osoab
8th March 2011, 07:18 PM
MY VOTE COUNTS!CA (http://www.myvotecountsca.org/)
They’re at it again. We vote. The politicians ignore us. Just months ago, voters overwhelmingly passed Prop 22 to stop State theft of our local government funds.
Did they listen? NO.
Any day, Sacramento politicians could vote to raid local city redevelopment funds to cover the State’s budget red ink… robbing billions out of our local communities and killing thousands of jobs. Enough is enough.
It’s time the politicians listened to us. Sign the petition today. Tell the State politicians: MY VOTE COUNTS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msdPceSBk5o&feature=player_embedded
Campaign to Save Redevelopment Agencies Launches (http://www.publicceo.com/index.php/local-governments/151-local-governments-publicceo-exclusive/2660-campaign-to-save-redevelopment-agencies-launches)
The debate over the future of redevelopment has discovered a strong voice, with the launching of the My Vote Counts CA campaign.
A broad coalition of local government, business, labor, community groups and other redevelopment supporters is working to re-engage voters over the next week to stop the State legislature from voting on a budget that raids local government redevelopment funds and violates the state constitution.
In November, voters approved Proposition 22 by an overwhelming majority, hoping to stop State raids of local funds. Despite this clear voter mandate, legislators could vote on a budget this week that ignores the will of the electorate, takes these important local funds, and blatantly violates Prop. 22.
Governor Brown said during his Inauguration that ‘Without the trust of the people, politics degenerates into mere spectacle; and democracy declines, leaving demagoguery and cynicism to fill the void.'
The "MyVoteCountsCA.org" campaign seeks to remind the Governor of his statement by educating and engaging voters. By signing a petition warning the Governor and legislators not to ignore their recent amendment to the constitution in Prop. 22, voters will demand that Sacramento respect the rule of law.
Redevelopment is strongly supported locally by business, labor, affordable housing, environmental, community groups and local officials. Redevelopment creates 304,000 new jobs a year, $40 billion in economic activity statewide and $2 billion in state and local tax revenue. At a time when California's economic recovery is stagnating compared to the rest of the nation, eliminating redevelopment and its job-creating potential is counterproductive.
Get the Facts (http://mlb.msg.com/article/05fY0T276ubhn)
Download a PDF of the facts outlined below here.
As part of its 2011-12 budget proposal, the Administration has proposed permanently shutting down local redevelopment agencies. This proposal represents more of the same misguided and illegal State budget raids of local government funds that voters have repeatedly sought to end. It will bring little financial benefit to the State, but will permanently destroy hundreds of thousands of jobs, billions in local economic activity and a key local tool to meet the state’s infill land-use objectives. A broad coalition of mayors, council members, local governments, business and labor, environmental leaders and affordable housing advocates oppose the State’s attempt to kill local redevelopment. Here’s why:
Proposal Represents More of the Same State Raids of Local Funds that Voters Have Repeatedly and Overwhelmingly Acted to Stop.
* The proposal to kill redevelopment represents the same old budget tactics of raiding local government funds to solve the State’s budget problems.
* In November, more than 5.7 million voters, a resounding 60.7%, voted to pass Prop. 22, to stop the State from taking, borrowing or redirecting local government funds - including local redevelopment.
* Cities and local governments want to work with the State as partners to balance the State budget and in the important effort to realign services to the local level. But this proposal creates a toxic environment that city and other local government officials have no choice but to oppose.
No Financial Gain, Significant Economic Pain.
The State’s own numbers show that killing redevelopment will bring very little financial relief for the State. In fact, after this budget year, the State Department of Finance acknowledges zero State savings from shutting down redevelopment. Redevelopment agencies have more than $87 billion in bond and other contractual obligations that legally must be repaid before revenues are available to any other purpose.
However, killing redevelopment will cause serious and permanent economic damage at the local level. Redevelopment activities:
* Support 304,000 jobs annually, including 170,600 construction jobs.
* Contribute over $40 billion annually to California’s economy in the generation of goods and services.
* Generate more than $2 billion in state and local taxes in a typical year.
Proposal Will Wipe Out a Vital Tool to Meet Infill Land-Use Objectives and to Develop Affordable Housing.
* Eliminating redevelopment will take away one of the few tools local governments have to comply with state requirements to plan for more compact urban development supported by transit-oriented development, housing, jobs and infrastructure. Redevelopment agencies have the experience and tools needed to help implement the requirements of AB 32 and SB 375.
* Redevelopment is also the second largest funder of affordable housing, behind only the federal government. Over 98,000 units of affordable housing have been constructed or rehabilitated since 1993. Twenty percent of property taxes generated from redevelopment activities must be spent on affordable housing.
Proposal is Unconstitutional and Politically Unviable.
* Shutting down redevelopment agencies is a clear violation of multiple State constitutional provisions, including Article XVI, section 16 which requires tax increment to be paid to redevelopment agencies to repay the public cost of redevelopment projects and Article XIII, section 25.5 (Proposition 22 -- passed just last November) which explicitly prohibits the State from taking tax increment from redevelopment agencies.
* Additionally, killing redevelopment could violate the U.S. and California constitutions which prohibit impairment of contracts. Redevelopment agencies have more than $87 billion in contractual bond obligations, and have entered into tens of thousands of contracts with banks, developers and bond houses. The Legislature cannot constitutionally abrogate those contracts or unilaterally substitute a new party to replace the redevelopment agency without the consent of the other parties to the contract.
* Jeopardizing these contractual obligations will shake investor confidence and the creditworthiness of the State and increase state and local bonding and borrowing costs for years to come.
* Lastly, the Administration’s proposal is simply unviable – shutting down 398 agencies, more than 700 project areas, hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in contracts and economic commitments is an ill-advised and politically untenable prospect.
