OPEN MARTINEZ - Preserve. Promote. Enhance. Unite.

The recent article on the $2 billion “raid” of Redevelopment Agencies (“ California ’s raid of redevelopment funds”---6/4/10) is one-sided. Lots of teachers will have jobs and lots of students will get taught because of this so-called raid.

Furthermore Redevelopment Agencies (RDA) in Contra Costa County will still get approximately $89 million this year alone, probably more than enough to fund the truly necessary projects they do.

The RDA story has a much darker side to it than reported in the article.

The purpose of RDAs has been subverted over the years.

RDAs were formed in the 1950’s for a noble purpose. They were created to cure economic and physical blight that was very severe.

The blight had to be “…so prevalent and so substantial that it causes a reduction of, or lack of, proper utilization of the area to such an extent that it constitutes a serious physical and economic burden on the community that cannot reasonably be expected to be reversed or alleviated by private enterprise, or governmental action, or both, without redevelopment.” (State Health and Safety Code Section 33030 Link: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=hsc&group=33001-34...)

Truly poor and disadvantaged neighborhoods that were that bad off were given needed help to turn around.

Today, whether rich or poor, almost every city and county has an RDA. These RDAs are used to fund shopping centers, auto rows, upscale malls and even the 49ers football stadium.

These projects are funded by diverting local property taxes that otherwise would go to schools, parks, community hospitals, libraries, community colleges, fire departments, cities and counties, and more.

Projects like these need to be funded by private investors, not by diverting sorely needed local property taxes from over 80 local government agencies and school districts. Over $4.2 billion of local property taxes go to RDAs statewide, more than 9% of all property taxes we pay.

RDAs also have many unique and dangerous powers: enforce eminent domain for private use, issue bonds without a public vote, sell property without a public bid and at a loss, make private development deals without competition, etc.

RDAs need to be reformed to their original purpose. This state-wide financial crisis is a good time to start.

This is not a simple issue. Perhaps a series of balanced articles in the paper would be good for us all.

A citizen group in Martinez is doing just that. Contact Open Martinez for more information.

Tim Platt