SUISUN CITY, Calif. — The Suisun City Redevelopment Agency this week sent $1.278 million in local funds to the Solano County Auditor as the second installment in it’s share of the $2.05 billion State raid passed by the State Legislature in 2009.
Redevelopment agencies across California were required to forward $350 million on May 10 to cover the State’s obligations to trial courts. Last year, redevelopment agencies paid a total of $1.7 billion to cover State budget spending.
In 2010, the Suisun City Redevelopment Agency paid $5.7 million to the State.
The California Redevelopment Association has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of ABX4-26, the State budget trailer bill passed in July 2009 as that authorized the $2.05 billion raid of local redevelopment funds to use for State purposes. The lawsuit is under appeal at the Court of Appeals.
“Losing this money is challenging. The proposed elimination of redevelopment by the Governor, is even worse. These actions by the State cripple our ability to build and expand our City’s economy,” said City Manager Suzanne Bragdon. “By taking our local funds, the State is not only harming us, but is likewise hindering the overall economic recovery of the State. Redevelopment is the State’s economic development engine.”
Suisun City uses redevelopment funds generated by the success of our revitalization efforts to pay for programs and support the establishment of new businesses and jobs such as
- Hampton Inn & Suites on the Waterfront
- Harbor Square – a mixed use project of restaurants, entertainment venues and office space
- First-Time Homebuyer Program and Neighborhood Reinvestment Program
- Suisun City Library.
This payment comes at a time when Gov. Jerry Brown wants to abolish redevelopment agencies altogether. A broad coalition of local government, business and labor has successfully fought the proposal and, thus far, the Governor has failed to garner enough votes. The coalition warns that abolishing redevelopment agencies would result in the loss of more than 300,000 private-sector jobs and billions in economic activity annually statewide.
“Redevelopment is a vital tool to create local jobs, reduce crime, build affordable housing, clean up contaminated toxic sites, and otherwise transform rundown, blighted communities in need,” said John Shirey, executive director, California Redevelopment Association. “Redevelopment is one of the only tools local governments have to put people to work. Continued State raids of local funds are not only illegal, but they make no fiscal sense at a time when we should be emphasizing job-creation.”
For more information about the Governor’s proposal and the coalition fighting to stop this illegal and fiscally reckless proposal visit www.ProtectOurLocalEconomy.com.
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