The most important threat to your community from Sacramento lawmakers today

SUBURBS & RURAL AREAS ARE BLIGHT California Lawmakers Continue to Undermine Property Rights: Urban renewal rears its ugly head again in the Golden State Article by Stephen Greenhut California's 1940s-era urban-renewal policy, "redevelopment," is coming back - only less so in some ways but more so in others. California's redevelopment law was designed to revive inner-city neighborhoods by giving city planners extra powers to invest tax dollars and direct development decisions in areas that were deemed to be blighted. It morphed into a financial sleight of hand, whereby officials subsidized auto malls and hotels to divert tax revenues that would go elsewhere. Property-rights activists loathed redevelopment because it gave cities an excuse to take property via eminent domain and give it to developers who had "better" plans for the property. Anything eyed by these agencies, critics said, became "blight." Read the full article here  SB-1 (Redevelopment Resurrected) This bill is a THREAT to Rural and Suburban property owners   Expanding the Definition of BLIGHT Declares suburban and rural lifestyles-which it terms "inefficient land use patterns-as "blight." Declaring suburban and rural land use a "blight" has appalling and stunning legal and political implications. How does it feel to have a target on your back from these people? Creates mini-ABAGs (redevelopment agencies) not controlled by cities and towns.  Allows eminent domain and funding power to assemble and fund massive high density housing projects in suburban downtowns. WHY CARE? If you own property in an area that the government wants to upzone (such as property in a  PDA), they can arbitrarily take your property and put it with others so they have enough area to develop  high density housing near mass transit.  It also provides permanent funding for  PLAN BAY AREA

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