A Vote to Abolish Redevelopment Could Come at Any Time – Contact Your Legislators: Mend It Don’t End It!

When the Senate session ended last week, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) announced that work on the budget would begin on Wednesday, June 8 and Senators should be prepared to stay through the weekend, if necessary, for votes. Steinberg has made it known he would like to have the budget completed by the time preliminary maps on redistricting are released on June 10. Nevertheless, there is no outline of what would be included in a budget package. The picture is less clear in the Assembly where no schedule for completing a budget has been announced.

AB 1250 (Alejo) was amended on May 27 to include CRA’s proposed reforms and 15 Democrats signed on as joint authors or co-authors of the legislation. The bill was amended on June 3 to include an urgency clause, exempting it from the June 3 deadline for bills to be approved by their house of origin.

In the meantime, the State Controller announced he is prepared to withhold pay from legislators under Prop 25 if a budget is not completed by the constitutional deadline of June 15. That may prove to be the greatest incentive to complete the budget on time, for a change.

Thank the 15 Democrats Co-Authors on AB 1250 – Urge Them to Stand Strong

The Governor and legislative leadership have said they plan to finalize state budget negotiations as early as this week. While the timing of a budget is always elusive, it is vital that we thank the 15 Democrat co-authors on AB 1250 (Alejo) TODAY. Urge them to continue to oppose the Governor’s elimination proposal or any other budget proposal that may crop up that seeks to abolish redevelopment.

Please call or write the joint-authors and co-authors of AB 1250. Talking points and contact information, which is also available through CRA's CapWiz webpage, provided here.

• Assembly Member Luis Alejo (D-Salinas): Tel: (916) 319-2028; Fax: (916) 319-2128;Assemblymember.Alejo@assembly.ca.gov
• Senator Rod Wright (D-Inglewood): Tel: (916) 651-4025; Fax: (916) 445-3712
• Senator Kevin De León (D-Los Angeles): Tel: (916) 651-4022; Fax: (916) 327-8817
• Assembly Member Ricardo Lara (D-South Gate): Tel: (916) 319-2050; Fax: (916) 319-2150;Assemblymember.Lara@assembly.ca.gov 
• Assembly Member Henry T. Perea (D-Fresno): Tel: (916) 319-2031; Fax: (916) 319-2131;Assemblymember.Perea@assembly.ca.gov 
• Assembly Member V. Manuel Peréz (D-Cathedral City): Tel: (916) 319-2080; Fax: (916) 319-2180;Assemblymember.Manuel.Perez@assembly.ca.gov 
• Assembly Member Michael Allen (D-Santa Rosa): Tel: (916) 319-2007; Fax: (916) 319-2107;Assemblymember.Allen@assembly.ca.gov 
• Assembly Member Nora Campos (D-San Jose): Tel: (916) 319-2023; Fax: (916) 319-2123;Assemblymember.Campos@assembly.ca.gov 
• Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter (D-Rialto): Tel: (916) 319-2062; Fax: (916) 319-2162;Assemblymember.carter@assembly.ca.gov 
• Assembly Member Mike Davis (D-Los Angeles): Tel: (916) 319-2048; Fax: (916) 319-2148;Assemblymember.Davis@assembly.ca.gov 
• Assembly Member Cathleen Galgiani (D-Tracy): Tel: (916) 319-2017; Fax: (916) 319-2117;Assemblymember.Galgiani@assembly.ca.gov 
• Assembly Member Isadore Hall (D-Los Angeles): Tel: (916) 319-2052; Fax: (916) 319-2152;Assemblymember.Hall@assembly.ca.gov 
• Assembly Member Bonnie Lowenthal (D-Long Beach): Tel: (916) 319-2054; Fax: (916) 319-2154;Assemblymember.Lowenthal@assembly.ca.gov 
• Assembly Member Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia): Tel: (916) 319-2056; Fax: (916) 319-2156;Assemblymember.Mendoza@assembly.ca.gov 
• Assembly Member Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana): Tel: (916) 319-2069; Fax: (916) 319-2169;Assemblymember.Solorio@assembly.ca.gov 

Talking Points

Here are some talking points to help you get started. These remarks can be adapted to urge all state legislators to support redevelopment reform and to oppose its elimination. We encourage you to add local examples of redevelopment’s value to your legislator’s district.

• Thank you for co-authoring AB 1250 (Alejo). This measure would institute tough reforms to make redevelopment more accountable, reduce redevelopment size, and continue redevelopment as a vital tool to create jobs, grow the economy, provide affordable housing, and help revitalize communities in need.
• As the Governor and legislators negotiate a budget, we urge you to continue to oppose the Governor’s proposal and any other proposal to abolish redevelopment.
• Eliminating redevelopment is illegal and will have devastating impacts on our local economy and quality of life.
• Please continue to push reforms like AB 1250 to mend, not end, redevelopment.
• Thank you.

Urge All Legislators to Oppose Elimination and Support Redevelopment Reforms

Please continue to call and write all legislators – Democrats and Republicans – to urge them to oppose elimination and support reforms in AB 1250, which is an alternative to the Governor’s illegal and harmful elimination proposal. CRA continues to promote its voluntary contributions to schools proposal and the redevelopment reforms in AB 1250 (Alejo) and SB 450 (Lowenthal) as alternatives to the Governor’s proposal to eliminate redevelopment and other proposals to end redevelopment.

CRA members’ ongoing outreach to local state legislators is as important as the work of CRA’s team at the State Capitol. Take action to:

• Ask for your local state legislators’ opposition to the elimination of redevelopment and for their support of CRA proposals (link to sample letter on AB 1250 and on CRA's alternative),
• Thank them if they have taken action to “mend it, not end it,”
• Ask local redevelopment stakeholders to contact legislators, and
• Tell the story of redevelopment accomplishments and contributions.

You can communicate directly with your legislators from our website using the CapWiz tool under Legislation.

For more information, go to CRA's website under LEGISLATION or contact Lillian Henegar at lhenegar@calredevelop.org