The Case Against Redevelopment Agencies

An article in City Journal praises Governor Jerry Brown's efforts to defund California's redevelopment agencies at a time when the state faces a $26 billion deficit. The author writes that the agencies are wasteful and ineffective.

1 minute read

April 26, 2011, 8:00 AM PDT

By Victor Negrete

From article by Steven Greenhut at City Journal:

"In theory, RDAs spearhead blight removal. In fact, they divert billions of dollars from traditional services, such as schools, parks, and firefighting; use eminent domain to seize property for favored developers; and run up California's debt to pay those developers to construct projects of dubious public value, such as stadiums and big-box stores."

"The lesson: deregulation and private enterprise work better than central planning. Developers don't need subsidies and eminent domain to build in older cities; they need the relaxation of burdensome government rules and a reduction in taxes, which tend to be higher in urban cores. And they need the freedom to develop their own plans, rather than blueprints from city-hall planners."

FULL STORY: California's Secret Government

Tuesday, April 19, 2011 in City Journal

Community / Economic Development Government / Politics History / Preservation Infrastructure Urban Development United States California Urban Redevelopment; California; Lobbies; Government Agencies; Economic Development View More

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