dollar tax credit that is refunded to investors of affordable housing.
Property taxes that have been siphoned off for redevelopment come at the expense of the city’s general fund, the county general fund and the state General fund. The State’s action benefitted the state but also all the other agencies that were losing money. You should read REDEVELOPMENT THE UNKNOWN GOVERNMENT so you will understand exactly how the money is distributed between government agencies and how that funding will be restored now that redevelopment is dead.
To Let’s Be Reasonable;
redevelopment doesn’t innocently pick up where the area’s economy left off.
It sabotages, violates and crashes the traditional (Constitutional) model to make room for subsidized Smart Growth and a model FILLED with stinky deals, eminent domain, and broken dreams.
It tears at the fabric of the Free Market, Capitalism, and real estate speculation.
The whole municipal dynamic is reduced to a relationship of fascist conveinience.
To hell with all the citizens who were there for years, speculated and stuck it out.
To hell with their American Dream.
Affordable areas provide opportunity, neighborhoods go through natural cycles.
Cycles of decline and the affordable opportunities that are provided.
Business people with ideas redevelop.
Besides RARELY are redevelopment areas genuinely ‘blighted’.
Leave us alone and set the Free Market free.
Oh yeah, and…FIX THE POT HOLES.
For starters, Burbank Housing is a scam.
They build slums that the “owners” never really own.
Big Govt is their landlord.
For a glimpse of how that turns out, see Cabrini Green in Chicago.
Second, if the derelict shopping center needs to be revitalized, try capitalism rather than Big Govt as a cure.
If the neighborhood stinks, no developer except Big Govt would want to invest a dime there.
Turn around the neighborhood one neighbor at a time, and capitalists will risk their $$ investing in new businesses.
Clean up the trash; rat out the dope dealers; haul off the wrecks; burn down the irreparable houses; walk the streets armed in the evening; etc.
No-one is to blame for a crappy community other than the residents.
When residents spend more on rims, tatoos and malt liquor than on lawnmowers and swingsets, the outcome is predictable.
@Kay – I’m a General Fund employee. If I thought this would bring new money for the General Fund, I would be all for it. Why would the State governor suggest this if it were not going to bring new money to the State!? He is doing this to help balance the State budget, pure and simple. The money being redirected to Redevelopment Agencies comes from NEW tax revenue that would not be there if not for the redevelopment investment resulting in higher property values.
Redevelopment boosters should stop misrepresenting what ending redevelopment will do. The counties will see a big increase in their general funds. The cities will see significant revenue increases in their general funds. As everyone knows, both counties and cities are having enormous budget problems. Ending redevelopment helps by re-directing these property tax revenues back into the funds from which they have been taken. And yes, the State will not have to pay for the money that the schools were losing.
Most of the areas that were declared blighted were not really blighted at all but were mostly areas that had older small businesses. In some cases, whole communities were displaced to make way for things like big box retail and apartment buildings. And sports stadiums and car dealerships. And the new stuff they built was subsidized by bonds that usually take about 30 years to pay off. Redevelopment went on the credit card, so to speak, and it will take decades to pay off all those loans. About $98 Billion in loans still have to be paid. Only then will redevelopment be truly closed out and full funding restored to the general funds.
The Santa Rosa Area Business Association that sued Santa Rosa held them off for 3 years and then Governor Brown ended the entire debacle. If Redevelopment agencies hadn’t again been so greedy and sued the State, they would still be in business right now. But the State Supreme Court upheld ending redevelopment but struck down the legislation that would have allowed its continuance. They shot themselves in the foot.
Lisa Maldonado is bitter about losing union jobs as a result of this and the labor unions were solidly in support of redevelopment like Rosa said. It wasn’t until Governor Brown along with many democratic legislators tried to eliminate redevelopment that the unions became lukewarm about it. Lise Maldonado knows this but she will say anything to try to smear her adversaries.
Cities and counties should be cheering because of the revenue increases to their general funds. Now there will be much more money going for basic services that help everyone instead of cash subsidies going to the large well-connected developers. The last thing we need right now is more high-density housing and retail spaces. There’s a glut of both right now and vacancies all over. We need to fill all the empty space we have now before investing anymore of our tax dollars on new development. I’d rather have the more interesting diverse small mom and pops any day over the so-called smart growth stack and pack pork projects.
Eminent domain where they take property and give it or sell it to someone else is dead. Now, property owners will not have that threat hanging over their heads making them reluctant to invest in their properties. With redevelopment out of the way the free market will thrive. This is a time for small business owners and all property owners to celebrate.
