Continuing their excellent coverage of the twists and turns in the California redevelopment saga, CP&DR have run two articles this week providing updates on efforts to navigate a path forward for redevelopment.
As officials across the state continue to struggle with the complexities of the dissolution of redevelopment agencies, Josh Stephens reports on legislative efforts to fund housing and manage the disposal of redevelopment agency assets and the obstacles to moving with a new redevelopment structure.
On the legislative front, Stephens reports on two bills introduced in the state senate, "The first would give cities and successor agencies greater powers to maximize the value of redevelopment agency assets rather than subject them to a 'fire sale.' The second represents a holy grail for many housing advocates: a consistent, dedicated source of funding for affordable housing, to the tune of up to $700 million per year."
On moving forward, Stephens reports on a speech made by one of redevelopment's strongest supporters in the capital, Sen. Alex Padilla, at a conference this week. Padilla provided a bit of candid history by noting that the complete elimination of redevelopment was accidental, "due to legislation...that was crafted hastily and poorly last summer."
Although Padilla is optimistic about the legislature's support for replacing redevelopment, he identified the governor as the biggest potential obstacle, "He got what he wanted," said Padilla. "I don't see the policy pushes and pulls for him to really engage here."
FULL STORY: Padilla: Governor May Be Biggest Obstacle to Redevelopment 2.0
Next Step in California Redevelopment Saga: More Lawsuits
In an effort to seek an 11th hour reprieve from the scheduled elimination of the state's redevelopment agencies, two consortiums of cities have filed lawsuits in Sacramento Superior Court, reports Josh Stephens.
Could Los Angeles Have Made Better Use of Former Redevelopment Funds?
After a state decision to abolish California's redevelopment agencies seven years ago, Los Angeles still received some of that money, directing it to city services instead of affordable housing.
Two Housing Bills Will Exacerbate California's Housing Shortage
SB 35 (Wiener) and AB 199 (Chu) make it more costly to build housing by requiring prevailing wages where applicable, pleasing construction unions but making affordable housing less affordable, opines CALmatters political columnist, Dan Walters.
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Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie