Chapter 1. General Provisions of California Government Code >> Division 1. >> Title 5. >> Part 4. >> Chapter 1.
It is the intent of the Legislature to do all of the
following:
(a) Promote economic development on a local level so that
communities can enact local strategies to increase jobs, create
economic opportunity, and generate tax revenue for all levels of
government.
(b) Give local governments tools, at no cost to the state, that
allow local governments to use their funds in a manner that promotes
economic opportunity.
(c) With the loss of redevelopment funds, cities, counties, and
cities and counties need to continue certain powers afforded to
redevelopment agencies that were critical to economic development,
yet do not have an impact on schools and the state budget.
As used in this part "economic opportunity" means any of
the following:
(a) Development agreements or other agreements that create,
retain, or expand new jobs, in which the legislative body finds that
the agreement will create or retain at least one full-time
equivalent, permanent job for every thirty-five thousand dollars
($35,000) of city, county, or city and county investment in the
project after full capacity and implementation.
(b) Development agreements that increase property tax revenues to
all property tax collecting entities, in which the legislative body
finds that the agreement will result in an increase of at least 15
percent of total property tax resulting from the project at full
implementation when compared to the year prior to the property being
acquired by the government entity.
(c) Creation of affordable housing, if a demonstrated affordable
housing need exists in the community, as defined in the approved
housing element or regional housing needs assessment.
(d) Projects that meet the goals set forth in Chapter 728 of the
Statutes of 2008 and have been included in an adopted sustainable
communities strategy or alternative planning strategy or a project
that specifically implements the goals of those adopted plans.
(e) Transit priority projects, as defined in Section 21155 of the
Public Resources Code.
It is declared to be the policy of the state:
(a) To protect and promote the sound development of economic
opportunity in cities and counties and the general welfare of the
inhabitants of those communities through the employment of all
appropriate means.
(b) That whenever the creation of economic opportunity in cities
and counties cannot be accomplished by private enterprise alone,
without public participation and assistance in the acquisition of
land, in planning and in the financing of land assembly, in the work
of clearance, and in the making of improvements necessary therefor,
it is in the public interest to advance or expend public funds for
these purposes, and to provide a means by which economic opportunity
can be created.
(c) That the creation of economic opportunity and the provisions
for appropriate continuing land use and construction policies with
respect to property acquired, in whole or in part, for economic
opportunity constitute public uses and purposes for which public
money may be advanced or expended and private property acquired, and
are governmental functions of state concern in the interest of
health, safety, and welfare of the people of the state and cities and
counties.
(d) That the necessity in the public interest for the provisions
of this part is declared to be a matter of legislative determination.
This chapter shall not be interpreted to authorize the use
of eminent domain for economic development purposes.