Mr Sorentino, I merely corrected one of the many lies Rose Koire posts constantly. I am very sorry that my manner of correcting her was offensive to you. The NBLC does NOT take a position of support on redevelopment. Rose said we did. She was wrong. She misspoke. She was in error. She made a mistake. She told an untruth. Are any of those better? If not and my posting of the correct information about the Labor organization that I am employed by and that Ms Koire knows nothing about is such an affront to your delicate sensibilities, then may I suggest you do what I do when I see your posts-roll your eyes, curse under your breath and move on…in fact you can just not read them if you like.
Your Welcome
Lisa
RE: Lisa Maldonado – “Ms Koire should stick to subjects she is well-versed in like Agenda 21 and ICLEI and other delusional issues of interest to the tin foil hat brigade.”
Not surprised to see that Ms. Maldonado still shows no respect to others that she doesn’t agree with. Lisa is one of the few people that post that I wish I could turn on the ‘hide comments’ here so I would never seen any of her posts/comments.
As an ex-county employee, I know her and others at SEIU and wish just one time during my tenure with the county I could make a positive comment about their views and endeavors… but I can’t. They spend way too much time saying ‘look at me’ and not stepping back and looking at the big picture. Maybe it’s a normal pattern for union employees to be obnoxious, always drawing attention to themselves and stepping on others. Lisa gets an ‘A’ in my book if that’s her goal.
Hey Lisa… you’ve still got time to make some New Year’s resolutions. You can fight your fight and still show respect to others; you’ll get what you give.
Really?
The most important thing I ever learned about reasoned debate was for all to reveal their background – in some modest and unidentifiable way. NOT so anyone knows who you are (unless you’re running for office), but so we can cut through most of the ideology.
These boards would be useful AND patriotic if we could use them to hammer out any productive compromise.
In this spirit I’ve tried to make it clear where I’ve come from. Whatever your positions, you have to deal with folks who hold other opinions.
If we can’t do this, we’re wasting time here.
Happy New Year.
…things would be a lot better.
Lisa Maldanado, you called the head of the most prolific, accomplished citizen’s group in the whole County a lier in a public forum.
The most active activist, the most response-able citizen we have.
The most investigative, tireless citizen/Civil Rights advocate around.
The North Bay Labor Council HAS colluded with oppressive ICLEI crap.
For example;
The MANDATORY ‘Green Building Retrofit Program’. Check it out.
http://www.santarosaneighborhoodcoalition.com/green-building.html
It would have provided for expensive inspections and ‘green’ upgrades prior to anything with any property in Sonoma County. No selling, no improvement permits, nothing.
Wouldn’t matter if your home was on the cover of ‘Green Living’ Magazine the month before.
It would have provided HUGE MONEY to local UNIONS, for this unconstitutional MANDATORY property rights molestation though (owners can’t do the work).
That’s why your cohort Micheal Allen was more than complicit.
That could be why Rosa isn’t on your Christmas card list.
It would currently be A DONE DEAL if not for the tireless investigation and activism of the Santa Rosa Neighborhood Coalition.
SOMEONE had to tell the citizens what the City was up to!
SRNC did, they lodged a flier campaign that made Susan Gorin’s phone light up.
The City dropped it thanks to the Coalition’s efforts, but word has it their gonna take another run at it.
There are other significant examples of union collusion too-upon request.
The town would be in a much worse financial (bankrupt?) situation right now if not for SRNC. More of all the dark baggage that goes along with redevelopment.
Redevelopment leaves sad stories and financial hardship in it’s wake.
During the three year period that SRNC tied up our huge redevelopment project in court, the bond market dried up. Subsequently, the ‘Gateways’ project lost a lot of it’s teeth.
We know who you work for.
Tens of thousands know who Rosa works for…us.
Lisa, I would have used one of your pseudonyms for that last character ass-assination.
The CITY was trying to sneak that one through too without a vote or legitimate notification.
IF we had more Rosa Koire’s around
@Bear, while I agree with much of what you say, I can’t this time. I think a person’s background matters less than their argument. Like you say at the end – Let’s have a real debate based on facts.
@ bear
If you lived in California you might have some credibility trying to discredit people making important points.
Otherwise hold you comments to things you know something about like retirement.
I got your new rules right here.
New Rules 2:
If you’re going to plagiarize that smarmy twerp Bill Maher, have the integrity to quote your pernicious source.
If you’re going to set the rules for this board, send the PD your resume, and get hired as the new moderator.
