HomeMy WebLinkAboutDraft Letter of SupportChairman
Ron Morrison
Members
Jerry Cano
Luis `Louie Natividad
Mona Rios
Alejandro Sotelo-Solis
Executive Director
Brad Raulston
August 22, 2013
Jerry Brown, Governor
State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Support of AB 981
Dear Governor Brown:
41.
City Of National City
ATTACHMENT 4
Califomia continues to lag in its recovery trom the great recession. Recent reports reflect that the state's
unemployment rate remains very high at 8.7% and among the highest paying jobs, construction trades, it is
as high as 30% in some counties.
Earlier this year, Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) proposed a solution that would create an
immediate $2.8 billion economic stimulus, generate 19,000 jobs and $130 million in new state tax revenue,
and at the same time, create thousands of new affordable housing units and fix some of the state's
crumbling infrastructure. The proposal would bring sorely needed jobs and with it economic activity to
California.
The proposal, AB 981, adjusts the cutoff date for the use of legally issued bond funds from December 31,
2010 to June 28, 2011, the date the redevelopment dissolution legislation was enacted into law (AB 1484
chapter 26, statutes of 2012) and reinstates the language in the original Dissolution Act (AB 1x 26, chapter
5, statutes of 2011) which allowed for the use of bond proceeds for the purposes for which they were sold,
and did not specify a cutoff date for issuance.
The proposed adjustment would allow $750 million of 2011 bond funds to be used for public works and
affordable housing projects throughout the state. Without this adjustment, nearly $1 billion in taxpayer
dollars will be spent on mandatory debt service for these bonds, and the infrastructure improvement
projects will not be realized.
Assemblyman Bloom's proposal would resolve one of the last remaining issues of redevelopment agency
dissolution. It will also allow the utilization of bond funds which have already been legally issued and are
currently being wasted, but could be utilized to funds public works projects in the State.
There is broad bi-partisan support for Assembiyman Bioom's proposal among members of the Legislature.
We, the undersigned members of the Legislature, encourage you to meet with Assemblyman Bloom to
review his proposal and come to an agreement on this stimulus package.
Respectfully,
Ron Morrison
Mayor
1243 National City Boulevard; National City, California 91960
Tel.: (619) 336.4236 Fax: (619) 336-4239
mayor@nationalcityca,gov