California Republicans love to talk about limiting government, fighting bureaucracy and keeping taxes low, but on March 17 they proved that this is nothing more than a rhetorical device. Given the opportunity to rein in the size and power of government in a tangible way, Assembly Republicans — with one sole exception — punted. They rallied to save some of the most abusive and wastrel government agencies around. Read More

Redevelopment agencies are on the verge of being eliminated in California, and disadvantaged communities will pay the price. Citizens don’t understand the Redevelopment Agency or its impact well — but a year from now, legislators may rue the day they acted so hastily to eliminate it without planning to continue its most basic functions or giving local communities an opportunity to weigh in. Read More

When Gov. Jerry Brown proposed to eliminate more than 400 local redevelopment agencies and redirect their property taxes into schools and other local governments, he ignited what is shaping up to be a very sharp political firefight.The billions of dollars at stake are motivating the redevelopment industry to deploy heavy political artillery against the assault. Read More