If you’re going to insist on providing credentials to support your posts, you first, starting with a name.
Wow, Mr Bear!
Has the Shirley Zane disease infected you?
She thinks we should all give deeply personal info before we speak to Her Highness. That way her leftist goons and Union thugs can intimidate us after we leave her hallowed halls.
You seem to say our opinions have no merit unless we disclose our occupation; education; income; property and heritage.
If only you had had that same curiousity when O’Bamalama was running in 2008.
I’ll try to be clear.
Fuggedaboutit!
Our anonymity is our only protection from your friends in the Occupy Mob(also known as registered Democrats)as they make the political personal and threaten our kids and our lives.
Have a real nice new year yourself, as your party exits the WhiteHouse, Senate, House, etc.
New Rules.
-If you’re going to take a position, you should give us some reason to credit your opinions. Any reason will do.
-You should reveal, in some general way, something about your education and background. Such as “I have multiple degrees, a family trust fund and own a vineyard.” Or any other background you have.
-If you’re operating on pure ideology, you should say so. Ayn Rand? Rush? Rachel Maddow?
Point is, your opinions carry no weight unless you reveal this stuff.
I’m tired of wasting time here. Let’s have a real debate based on facts.
Happy Christmas and a Better New Year.
Redevelopment boosters should stop misrepresenting what ending redevelopment will do. The counties will see a big increase in their general funds. The cities will see significant revenue increases in their general funds. As everyone knows, both counties and cities are having enormous budget problems. Ending redevelopment helps by re-directing these property tax revenues back into the funds from which they have been taken. And yes, the State will not have to pay for the money that the schools were losing.
Most of the areas that were declared blighted were not really blighted at all but were mostly areas that had older small businesses. In some cases, whole communities were displaced to make way for things like big box retail and apartment buildings. And sports stadiums and car dealerships. And the new stuff they built was subsidized by bonds that usually take about 30 years to pay off. Redevelopment went on the credit card, so to speak, and it will take decades to pay off all those loans. About $98 Billion in loans still have to be paid. Only then will redevelopment be truly closed out and full funding restored to the general funds.
The Santa Rosa Area Business Association that sued Santa Rosa held them off for 3 years and then Governor Brown ended the entire debacle. If Redevelopment agencies hadn’t again been so greedy and sued the State, they would still be in business right now. But the State Supreme Court upheld ending redevelopment but struck down the legislation that would have allowed its continuance. They shot themselves in the foot.
Lisa Maldonado is bitter about losing union jobs as a result of this and the labor unions were solidly in support of redevelopment like Rosa said. It wasn’t until Governor Brown along with many democratic legislators tried to eliminate redevelopment that the unions became lukewarm about it. Lise Maldonado knows this but she will say anything to try to smear her adversaries.
Cities and counties should be cheering because of the revenue increases to their general funds. Now there will be much more money going for basic services that help everyone instead of cash subsidies going to the large well-connected developers. The last thing we need right now is more high-density housing and retail spaces. There’s a glut of both right now and vacancies all over. We need to fill all the empty space we have now before investing anymore of our tax dollars on new development. I’d rather have the more interesting diverse small mom and pops any day over the so-called smart growth stack and pack pork projects.
Eminent domain where they take property and give it or sell it to someone else is dead. Now, property owners will not have that threat hanging over their heads making them reluctant to invest in their properties. With redevelopment out of the way the free market will thrive. This is a time for small business owners and all property owners to celebrate.
Just to correct one of the (numerous) lies posted here by Rose Koire. The North Bay Labor Council does NOT have a position of support on Redevelopment. We have supported individual community projects at various times in the past that were good for working people. Some unions have supported Governor Brown’s ending of redevelopment and some opposed. We took no position. The fact that Ms. Koire often chooses to speak about labor unions and their interests, values and positions is unfortunate since these are but one of the many subjects she knows nothing about. Anyone interested in finding out about the labor movement and it’s positions can check with the State Federation of Labor or the AFL-CIO. Ms Koire should stick to subjects she is well-versed in like Agenda 21 and ICLEI and other delusional issues of interest to the tin foil hat brigade.
HALLELUJAH!!
The municipal, fiscal, unconstitutional tapeworm that is redevelopment has been dealt a major blow to say the least.
Redevelopment is so wrong, on so many different levels.
Time to slay another vampire.
There are many, I wish some garlic or a cross would defend against what’s coming down.
It sure would be helpful if our public officials were in the people’s corner.
