Politics & Government

State Supreme Court Upholds Law Eliminating Redevelopment Agencies

The ruling from the California Supreme Court upheld a state law that abolishes redevelopment agencies and struck down a second piece of legislation that allowed the agencies to pay to stay alive.

This changed on Thursday, when the California Supreme Court upheld a law that  and struck down a law that allowed the agencies to pay to stay in operation.

The ruling in California Redevelopment Association v. Matosantos clears the way for the state to dismantle redevelopment agencies and use their assets to fund education programs. The CRA contended that the state did not have the authority to eliminate redevelopment agencies, but the court disagreed.

Find out what's happening in Montrose-La Crescentawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"[The state's] power includes the authority to create entities, such as redevelopment agencies, to carry out the state's ends and the corollary power to dissolve those same entities when the legislature deems it necessary and proper," the court's ruling reads.

"Redevelopment has contributed tremendously to the growth and prosperity of Glendale," Glendale City Councilman Rafi Manoukian, who serves as chairman for the Redevelopment Agency, told the News-Press.

Find out what's happening in Montrose-La Crescentawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Monrovia Questions Future of Gold Line Extension:

Monrovia passed a  earlier this year that allowed it to make a $1.2 million payment to the state to stay in operation, but the law allowing such ordinances was invalidated by the court Thursday.

A forlorn Mayor Mary Ann Lutz said Thursday that the city is scrambling to figure out what the decision will mean for Monrovia and the future of the Gold Line Foothill Extension.

"On the face of it, it looks like we're out of business," Lutz said. "At this point it just looks like bad news all the way around."

Lutz said the timing of the decision makes it hard to evaluate since most of the city's attorneys are on vacation for the holidays.

 

Keep checking back for the latest developments in this story.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Montrose-La Crescenta