California Might Resurrect Redevelopment Agencies That Were Wasteful Exercises in Corporate Welfare
Milton Friedman famously observed that "nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program." The rare demise of a government program, it seems, is temporary too.
Sandra O'Connor considers them illegal:
But former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's dissent encapsulated the evils of the redevelopment process in a way that we should all keep in mind, as state lawmakers try to bring these agencies back to life. "Under the banner of economic development, all private property is now vulnerable to being taken and transferred to another private owner, so long as it might be upgraded," she wrote. "The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process," while the "victims" will be those "with fewer resources."
Who got the bribe?
Legislators have revived different elements of redevelopment, through various programs such as "infrastructure finance districts." These have been more limited than the original redevelopment concept, but state Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco) this year pushed a bill that would have brought back full-scale redevelopment.
last time is was the guy from Salinas. Construction contractors shop their bribes around.
No comments:
Post a Comment