California Redevelopment Association

California Redevelopment Association
Name	California Redevelopment Association
Formation	20th century
Type	Nonprofit association
Headquarters	Sacramento, California
Region served	California
Leader title	Executive Director

California Redevelopment Association The California Redevelopment Association is a statewide trade and professional association representing agencies, officials, and practitioners involved in urban renewal and redevelopment in California. It serves as a convening body linking municipal officials, planning professionals, economic development officers, and legal advisors from across the state. The association engages with legislative bodies, judicial actors, and philanthropic organizations to influence policy, disseminate best practices, and coordinate project implementation.

History

The association emerged amid postwar urban renewal debates alongside contemporaries such as Redevelopment Agency (United States), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, California State Legislature, California Constitution, and entities like San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, and Oakland Redevelopment Agency. During the late 20th century it interacted with major policy moments involving figures and institutions such as Governor Pete Wilson, Governor Gray Davis, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, California Supreme Court, and legislative measures including the Dillon's Rule debates, the Tax Increment Financing mechanisms, and state budget negotiations. The association's chronology intersects with landmark projects and programs in cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, California, Sacramento, California, and Long Beach, California. Over time it developed ties with legal firms versed in cases before the California Courts of Appeal, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and regulatory oversight by agencies like the California State Auditor.

Mission and Activities

The association's stated mission aligns with objectives pursued by organizations such as the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties, National League of Cities, American Planning Association, and industry groups like the Urban Land Institute. Its activities include convening conferences reminiscent of gatherings at venues associated with the California State Capitol, coordinating trainings similar to continuing education programs for members of the American Institute of Architects, and issuing policy briefs comparable to publications from the Brookings Institution and RAND Corporation. It promotes tools familiar from municipal practice—negotiations with entities like Metropolitan Transportation Commission, partnerships with California Department of Housing and Community Development, and grant coordination with the Federal Transit Administration.

Membership and Structure

Membership draws elected officials and staff from municipalities and special districts including representatives from Los Angeles County, Orange County, California, San Diego County, Alameda County, and Santa Clara County. Affiliate members often include consultants and law firms experienced with statutes such as the California Health and Safety Code, accountants familiar with standards from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, and developers aligned with firms active in regions like Silicon Valley, Inland Empire, and the Central Valley (California). Governance structures mirror nonprofit boards with committees comparable to those in the California Chamber of Commerce and include partnerships with educational institutions such as University of California, Berkeley, University of Southern California, Stanford University, and California State University, Sacramento for research and training collaborations.

Policy Advocacy and Legislation

The association engages in advocacy on matters connected to fiscal and land-use instruments like Tax Increment Financing, lien and eminent domain issues litigated in venues including the California Supreme Court and federal courts, and statutory reforms debated in the California State Legislature. It has interacted with statewide initiatives and actors including the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the Civil Rights Movement-era precedents influencing housing policy, and contemporary coalitions such as California Housing Partnership and Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California. The association has provided testimony before committees of the California Assembly, California State Senate, and worked with executive offices including the Governor of California and departments like the California Department of Finance.

Programs and Services

Programming offered recalls models used by national counterparts like the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials and includes annual conferences, legal update seminars referencing rulings from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and technical assistance on financing instruments similar to those used by the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank. Services include model policy toolkits, training on compliance with state statutes paralleling guidance from the California Attorney General, and resource sharing with philanthropic intermediaries such as the California Community Foundation and national funders like the Kresge Foundation and Ford Foundation.

Controversies and Criticism

The association and the broader field of redevelopment have faced criticism linked to debates involving eminent domain cases such as controversies echoing national attention to incidents involving entities like Kelo v. City of New London and scrutiny by fiscal accountability advocates including the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Critics have cited concerns advanced by scholars at institutions like University of California, Los Angeles, Harvard Kennedy School, and think tanks such as the Public Policy Institute of California about displacement, affordable housing impacts, and fiscal diversion of tax increment revenues. Contentious interactions involved media outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Sacramento Bee, and led to legislative and ballot actions influenced by civic groups including Tenants Together and California Coalition for Rural Housing.

Category:Organizations based in California