BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                        
                       SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
                            Senator Dave Cox, Chair


          BILL NO:  SB 977                      HEARING:  4/19/10
          AUTHOR:  Hollingsworth                FISCAL:  No
          VERSION:  4/14/10                     CONSULTANT:  Detwiler
          
                   REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN RIVERSIDE COUNTY

                           Background and Existing Law  

          County boards of supervisors govern 31 of the 425  
          redevelopment agencies.  A county redevelopment agency's  
          territorial jurisdiction is the county's unincorporated  
          area.  The territorial jurisdiction of a county  
          redevelopment agency includes all of the unincorporated  
          territory that was in a county's redevelopment project  
          area, even if a city subsequently annexes the territory or  
          a new city incorporates on top of the county's  
          redevelopment project area.  There are procedures for  
          counties to transfer control over their project areas to  
          the annexing city or the new city.

          The Redevelopment Agency for the County of Riverside has  
          five project areas.
          In 2008, the new cities of Menifee and Wildomar  
          incorporated on top of parts of the County's existing  
          project areas.  Before these incorporations, however,  
          County redevelopment officials acquired land outside of  
          their project areas and signed agreements with a developer  
          to build senior low-income apartments in Menifee  
          (Vineyards) and Wildomar (Tres Lagos).  County officials  
          approved the apartment developments before the  
          incorporations took effect.

          Because the properties are inside the new cities, but  
          outside of the County's redevelopment project areas, County  
          redevelopment officials lack the authority to continue with  
          the apartment developments.  They want a legislative  
          declaration that the County Redevelopment Agency's  
          territory still includes those properties, so that they can  
          finish the apartments.


                                   Proposed Law  

               Senate Bill 977 declares that the territorial  




          SB 977 -- 4/14/10 -- Page 2



          jurisdiction of the Redevelopment Agency of the County of  
          Riverside includes territory that is now within the City of  
          Menifee or the City of Wildomar if, before incorporation,  
          the Agency: (1) entered a binding agreement with a third  
          party for affordable housing, and (2) acquired land or  
          spent money from its Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund.

          SB 977 allows the Riverside County redevelopment agency to  
          count the housing units that it supports within Menifee and  
          Wildomar towards its statutory obligations to support  
          affordable housing.

          The bill declares that it applies retroactively and  
          prospectively, and it contains legislative declarations to  
          support its special provisions.


                                     Comment  

           This land is your land  .  SB 977 is special legislation that  
          allows Riverside County redevelopment officials to finish  
          apartment developments within Menifee and Wildomar that  
          started before those new cities incorporated.


                         Support and Opposition  (4/15/10)

           Support  :  County of Riverside, Cities of Menifee and  
          Wildomar.

           Opposition  :  Unknown.