Temecula, along with other members of the League of California Cities and the California Redevelopment Association, are plaintiffs in a lawsuit to retain control of redevelopment funds.
The case, filed in the state Supreme Court, concerns the constitutionality of two bills signed into law by the governor June 28.
The bills were denounced by Temecula officials during previous meetings for "robbing" the city of its funds. To read more about it,
One bill, ABIX27, requires redevelopment agencies to give to the state this fiscal year. $1.7 billion and $400 million for subsequent years to schools, transit and fire districts.
To read the text of the bill, access the legislature's website by clicking here.
If the payments are not made, the second bill, ABIX26, requires those nonpaying redevelopment agencies to be dissolved.
The lawsuit calls this state of affairs, a “Hobson’s Choice.”
The payments are to be apportioned according to each redevelopment agency’s revenues, the suit states.
California voters approved Proposition 22 in November 2010 in order to protect redevelopment funds.
The lawsuit states that dissolution of redevelopment agencies is unconstitutional.
Designed to combat blight in mostly aging urban areas, redevelopment agencies have the legal authority to define parts of the city as redevelopment areas, and any tax growth in those areas each year goes to the city’s redevelopment agency for local improvement projects instead of to the state.
Opponents of redevelopment agencies, including Gov. Brown, say the agencies siphon property tax dollars away from schools and public safety, and have had had no real spending oversight.
According to the lawsuit, at least 400 redevelopment agencies statewide are affected by the new laws and mayors of several cities have stated that redevelopment funds have paid for a great deal of renovation of their downtown areas.
The plaintiffs ask the court to stay any enforcement of the law involving the making of the first payment or dissolution if payment is refused.
The suit asks the court to implement the stay by Aug. 15.
