OPEN MARTINEZ - Preserve. Promote. Enhance. Unite.

San Diego is on the verge of bankruptcy, partly due to excessive
redevelopment. By my calculations, the City of San Diego's general fund
loses over $50 million annually due to the tax increment diversion scheme.

Our city can no longer provide essential services. They are closing fire
stations. They have shut down units of our police force. They cannot staff or keep libraries open. Our parks are lacking maintenance. Our streets our ridden with potholes. If San Diego could stop redevelopment right now, there would be money to provide for these things. Instead, our leaders look to redevelopment funds to build a new stadium for the Chargers, build a new city hall, build a new downtown central library and fund expansion of our convention center. Anyway, I hope you can use the San Diego example as an argument against Martinez redevelopment. Good luck!

Brian

Brian T. Peterson, DVM
www.GrantvilleActionGroup.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Lara DeLaney [mailto:ldelaney@cityofmartinez.org]
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 5:39 PM
To: Brian T. Peterson, DVM
Subject: RE: Martinez, Just say "No" to a Redevelopment Agency

Thank you for your comments. We have tried a variety of ways to revitalize our downtown, and now we feel we should do what about 422 other cities in California have tried... Redevelopment.

Enjoy San Diego.

Please consider the environment before printing this email

Lara DeLaney
Vice Mayor, City of Martinez

_____

From: Brian T. Peterson, DVM
Sent: Wed 5/12/2010 4:35 PM
To: Rob Schroder; Janet Kennedy; Mark Ross; Mike Menesini; Lara DeLaney
Cc: Philip Vince; Mercy Cabral
Subject: Martinez, Just say "No" to a Redevelopment Agency

May 12th, 2010
Martinez City Council
Re: Forming a Redevelopment Agency
Council Members,

I support those citizens of Martinez who oppose the formation of a
Redevelopment Agency by the City of Martinez. Experience has shown us that redevelopment, as conducted by a state-authorized redevelopment agency, is abusive of civil liberties and is a contributing factor to the financial demise of our state and local governments. There are better ways to revitalize communities.

In California, redevelopment authority brings with it eminent domain
authority. Whereas the United States Constitution provides for the
government to take private property for a public use, while providing just
compensation to the unfortunate owner, California allows redevelopment
agencies to seize properties for any reason in the name of redevelopment.

This even includes just to hand property over to another private owner.
Despite recent ballot measures to reform eminent domain in California, the reforms did not go nearly far enough. The Castle Coalition, a national property rights organization, still gives California a failing grade on protecting private property from eminent domain abuse.

California Redevelopment Law also allows redevelopment to finance itself via "tax increment financing." Once a redevelopment project area is formed, the redevelopment agency will receive a disproportionate share of the property tax collected within the project area. The losers in this equation are local schools, whose funding is reduced by half, requiring state funds to make up the difference; and local, city and county governments, who essentially lose any new property tax receipts for the life of the project area. There is good evidence that too much on-going redevelopment is a contributing factor to the financial meltdown in San Diego, for example.

Fortunately, the City of Anaheim has demonstrated a better way to pursue economic development and revitalize communities. In recent years, their Platinum Triangle community has transformed itself from light industrial and commercial uses into a mixed-use, retail/residential setting. And, they accomplished this without using eminent domain or tax increment financing. Their method involves overlay zoning and incentives for property owners to participate.

We can see, therefore, that there are definite downsides to redevelopment and better ways to practice economic development. Rather than forming a Redevelopment Agency, the City of Martinez should choose the better method.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Brian T. Peterson, DVM
Grantville Action Group, CEO
10433 Friars Road, Suites F&G
San Diego, CA 92120
619-282-7677
www.GrantvilleActionGroup.com