| http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_0051-0100/sb_77_cfa_20110315_182421_asm_floor.html |
I THINK: The RDA's in the State have contributed to the deterioration of the middle economic class and has made economic slaves of our poor and lower economic classes. Therefor I am against its continuation. GT will not fall into a black hole, our community will still exist. However, any family that has gone through Bankruptcy knows, changes will happen, and a strong family gets stronger through the process. The not addressing the problem as a reality often is what causes the breakdown of family and civic ties. It is time GT assumes the RDA is dead, and work its way to a new relationship to the funds actually available to run the city, and re-organize our debt and obligations and stick to a budget.
The RDA's have consumed more tax payer's money than should be their share. Locking school and civic funding to a baseline of funding that doesn't reflect inflation, or increased costs and revenue. The RDA's just get bigger and bigger and more and more in debt. Then the city's use 25 percent of that debt to run the City. There is a built justification or motivation for abuse of the trust needed for an RDA agency, when it is ran by the very same city that benefits from increasing debts and approving just about any project regardless of if it fits the criteria or wishes of the citizens.
If the Citizens of GT were asked to have an added Bond Levey or a Tax to pay Stater Brothers to build a Store in GT how many would have said sure lets pay them to build a larger store. Citizens may vote for a citizen paid for Library and not vote for such things as our RDA has had its fingers in over the years. Do you think the Citizens would have allowed a Home that was owned by the RDA in the program for Low and Mod Income people, to be sold to or provided to Tom Schwab who was earning over 100,000.00 per year.
The RDA system has not worked for the Citizens of GT nor has it been a good financial discipline for the City of Grand Terrace. It is time for it to go, even if the State does not kill it from above so to speak.
The RDA's of California have been the drivers of the over inflation of property value and costs, and this is a direct cause of the economic problems we continue to suffer from. If we have to work for less, our property value and the debt on that property should be reduced to equate to 1/4th of our incomes.
Sure a few say 2 percent in California are still doing quite well sucking up cash, income, resources, and land as the numbers of unemployed, dispossessed, and homeless increase in our state and community.
The RDA system is one finger of the hand that has got its grip on the throat of our economy and on the 98percent of the people who do not benefit from it other than suffering the results of it inflating property costs, debt obligations and diverted state and local taxes. The RDA's can be dealt with at the City or State Level. One of the other fingers on that hand are the added City Codes, County and State Codes that exceed Federal Codes. I suggest suspending all City Specific Codes that are not required by the State Government. Then I would ask the State Government to re-evaluate any and all codes that are different from the Federal Standards and assess if the codes should be continued and perhaps let the citizens vote on the exceptions that are to remain in the California Code.
These Codes prohibit the building of small homes on private property. These Codes require a business to build a fancy facade to their property, these codes require homeowners to use Utilities that could be replaced by other technology. (If you wanted to have 0 power in your home for religious purposes, you by code are still required to have a connection fee and be connected. If you put solar power on your property SCE is not forced to buy your power, yet your forced to stay hooked up to their grid.). Sewer and Trash, and Water Rates are not set at cost of service, but tinkered with to increase the Administration costs. You are not allowed to discontinue service and occupy your home, yet, it is possible to replace these services and still have a proper sanitary home if you chose to change technology.
The other 3 fingers on that and around our economic necks is not in the purview of the City Council or even the State Government. This blog will only address those fingers that GT can have a direct impact upon.
