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The Gaines emerge as GOP heroes
CORRECTED VERSION Steven Greenhut: The redevelopment lobby — those various corporate-welfare types, bond dealers, consultants, advocates for central planning, assorted bureaucrats and other enemies of property rights — got a pretty good scare yesterday after the Legislature voted by a simple majority to eliminate the agencies (AB26x), even though they also approved a measure that would allow the agencies to live again (AB27x) provided they reimburse various agencies for the money they divert. The governor vetoed the budget bill, but it’s unclear right now what this means for redevelopment. Apparently, these bills have not been sent to the governor yet, and we’re still checking. Republicans had been saving redevelopment, thus proving that their limited-government rhetoric is nothing more than rhetoric. Previous legislation requiring elimination on a two-thirds vote failed. But the bills came up on a simple-majority vote given that the appropriations elements were stripped out of them. We got to see some GOP clowns in action. Don Wagner was first and foremost of these as a previous post points out. He wanted it both ways. He argued against redevelopment but in favor of saving the agencies and then tried to conceal his vote to avoid political consequences. We saw some foolish Democrats also. Lou Correa of Santa Ana always complains about redevelopment and eminent domain abuse, but when push came to shove, he refused to support the vote. But we also saw some heroes. Sen. Ted Gaines, R-Roseville, provided the swing vote in the Senate. There were no other GOP heroes in the Senate. At least there is one conservative conscience there. In the Assembly, GOPers who voted to end these central planning, welfare-doling, eminent-domain-abusing agencies were Chris Norby, Jim Nielsen, Beth Gaines, Dan Logue and Allan Mansoor. The list of Republicans who actually act on their stated principles is very short, but at least there are some people on that list. Look to them for the future of the party. The redevelopment edifice is crumbling, and may have even crumbled. Stay tuned.
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May 23, 2012
“The governor vetoed the bill, thus sparing redevelopment…”
This is incorrect. He has not yet taken action on this measure. Only the budget has been vetoed so far.
Are you saying my area’s hack and CalWatchdog favorite Diane Harkey voted to save redevelopment? Say its not so.
Sure hope so. “Redevelopment” enriches politicians and their contributors while enforcing constituents’ entitlement mentality. “Affordable housing” too often turns into dilapidated gulags.
These bills aren’t reform. No money goes back to taxpayers. All they do is save the State from having to cut its budget by taking money from localities. Is that really your cause? Are you really pimps for State labor unions?
You don’t like redevelopment. That’s fine. But, don’t carry that message under the limited government banner. These bills don’t limit government. They just shift money/government from local control to State control.
Here’s a better cause than your Big Government “reform”— keep redevelopment in place to give incentives to attract business (its the only incentive we have in this state), but return 1/2 of the tax increment to taxpayers in the form of a property tax cut. Make taxpayers partners with redevelopment. Then, eliminate every agency of the State that’s not required by the constitution and eliminate the income tax to be reinstituted only if approved by voters as part of a plan to reconstruct State government from scratch. Start all over.
You Big Government types would hate that idea. You’d rather feather the nest of State labor unions by taking money from localities. The only watchdog you serve is for the State labor unions.