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Chapter 1. Suspension Of Agency Activities And Prohibition On Creation Of New Debts of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 24. >> Part 1.8. >> Chapter 1.

Notwithstanding Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000), Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 34000), Part 1.6 (commencing with Section 34050), and Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 34100), or any other law, commencing on the effective date of this part, no agency shall incur new or expand existing monetary or legal obligations except as provided in this part. All of the provisions of this part shall take effect and be operative on the effective date of the act adding this part.
(a) Notwithstanding Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000), Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 34000), Part 1.6 (commencing with Section 34050), and Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 34100), or any other law, commencing on the effective date of this act, an agency shall be unauthorized and shall not take any action to incur indebtedness, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
  (1) Issue or sell bonds, for any purpose, regardless of the source of repayment of the bonds. As used in this section, the term "bonds," includes, but is not limited to, any bonds, notes, bond anticipation notes, interim certificates, debentures, certificates of participation, refunding bonds, or other obligations issued by an agency pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000), and Section 53583 of the Government Code, pursuant to any charter city authority or any revenue bond law.
  (2) Incur indebtedness payable from prohibited sources of repayment, which include, but are not limited to, income and revenues of an agency's redevelopment projects, taxes allocated to the agency, taxes imposed by the agency pursuant to Section 7280.5 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, assessments imposed by the agency, loan repayments made to the agency pursuant to Section 33746, fees or charges imposed by the agency, other revenues of the agency, and any contributions or other financial assistance from the state or federal government.
  (3) Refund, restructure, or refinance indebtedness or obligations that existed as of January 1, 2011, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
  (A) Refund bonds previously issued by the agency or by another political subdivision of the state, including, but not limited to, those issued by a city, a housing authority, or a nonprofit corporation acting on behalf of a city or a housing authority.
  (B) Exercise the right of optional redemption of any of its outstanding bonds or elect to purchase any of its own outstanding bonds.
  (C) Modify or amend the terms and conditions, payment schedules, amortization or maturity dates of any of the agency's bonds or other obligations that are outstanding or exist as of January 1, 2011.
  (4) Take out or accept loans or advances, for any purpose, from the state or the federal government, any other public agency, or any private lending institution, or from any other source. For purposes of this section, the term "loans" include, but are not limited to, agreements with the community or any other entity for the purpose of refinancing a redevelopment project and moneys advanced to the agency by the community or any other entity for the expenses of redevelopment planning, expenses for dissemination of redevelopment information, other administrative expenses, and overhead of the agency.
  (5) Execute trust deeds or mortgages on any real or personal property owned or acquired by it.
  (6) Pledge or encumber, for any purpose, any of its revenues or assets. As used in this part, an agency's "revenues and assets" include, but are not limited to, agency tax revenues, redevelopment project revenues, other agency revenues, deeds of trust and mortgages held by the agency, rents, fees, charges, moneys, accounts receivable, contracts rights, and other rights to payment of whatever kind or other real or personal property. As used in this part, to "pledge or encumber" means to make a commitment of, by the grant of a lien on and a security interest in, an agency's revenues or assets, whether by resolution, indenture, trust agreement, loan agreement, lease, installment sale agreement, reimbursement agreement, mortgage, deed of trust, pledge agreement, or similar agreement in which the pledge is provided for or created.
  (b) Any actions taken that conflict with this section are void from the outset and shall have no force or effect.
  (c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a redevelopment agency may issue refunding bonds, which are referred to in this part as Emergency Refunding Bonds, only where all of the following conditions are met:
  (1) The issuance of Emergency Refunding Bonds is the only means available to the agency to avoid a default on outstanding agency bonds.
  (2) Both the county treasurer and the Treasurer have approved the issuance of Emergency Refunding Bonds.
  (3) Emergency Refunding Bonds are issued only to provide funds for any single debt service payment that is due prior to October 1, 2011, and that is more than 20 percent larger than a level debt service payment would be for that bond.
  (4) The principal amount of outstanding agency bonds is not increased.
