Mayors Urge Brown to Give Cities New Economic Development Tools

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the mayors of the state's nine other biggest cities called Tuesday on Gov. Jerry Brown to give municipalities new economic development tools to replace those lost by the elimination of redevelopment agencies.

In a letter sent to Brown, the mayors said the pace of the state's economic recovery and 11.3 percent unemployment rate are at risk without new incentives for residential and commercial development in the cities' poorest communities.

The letter was sent to Brown one day before he is scheduled to deliver his "State of the State" address. Brown is also scheduled Wednesday to bring his budget pitch and a push for a ballot initiative to raise taxes to Los Angeles.

Brown's office could not be immediately reached for comment.

"Like many other municipalities statewide, our cities are willing to take up the job of driving economic development. But we will need Sacramento's help," the mayors said in the letter to the governor, who was a vocal supporter of shuttering redevelopment agencies, which divert billions of dollars in property tax revenue from the state's budget.

The letter was short on specifics as to what tools the mayors want. Instead, they specified what they want the tools to do, including the ability to clean up polluted sites and to "assemble, purchase and sell property to further housing, commercial and industrial development that fuels our economy."

The California Supreme Court in late December upheld a state law that eliminated the 400 agencies across the state, which use increases in property tax revenue to fund development projects mainly in blighted parts of cities.