They’re at it again. We vote. The politicians ignore us. Just months ago, voters overwhelmingly passed Prop 22 to stop State theft of our local government funds.
Did they listen? NO.
Any day, Sacramento politicians could vote to raid local city redevelopment funds to cover the State’s budget red ink… robbing billions out of our local communities and killing thousands of jobs. Enough is enough.
It’s time the politicians listened to us. Sign the petition today. Tell the State politicians: MY VOTE COUNTS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msdPceSBk5o&feature=player_embedded
Campaign to Save Redevelopment Agencies Launches (http://www.publicceo.com/index.php/local-governments/151-local-governments-publicceo-exclusive/2660-campaign-to-save-redevelopment-agencies-launches)
The debate over the future of redevelopment has discovered a strong voice, with the launching of the My Vote Counts CA campaign.
A broad coalition of local government, business, labor, community groups and other redevelopment supporters is working to re-engage voters over the next week to stop the State legislature from voting on a budget that raids local government redevelopment funds and violates the state constitution.
In November, voters approved Proposition 22 by an overwhelming majority, hoping to stop State raids of local funds. Despite this clear voter mandate, legislators could vote on a budget this week that ignores the will of the electorate, takes these important local funds, and blatantly violates Prop. 22.
Governor Brown said during his Inauguration that ‘Without the trust of the people, politics degenerates into mere spectacle; and democracy declines, leaving demagoguery and cynicism to fill the void.'
The "MyVoteCountsCA.org" campaign seeks to remind the Governor of his statement by educating and engaging voters. By signing a petition warning the Governor and legislators not to ignore their recent amendment to the constitution in Prop. 22, voters will demand that Sacramento respect the rule of law.
Redevelopment is strongly supported locally by business, labor, affordable housing, environmental, community groups and local officials. Redevelopment creates 304,000 new jobs a year, $40 billion in economic activity statewide and $2 billion in state and local tax revenue. At a time when California's economic recovery is stagnating compared to the rest of the nation, eliminating redevelopment and its job-creating potential is counterproductive.
Get the Facts (http://mlb.msg.com/article/05fY0T276ubhn)
Download a PDF of the facts outlined below here.
As part of its 2011-12 budget proposal, the Administration has proposed permanently shutting down local redevelopment agencies. This proposal represents more of the same misguided and illegal State budget raids of local government funds that voters have repeatedly sought to end. It will bring little financial benefit to the State, but will permanently destroy hundreds of thousands of jobs, billions in local economic activity and a key local tool to meet the state’s infill land-use objectives. A broad coalition of mayors, council members, local governments, business and labor, environmental leaders and affordable housing advocates oppose the State’s attempt to kill local redevelopment. Here’s why:
Proposal Represents More of the Same State Raids of Local Funds that Voters Have Repeatedly and Overwhelmingly Acted to Stop.
* The proposal to kill redevelopment represents the same old budget tactics of raiding local government funds to solve the State’s budget problems.
* In November, more than 5.7 million voters, a resounding 60.7%, voted to pass Prop. 22, to stop the State from taking, borrowing or redirecting local government funds - including local redevelopment.
* Cities and local governments want to work with the State as partners to balance the State budget and in the important effort to realign services to the local level. But this proposal creates a toxic environment that city and other local government officials have no choice but to oppose.
No Financial Gain, Significant Economic Pain.
The State’s own numbers show that killing redevelopment will bring very little financial relief for the State. In fact, after this budget year, the State Department of Finance acknowledges zero State savings from shutting down redevelopment. Redevelopment agencies have more than $87 billion in bond and other contractual obligations that legally must be repaid before revenues are available to any other purpose.
However, killing redevelopment will cause serious and permanent economic damage at the local level. Redevelopment activities:
* Support 304,000 jobs annually, including 170,600 construction jobs.
* Contribute over $40 billion annually to California’s economy in the generation of goods and services.
* Generate more than $2 billion in state and local taxes in a typical year.
Proposal Will Wipe Out a Vital Tool to Meet Infill Land-Use Objectives and to Develop Affordable Housing.
* Eliminating redevelopment will take away one of the few tools local governments have to comply with state requirements to plan for more compact urban development supported by transit-oriented development, housing, jobs and infrastructure. Redevelopment agencies have the experience and tools needed to help implement the requirements of AB 32 and SB 375.
* Redevelopment is also the second largest funder of affordable housing, behind only the federal government. Over 98,000 units of affordable housing have been constructed or rehabilitated since 1993. Twenty percent of property taxes generated from redevelopment activities must be spent on affordable housing.
Proposal is Unconstitutional and Politically Unviable.
* Shutting down redevelopment agencies is a clear violation of multiple State constitutional provisions, including Article XVI, section 16 which requires tax increment to be paid to redevelopment agencies to repay the public cost of redevelopment projects and Article XIII, section 25.5 (Proposition 22 -- passed just last November) which explicitly prohibits the State from taking tax increment from redevelopment agencies.
* Additionally, killing redevelopment could violate the U.S. and California constitutions which prohibit impairment of contracts. Redevelopment agencies have more than $87 billion in contractual bond obligations, and have entered into tens of thousands of contracts with banks, developers and bond houses. The Legislature cannot constitutionally abrogate those contracts or unilaterally substitute a new party to replace the redevelopment agency without the consent of the other parties to the contract.
* Jeopardizing these contractual obligations will shake investor confidence and the creditworthiness of the State and increase state and local bonding and borrowing costs for years to come.
* Lastly, the Administration’s proposal is simply unviable – shutting down 398 agencies, more than 700 project areas, hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in contracts and economic commitments is an ill-advised and politically untenable prospect.