Opinion: State is wise to eliminate redevelopment agencies

To the community,

The city of South Lake Tahoe is unhappy about the state’s new laws on redevelopment and labels the state an extortionist. The fact is the city’s Redevelopment Agency has been the extortionist when it exercised the power of eminent domain.

It goes like this: If a property owner isn’t willing to sell, the agency condemns the and takes the property. The result is the property owner loses a business or home or livelihood. So the city pot is getting a taste of distasteful medicine and lectures the state kettle, yells foul and threatens a lawsuit.

Bill Crawford

In fact, the city’s Redevelopment Agency through use of eminent domain has created a tyranny in South Lake Tahoe. Redevelopment here is financially and morally a failure. It is time to kill it.

The state is right in its attempts to control or lay to rest redevelopment agencies in California.

Bill Crawford, South Lake Tahoe