Redevelopment Ends

Citizens don’t often get a surprise from the government that’s good. Last week was an exception when a state Supreme Court ruling abolished redevelopment in California. The OC Register’s Dec. 29 editorial outlines the details, http://www.ocregister.com/articles/agencies-333535-redevelopment-legislature.html

The positive effect on Mission Viejo is huge. Suddenly, the city council majority has no redevelopment dollars to use as bait in attracting developers of high-density housing.

Mission Viejo watchdogs have been outspoken against the abuse of redevelopment. With redevelopment’s alleged purpose of eliminating blight, Mission Viejo has no “blight” that cannot be adequately handled by enforcing city codes.

For more than a decade, many Mission Viejo city council candidates promised during their campaigns to oppose redevelopment. Once in office, nearly all of them sold out to developers at the first opportunity. A noteworthy exception is Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht, who voted “no” to earmarking $10 million for UDR and Watermarke. In the most recent test, on Sept. 15 Councilwoman Schlicht cast the lone vote against an attempt to save the city’s redevelopment agency.

While California’s dysfunctional officials are already trying to come up with an end run or a new assault on taxpayers, Mission Viejo homeowners can at least take a deep breath with last week’s Supreme Court decision. The ruling is effective immediately, and no new redevelopment agreements may be approved.

OCR described the issue of redevelopment: “The state's nearly 400 redevelopment agencies, including 25 in Orange County, created ostensibly to reverse urban decay, all too often have confiscated private property and displaced residents and businesses to subsidize new developments, lining the pockets of a favored few while doing relatively little to renovate ‘blighted’ areas.”