Notwithstanding Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000), Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 34000), Part 1.6 (commencing with Section 34050), and Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 34100), or any other law, commencing on the effective date of this part, an agency shall not have the authority to, and shall not, do any of the following:
  (a) Make loans or advances or grant or enter into agreements to provide funds or provide financial assistance of any sort to any entity or person for any purpose, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
  (1) Loans of moneys or any other thing of value or commitments to provide financing to nonprofit organizations to provide those organizations with financing for the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, refinancing, or development of multifamily rental housing or the acquisition of commercial property for lease, each pursuant to Chapter 7.5 (commencing with Section 33741) of Part 1.
  (2) Loans of moneys or any other thing of value for residential construction, improvement, or rehabilitation pursuant to Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 33750) of Part 1. These include, but are not limited to, construction loans to purchasers of residential housing, mortgage loans to purchasers of residential housing, and loans to mortgage lenders, or any other entity, to aid in financing pursuant to Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 33750).
  (3) The purchase, by an agency, of mortgage or construction loans from mortgage lenders or from any other entities.
  (b) Enter into contracts with, incur obligations, or make commitments to, any entity, whether governmental, tribal, or private, or any individual or groups of individuals for any purpose, including, but not limited to, loan agreements, passthrough agreements, regulatory agreements, services contracts, leases, disposition and development agreements, joint exercise of powers agreements, contracts for the purchase of capital equipment, agreements for redevelopment activities, including, but not limited to, agreements for planning, design, redesign, development, demolition, alteration, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, site remediation, site development or improvement, removal of graffiti, land clearance, and seismic retrofits.
  (c) Amend or modify existing agreements, obligations, or commitments with any entity, for any purpose, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
  (1) Renewing or extending term of leases or other agreements, except that the agency may extend lease space for its own use to a date not to exceed six months after the effective date of the act adding this part and for a rate no more than 5 percent above the rate the agency currently pays on a monthly basis.
  (2) Modifying terms and conditions of existing agreements, obligations, or commitments.
  (3) Forgiving all or any part of the balance owed to the agency on existing loans or extend the term or change the terms and conditions of existing loans.
  (4) Making any future deposits to the Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund created pursuant to Section 33334.3.
  (5) Transferring funds out of the Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund, except to meet the minimum housing-related obligations that existed as of January 1, 2011, to make required payments under Sections 33690 and 33690.5, and to borrow funds pursuant to Section 34168.5.
  (d) Dispose of assets by sale, long-term lease, gift, grant, exchange, transfer, assignment, or otherwise, for any purpose, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
  (1) Assets, including, but not limited to, real property, deeds of trust, and mortgages held by the agency, moneys, accounts receivable, contract rights, proceeds of insurance claims, grant proceeds, settlement payments, rights to receive rents, and any other rights to payment of whatever kind.
  (2) Real property, including, but not limited to, land, land under water and waterfront property, buildings, structures, fixtures, and improvements on the land, any property appurtenant to, or used in connection with, the land, every estate, interest, privilege, easement, franchise, and right in land, including rights-of-way, terms for years, and liens, charges, or encumbrances by way of judgment, mortgage, or otherwise, and the indebtedness secured by the liens.
  (e) Acquire real property by any means for any purpose, including, but not limited to, the purchase, lease, or exercising of an option to purchase or lease, exchange, subdivide, transfer, assume, obtain option upon, acquire by gift, grant, bequest, devise, or otherwise acquire any real property, any interest in real property, and any improvements on it, including the repurchase of developed property previously owned by the agency and the acquisition of real property by eminent domain; provided, however, that nothing in this subdivision is intended to prohibit the acceptance or transfer of title for real property acquired prior to the effective date of this part.
  (f) Transfer, assign, vest, or delegate any of its assets, funds, rights, powers, ownership interests, or obligations for any purpose to any entity, including, but not limited to, the community, the legislative body, another member of a joint powers authority, a trustee, a receiver, a partner entity, another agency, a nonprofit corporation, a contractual counterparty, a public body, a limited-equity housing cooperative, the state, a political subdivision of the state, the federal government, any private entity, or an individual or group of individuals.
