Lawmaker seeks to delay elimination of redevelopment agencies

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A new bill would delay the dissolution of more than 400 state redevelopment agencies as state and local leaders continue to haggle over the fate of hundreds of construction projects across California.

Under a bill passed by state lawmakers last year, all of the state’s redevelopment agencies are set to shut down Feb. 1. Legislation by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) would delay that deadline until April 15.

“I want to give us some breathing room,” Padilla said Thursday. “There are a lot of technical fixes that we can make that may help this process.”

When state lawmakers acted to eliminate redevelopment agencies, they anticipated that cities would take on many of their existing responsibilities. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted 9-3 to relinquish control of its agencies.

City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana, the city’s top budget analyst, estimated it would cost the city of Los Angeles $109 million to take on the agency’s responsibilities and its 192 employees.

Padilla said the council vote was “not surprising. But if some of the technical issues can be resolved, they may reconsider.”

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-- Anthony York in Sacramento