GOV. BROWN’S EFFORT TO ABOLISH REDEVELOPMENT in California would have a catastrophic effect on economic development around the state, especially in the Inland Empire, and cities and counties must band together to fight such a move, local officials said.

How best to organize against Brown’s proposal was the focus of a group of city and county redevelopment advocates from Riverside and San Bernardino counties who met for the first time Monday, January 24, at the Edward-Dean Museum & Gardens in Beaumont.

The meeting marked the launch of the Inland Southern California Redevelopment Association, which is designed to bring redevelopment advocates together to highlight the importance of redevelopment and the role it has played, and continues to play, in the economic development of the Inland area.

“We’re looking to work with everyone in the room to move our agenda forward,” said Rob Field, Assistant County Executive Officer/EDA and Executive Director of the Riverside County Redevelopment Agency, “And we are here today to set that agenda and protect redevelopment.” Field and numerous other speakers highlighted the importance of telling the true story of redevelopment, which includes:

• Redevelopment supports 304,000 full- and part-time private sector jobs in a typical year, including 170,600 construction jobs.
• Redevelopment contributes more than $40 billion annually to California’s economy and increases the state’s construction sector output by about $19 billion per year.
• Redevelopment construction activity generates more than $2 billion in state and local taxes in a typical year.
• Redevelopment agencies have built and/or rehabilitated more than 98,000 affordable homes for eligible families.

The issue is especially important in the Inland Empire, where redevelopment has been credited with creating jobs and spurring growth in areas that need economic development, despite losing needed revenue to the state during state budget crises.

“They have been attacking and stealing from redevelopment agencies for years,” said Terry Henderson, a member of the La Quinta City Council. “What do they think grabbing the whole thing is going to accomplish? How is this going to make that better?”

Field encouraged fellow redevelopment advocates to illustrate how redevelopment funds are used locally. He also said it would be useful to provide updated descriptions of projects, their economic impact and the total jobs created by those projects. Video testimonials and “before and after” photographs will also tell the tale, Field said. “Anything we can do as a group will benefit all of us,” Field said. “And we are certainly stronger as a group than we are individually.”

The effort drew praise from Tom Hart, deputy director of the California Redevelopment Association. “This is exactly what we need to do around California,” Hart said. “Everybody should be doing what you are doing.” Hart urged attendees to keep in mind that the question is not whether they support redevelopment. The question, he said is whether they will oppose the Governor’s current proposal. When taking your case to Sacramento, Hart said, be sure to bring people with you who benefit from redevelopment, including builders and affordable housing advocates. “This is about jobs,” Hart said. “It all comes down to the quality of life you can have in your community, and redevelopment is part of the process of building a better community.”

John Husing, who has studied the Inland Empire economy for decades, pointed to statistics that show that redevelopment was responsible for creating at least 245,348 jobs in Riverside County in 2009. Those jobs were spread across 17,719 firms and represent an annualized payroll of nearly $10.2 billion, Husing said, noting that those figures include only 14 cities and Riverside County. Updated figures will be forthcoming as data is collected from other cities, Husing said. Redevelopment helps pay for economic development, which is the lifeblood of a community, Husing said. “It is what other states use to take our companies away from us,” Husing said. “It is becoming increasingly clear that this Governor does not care about economic development.”Husing pointed out that, almost without exception, it is cheaper for developers to build projects at the outer edges of existing cities instead of redeveloping the existing core.

“We lower the cost so that developers will go into the inner city,” Husing said. “”The alternative is to let the inner city rot.” David Willmon, Regional Manager for the League of California Cities, said Gov. Brown fails to consider the economic and other ramifications of his proposals.“The Governor’s proposal is just that – a proposal,” Willmon said. Willmon urged attendees to network with other organizations that supported Proposition 22, which voters approved as a way to safeguard redevelopment. The key, Willmon said, will be to organize environmental organizations, organized labor and other groups that see their goals advanced by redevelopment projects. “We need to light that coalition up again,” Willmon said. “We will win on redevelopment. Cities welcome the opportunity to participate in a larger organization such as this.”

For more information, visit www.saveredevelopment.com