  (g) Accept financial or other assistance from the state or federal government or any public or private source if the acceptance necessitates or is conditioned upon the agency incurring indebtedness as that term is described in this part.
Notwithstanding Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000), Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 34000), Part 1.6 (commencing with Section 34050), and Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 34100), or any other law, commencing on the effective date of this part, an agency shall lack the authority to, and shall not, engage in any of the following redevelopment activities:
  (a) Prepare, approve, adopt, amend, or merge a redevelopment plan, including, but not limited to, modifying, extending, or otherwise changing the time limits on the effectiveness of a redevelopment plan.
  (b) Create, designate, merge, expand, or otherwise change the boundaries of a project area.
  (c) Designate a new survey area or modify, extend, or otherwise change the boundaries of an existing survey area.
  (d) Approve or direct or cause the approval of any program, project, or expenditure where approval is not required by law.
  (e) Prepare, formulate, amend, or otherwise modify a preliminary plan or cause the preparation, formulation, modification, or amendment of a preliminary plan.
  (f) Prepare, formulate, amend, or otherwise modify an implementation plan or cause the preparation, formulation, modification, or amendment of an implementation plan.
  (g) Prepare, formulate, amend, or otherwise modify a relocation plan or cause the preparation, formulation, modification, or amendment of a relocation plan where approval is not required by law.
  (h) Prepare, formulate, amend, or otherwise modify a redevelopment housing plan or cause the preparation, formulation, modification, or amendment of a redevelopment housing plan.
  (i) Direct or cause the development, rehabilitation, or construction of housing units within the community, unless required to do so by an enforceable obligation.
  (j) Make or modify a declaration or finding of blight, blighted areas, or slum and blighted residential areas.
  (k) Make any new findings or declarations that any areas of blight cannot be remedied or redeveloped by private enterprise alone.
  (l) Provide or commit to provide relocation assistance, except where the provision of relocation assistance is required by law.
  (m) Provide or commit to provide financial assistance.
Notwithstanding Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000), Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 34000), Part 1.6 (commencing with Section 34050), and Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 34100), or any other law, commencing on the effective date of this part, an agency shall lack the authority to, and shall not, do any of the following:
  (a) Enter into new partnerships, become a member in a joint powers authority, form a joint powers authority, create new entities, or become a member of any entity of which it is not currently a member, nor take on nor agree to any new duties or obligations as a member or otherwise of any entity to which the agency belongs or with which it is in any way associated.
  (b) Impose new assessments pursuant to Section 7280.5 of the Revenue and Taxation Code.
  (c) Increase the pay, benefits, or contributions of any sort for any officer, employee, consultant, contractor, or any other goods or service provider that had not previously been contracted.
  (d) Provide optional or discretionary bonuses to any officers, employees, consultants, contractors, or any other service or goods providers.
  (e) Increase numbers of staff employed by the agency beyond the number employed as of January 1, 2011.
  (f) Bring an action pursuant to Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 860) of Title 10 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure to determine the validity of any issuance or proposed issuance of revenue bonds under this chapter and the legality and validity of all proceedings previously taken or proposed in a resolution of an agency to be taken for the authorization, issuance, sale, and delivery of the revenue bonds and for the payment of the principal thereof and interest thereon.
  (g) Begin any condemnation proceeding or begin the process to acquire real property by eminent domain.
  (h) Prepare or have prepared a draft environmental impact report. This subdivision shall not alter or eliminate any requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code).
No legislative body or local governmental entity shall have any statutory authority to create or otherwise establish a new redevelopment agency or community development commission. No chartered city or chartered county shall exercise the powers granted in Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000) to create or otherwise establish a redevelopment agency.
(a) This part is intended to preserve, to the maximum extent possible, the revenues and assets of redevelopment agencies so that those assets and revenues that are not needed to pay for enforceable obligations may be used by local governments to fund core governmental services including police and fire protection services and schools. It is the intent of the Legislature that redevelopment agencies take no actions that would further deplete the corpus of the agencies' funds regardless of their original source. All provisions of this part shall be construed as broadly as possible to support this intent and to restrict the expenditure of funds to the fullest extent possible.
