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Redevelopment In California

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In his article, the author is defining Redevelopment in California as a financing mechanism that let cities float debt and shower the proceeds on "blighted" areas — morphed into a scheme for transferring downtown properties to developers, and eventually a means for suburban cities to subsidize auto malls and shopping centers.
According to the state budget, redevelopment was diverting 12 percent of the state's budget from traditional public services toward "economic development" projects. Governor Brown shut them down to find cash during a budget crisis. But now that the short-term budget problems are fixed, the legislature is rebuilding the whole redevelopment edifice, however, the author argues that the capitol’s main focus is money not …show more content…

But the usual business groups are on the record favoring the bill. "Communities across California are searching for new tools to replace the loss of redevelopment agencies, which were intended to revitalize urban cores and build affordable housing, especially in those areas most economically and physically disadvantaged," according to letter from a wide coalition of business and trade groups that favor redevelopment. Moreover, the new paradigm is different than the old redevelopment approach. Newly created agencies can no longer unilaterally grab "property tax increment" from counties, fire authorities and school districts. That reduces the incentive for cities to create these districts given that their own budgets must sustain the new debt spending.

There's a public process before a redevelopment district is created. Members of the community will be on a panel overseeing the project. There's a mechanism to put the project to a vote and to shut down the agency at 10-year intervals. Opponents are skeptical these protections are anything more than window dressing given the project's influential supporters will make sure the "right" locals are on the oversight board.
In conclusion, this article’s main focus is the redevelopment process in California as the nations urban-renewal efforts were taking hold, including California’s own version of it. As riots spread across the nation, planners sought to revive inner cities with massive public investments as modern housing complexes-while wiping away-dilapidated

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