Leader Serves the People
by Larry Gilbert

Thank you, Assemblyman Chris Norby. A result of the recent redistricting is our loss of a true champion of the people. Chris Norby. Assemblyman Chris Norby will go down in California history for spearheading the demise of our 425 redevelopment agencies. Thank you, Chris, for the good fight. You are going down as a winner in terms of protecting the small guy in our state and beyond. Having watched numerous Assembly and Senate members serving in CA, few have achieved such a remarkable achievement. Back in 1993/94 Assemblyman Philip Eisenberg championed a partial fix (AB 1290) to our Housing and Community development redevelopment law. In 2006, after we jointly testified at a joint hearing in San Diego, SD Senator Christine Kehoe heard our plea and championed SB 1206 in her effort to better define the much-abused redevelopment criteria where we tried to create a standard yardstick for all of the CA agencies. This past year Chris lobbied Gov. Brown to reject the recent legislation that was heavily promoted by special interests in our state.

In 2006, while serving on the County Board of Supervisors, Chris championed approval of Measure A stopping the county from abusing their eminent domain police powers. It passed with a 76% approval.

Proclamations issued to local citizens presented at city council meetings by members of staff, while probably deserved, do not rise to the level of Chris Norby's fight to protect the private property rights of thousands of California homeowners, many of whom he never met regardless of political party. Chris did not have a litmus test for those we defended. To be truthful, the majority of eminent domain and redevelopment agency victims are the poor and the minority, most of which are Democrats.

I watched as Chris lobbied long and hard to get the deciding vote last year from a fellow Republican to shut down these leaches lined up at our public troths as the "special interest" share of local tax increment took much needed funding away from school, police and fire services.

One of our memorable joint efforts with Chris was in 2006 protesting a $400-million redevelopment project in Hollywood at Highland and Vine Streets where Democrat Bob Blue's family luggage store was being taken by the CRA/LA under their police power. Our protest, covered by the media, led to a compromise by the city in which Bob prevailed. Surrounding Bernard Luggage is now a W hotel and apartments.

During Chris's multiple MORR/CURE conferences he had numerous speakers presenting information on this complex, yet for many, painful topic. He created the RUG, acronym for his booklet entitled "Redevelopment: The Unknown Government" in which over 75,000 were printed and distributed during 9 updated editions.

Some of his guest MORR/CURE conference speakers over the past 15 years included representatives of both political parties, several property rights attorneys and victims. Without listing them all:

Representative Maxine Waters, Assemblyman Scott Wildman, Assemblyman Carl Washington, Assemblywoman Debra Bowen, Assemblyman Bernie Richter (now deceased), Joel Fox (HJTA president), Michael Dardia (Public Policy Institute author), Assemblyman Jan Goldsmith, Assemblyman Tom McClintock, Councilman Mike Morgan, Senator Cathie Wright, Senator Ray Haynes Senator Hayden, Robert Poole (president Reason Foundation), David Gold (CEO 99 only stores), Root Shock author Mindy Fullilove, Register editorial writer Steve Greenhut, Dan Walters Sacramento Bee columnist, Philip Klein producer of the movie "Begging for Billionaires" to numerous attorneys from the Institute for Justice in D.C. to our local legal experts and numerous city council members.

Thank you Assemblyman Chris. I hope you continue serving on our Board of the California Alliance to Protect Private Property Rights. Your knowledge and energy are too valuable to set aside.