Dublin Not Impacted By Supreme Court Ruling on Redevelopment

Dublin is not expected to be greatly impacted by a ruling today from the California Supreme Court that upholds a law that allows the state to dismantle local redevelopment agencies.

That's because the city doesn't rely on redevelopment money. In fact, it doesn't use any at all.

“We have never had a redevelopment agency. Dublin’s revitalization has come from private investors,” said Dublin City Councilman Eric Swalwell.

Swalwell noted the “state’s taking of the redevelopment funding - to balance out its own wasteful spending - will especially hurt our neighbors in Livermore and over the hill in Hayward."

The state Legislature created redevelopment agencies more than 60 years ago. Advocates argue redevelopment funds are crucial to the recovery of the state and local economies. Redevelopment allows local cities to encourage growth and revitalize their economies through use of targeted property tax revenue.

In today's ruling, the justices decided in , which allows the state to seize $1.7 billion in property tax revenue and allocate it toward schools and special districts in order to help close the state’s budget gap, as proposed in Gov. Jerry Brown’s state budget plan passed in June. 

A second law that would have enabled the agencies to come back into existence if they agreed to contribute $400 million annually in future years to schools, transit and firefighting programs was struck down.