The Orange County Register has an interesting editorial (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/redevelopment-agencies-tax-2506919-state-cities) that bears reading by everyone in Long Beach.
The state is about to take more redevelopment money from Long Beach to make up a short-fall.
Ok. Most people don't know what redevelopment money is -- it is a portion of your property taxes that instead of going to the city or the school district is siphoned off into a redevelopment agency that is not elected and can run up a great deal of debt which in turn means that portion of your property taxes will continue to go to the redevelopment agency as long as it has debt.
In some instances, redevelopment has done good things. But essentially has been a piggy bank for developers and in areas where no redevelopment area exists -- such as the 5th Council District -- well no redevelopment money goes there at all. So we must rely upon general fund money to pay for our streets, sidewalks and improvements, while other areas get redevelopment money plus general fund money.
It is past time to look at the impact of Long Beach having 18,000 acres in redevelopment -- around 40% of the city. That tax increment -- that portion that is siphoned off -- needs to get back into the general fund -- if we don't do that the state will continue to use it as their slush fund account.