Santa came a little late this year, and was dressed in black, but taxpayers could not have gotten a better Christmas present than to see their hard-earned property tax dollars rescued from the clutches of redevelopment agencies from Crescent City to San Diego. It will be delightful to see gaggles of city planners behind the counter of McDonalds, where they will finally have to pay attention what working people actually want.
It might be too early to start next year’s wish list, but I’m hoping for permanent bans of the following terms that no planner can utter a sentence without: “Vibrant. Walkable. Dark-Sky Compliant. Mixed-Use. Traffic Calming. Smart Growth. Urban Infill.” In fact, I feel them fading out of sight already.
Such a group of Christians here!
I propose that each of you volunteer some curb space for a homeless family in an RV. Otherwise, where do you wish them to go – in this economy that is your own creation?
Redevelopment – in all its many forms – was certainly abused. Just like private sector abuses those cases should be taken to court. But on the whole, over many decades, it has generated public investment that creates jobs and benefits places that otherwise would have gotten no help at all.
Please submit YOUR ideas for ways to revitalize communities and neighborhoods which get no investment from private sources.
Or should those people and places just rot?
There will be no new funding for schools as a result of this. It will just mean that the State does not need to divert us much to education. It will help balance the State budget, which is good, but it does so by diverting money from local agencies to the State. If you think that is a better place for your money, then go ahead and cheer.
Bravo Rosa Koire & the courts who for ONCE looked out for the taxpayers! Goodbye CORRUPT BS!
Rosa Koire :
Although the Press Democrat did not report on it, surprisingly?, I read that the City of Oakland was quietly, secretly, criminally… using redevelopment funds to pay its police department wages.
So, it is as has been rumored for years and years.
The “re-development” programs were nothing but a scam dreamed up by government to divert tax money from one budget to another while lying to the public that it was for the purpose of fighting “blight.”
Another report that I just read yesterday, also never reported in the Press Democrat, was that the very wealthy city of Coronado, CA (San Diego County) literally qualified for “re-development” funds. A city where the average home price runs a million dollars was claiming that it had to fight “blight.”
Its simple. Government lies to the tax payers.
Remember that at the next election when Gov Jerry Brown tells you he needs more taxes to fund “police and education” while NOT admitting to you that he had a $500 billion dollar un-funded public pension liability that he needs money to pay for.
Government lies. Its disgusting.
That’s fantastic news. Now, maybe there will be money to turn the streetlights back on and fix the potholes. We don’t need anymore overpriced ‘affordable housing’ anyway. Most of the money for affordable housing comes from Community Block Grants from the federal government. So-called affordable housing justs creates more permanently dependant people because they never want to work and risk losing their tax-subsidized housing. If they work they do it for cash in the underground economy.
Don’t listen to the rhetoric of the redevelopment lobbyists. Instead read REDEVELOPMENT THE UNKNOWN GOVERNMENT online. There you will get the miserable facts about how much money is sucked up by redevelopment and wasted. Big cronies are sad today but I’m happy!
Redevelopment became a slush fund from which government funded pet projects and social engineering. Glad to see it gone.
THE REDEVELOPMENT VAMPIRE IS DEAD.
Congratulations to the Institute of Justice law firm and to all of us who have been fighting Redevelopment. The Courts have supported what we have known for years: Redevelopment is a vampire that has been sucking the tax dollars out of our roads, schools, police and fire, hospitals, parks, our general funds and our lives for more than 60 years.
The Santa Rosa Neighborhood Coalition fought the City of Santa Rosa to stop the Gateways Redevelopment Project. Although we lost after a 3 year fight (2006-2009), we feel vindicated by this landmark decision by the California Supreme Court.
Calling over 5 square miles of our city blighted so that money can be diverted to bond brokers and crony developers is wrong. Now the courts have made it crystal clear: The city cannot steal our property tax dollars any longer.
Redevelopment is supported by cronies, by developers, by unions with connections (North Bay Labor Council), lawyers, private consultants, city staffers, the list goes on. All had their hands out for the money train. None had scruples enough to admit that diverting our hard-earned tax dollars into their pockets was wrong. Now the courts have spoken.
Redevelopment is dead.
What’s next? Infrastructure Tax Districts. They don’t have the power of eminent domain but they do have the power to divert transportation tax dollars into the hands of private developers for ‘Smart Growth’. This is what they mean when they say ‘Sustainable Communities.’
Sustainable Development is the Green Mask. Join the fight. Visit our websites for more information.
For the Steering Committee
Rosa Koire, ASA
Santa Rosa Neighborhood Coalition