Temecula Fights Jerry Brown for Funds

Temecula voted to fight Governor Jerry Brown's plan to take its funds to balance California's budget.

The City Council voted last Tuesday at a meeting at the to appeal the state's demand that the city pay $4.7 million to the state in order to keep its redevelopment agency.

A redevelopment agency is a way for a city to develop blighted areas. It allows the city to invest money in projects to rejuvinate bad areas and collect the money it invested through the extra property taxes the area generates.

The govener's plan requires cities like Temecula to pay up front for redevelopment funding in addition to a hefty $1.1 million a year fee.

Thanks to state funding in the past, the city of Temecula has been able to develop and add many new features including cleaning up Old Town, according to a city staff report.

The new Assembly bills enacted by the State California Legislature would require Temecula to make payments to keep the agency going or dissolve it altogether.