L.A. City Council agrees to speed up spending $52 million in redevelopment money before governor can tap it
The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to spend up to $52 million in redevelopment funds on public improvements around a downtown museum, hours before Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was set to meet with Gov. Jerry Brown to discuss ways of shielding redevelopment agencies from elimination.
On a 12-0 vote, the council endorsed a decision, made last week by Villaraigosa's appointees on the redevelopment board, to earmark the money for new sidewalks, a public plaza and a 370-space parking garage next to the museum, which is planned by billionaire Eli Broad, affectionately, referred to as "The Broadfather."
That museum, which would go up on Grand Avenue just south of Walt Disney Hall, has a scheduled opening of 2013 and could break ground within weeks.
Critics complain that redevelopment agencies siphon much-needed property tax revenue away from other services, such as schools, public safety and county hospitals. Brown has proposed the elimination of redevelopment agencies as part of his effort to close a $25.4 billion budget hole.
Villaraigosa and many other California mayors are trying to persuade state officials to come up with an alternative plan. Regardless of the outcome of those talks, Brown’s plan would not prevent the redevelopment agency from completing the improvements on Grand Avenue. On a 12-0 vote, the council endorsed a decision, made last week by Villaraigosa's appointees on the redevelopment board, to earmark the money for new sidewalks, a public plaza and a 370-space parking garage next to the museum, which is planned by billionaire Eli Broad, affectionately, referred to as "The Broadfather."
That museum, which would go up on Grand Avenue just south of Walt Disney Hall, has a scheduled opening of 2013 and could break ground within weeks.
Critics complain that redevelopment agencies siphon much-needed property tax revenue away from other services, such as schools, public safety and county hospitals. Brown has proposed the elimination of redevelopment agencies as part of his effort to close a $25.4 billion budget hole.
Under an agreement reached last summer with the Broad Collection, the nonprofit group that will build and operate the museum, the city earmarked up to $30 million for public improvements. Wednesday’s vote adds another $22 million.
The mayor’s redevelopment commissioners approved the new agreement last week, even though it was still being drafted. At the time, three board members complained that it had been sent to them hastily and one, Madeline Janis, voted against it.
Although redevelopment proposals are normally vetted by a council committee that focuses on economic development, Councilman Herb Wesson agreed to send the proposal immediately to the council for a vote.
“Zuma Dogg," who ran for mayor in 2009, told the council that he opposed the deal, arguing that redevelopment money should be used to reduce blight. He questioned whether Grand Avenue, which features the Music Center and other cultural facilities, qualifies. [FYI: It's not whether it SHOULD go to blight...it may only go to blight.]
Redevelopment officials countered that the city would ultimately own the parking garage and the other improvements, including widened sidewalks and a nearby 35,000-square-foot plaza. They said the museum and associated projects would create 1,463 jobs, all but 100 of them in construction.
“We have to embrace good redevelopment when we see it,” Council President Eric Garcetti added. [IT'S NOT ABOUT "GOOD REDEVELOPMENT," BRO...It's about "BLIGHT." A PRETTY PLAIN AND NARROW DEFINITION. And, "good" doesn't apply.]
Deborah Kanter, general counsel for the Broad Collection, said her organization supported construction of the plaza, saying it would be a “great public amenity” that would link Grand Avenue to a planned subway station. She said museum planners originally assumed that the work would not be completed for up to a decade. [NOT FOR GREAT PUBLIC AMENITIES...FOR BLIGHT!]
Kanter said the new, more aggressive construction timeline is part of a larger effort by the redevelopment agency to speed up work that was originally envisioned as part of the nearby Grand Avenue project, which included a planned Frank Gehry-designed skyscraper. That project stalled after its financing fell apart. [So the project you planned for years stalled...so you are just deciding to rush through something else. WHO CARES WHAT PEOPLE WANT? WHO CARES WHAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS? It's a good project so jam it through for Eli since the other thing was scrapped. After all, we can get the money...so we better come up with a reason to use it. WHAT'S THAT...BLIGHT? Oh, who cares!?!?!]
“We are not the drivers here,” she said.
Now that the work has been accelerated, Broad will spend up to $6 million to add benches, plants, signage, trash cans and paving to the proposed plaza. “That’s what Mr. Broad is doing as a good citizen, because he believes in the museum project,” she said.
[TAKE L.A. TIMES...WRAP INTO CYLINDAR...AND VOMIT INTO IT. He gets $52 million he should even be able to apply for...and he's bragging about some dumb park benches, plants and trash cans as Mr. Good Guy. SHOVE IT, BROAD!]
DON'T FUCK WITH ELI BROAD'S (Aka: THE BROADFATHER) CRA MONEY!
AND TO REMIND YOU NOT TO INTERRUPT ME IN VIOLATION OF U.S. CONSTITUTION AND DO NOT VIOLATE THE PROCESS OF "CODE OF CONDUCT" AS APPLIED TO ZUMA DOGG! -- HERE ARE SOME RE-POSTS OF THE TOP BLOG POSTS ERIC GARCETTI DOESN'T WANT YOU TO SEE...SO HERE THEY ARE:
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