  (b) For purposes of this part, "agency" or "redevelopment agency" means a redevelopment agency created or formed pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000) or its predecessor or a community development commission created or formed pursuant to Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 34100) or its predecessor.
  (c) Nothing in this part in any way impairs the authority of a community development commission, other than in its authority to act as a redevelopment agency, to take any actions in its capacity as a housing authority or for any other community development purpose of the jurisdiction in which it operates.
  (d) For purposes of this part, "enforceable obligation" means any of the following:
  (1) Bonds, as defined by Section 33602 and bonds issued pursuant to Section 5850 of the Government Code, including the required debt service, reserve set-asides and any other payments required under the indenture or similar documents governing the issuance of the outstanding bonds of the redevelopment agency.
  (2) Loans of moneys borrowed by the redevelopment agency for a lawful purpose, including, but not limited to, moneys borrowed from the Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund, to the extent they are legally required to be repaid pursuant to a required repayment schedule or other mandatory loan terms.
  (3) Payments required by the federal government, preexisting obligations to the state or obligations imposed by state law, other than passthrough payments that are made by the county auditor-controller pursuant to Section 34183, or legally enforceable payments required in connection with the agencies' employees, including, but not limited to, pension payments, pension obligation debt service, and unemployment payments.
  (4) Judgments or settlements entered by a competent court of law or binding arbitration decisions against the former redevelopment agency, other than passthrough payments that are made by the county auditor-controller pursuant to Section 34183. Along with the successor agency, the oversight board shall have the authority and standing to appeal any judgment or to set aside any settlement or arbitration decision.
  (5) Any legally binding and enforceable agreement or contract that is not otherwise void as violating the debt limit or public policy.
  (6) Contracts or agreements necessary for the continued administration or operation of the redevelopment agency to the extent permitted by this part, including, but not limited to, agreements to purchase or rent office space, equipment and supplies, and pay-related expenses pursuant to Section 33127 and for carrying insurance pursuant to Section 33134.
  (e) To the extent that any provision of Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000), Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 34000), Part 1.6 (commencing with Section 34050), or Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 34100) conflicts with this part, the provisions of this part shall control. Further, if any provision in Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000), Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 34000), Part 1.6 (commencing with Section 34050), or Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 34100) provides an authority that this part is restricting or eliminating, the restriction and elimination provisions of this part shall control.
  (f) Nothing in this part shall be construed to interfere with a redevelopment agency's authority, pursuant to enforceable obligations as defined in this chapter, to (1) make payments due, (2) enforce existing covenants and obligations, or (3) perform its obligations.
  (g) The existing terms of any memorandum of understanding with an employee organization representing employees of a redevelopment agency adopted pursuant to the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act that is in force on the effective date of this part shall continue in force until September 30, 2011, unless a new agreement is reached with a recognized employee organization prior to that date.
  (h) After the enforceable obligation payment schedule is adopted pursuant to Section 34169, or after 60 days from the effective date of this part, whichever is sooner, the agency shall not make a payment unless it is listed in an adopted enforceable obligation payment schedule, other than payments required to meet obligations with respect to bonded indebtedness.
  (i) The Department of Finance and the Controller shall each have the authority to require any documents associated with the enforceable obligations to be provided to them in a manner of their choosing. Any taxing entity, the department, and the Controller shall each have standing to file a judicial action to prevent a violation under this part and to obtain injunctive or other appropriate relief.
  (j) For purposes of this part, "auditor-controller" means the officer designated in subdivision (e) of Section 24000 of the Government Code.
Commencing on the effective date of the act adding this part, the Controller shall review the activities of redevelopment agencies in the state to determine whether an asset transfer has occurred after January 1, 2011, between the city or county, or city and county that created a redevelopment agency or any other public agency, and the redevelopment agency. If such an asset transfer did occur during that period and the government agency that received the assets is not contractually committed to a third party for the expenditure or encumbrance of those assets, to the extent not prohibited by state and federal law, the Controller shall order the available assets to be returned to the redevelopment agency or, on or after October 1, 2011, to the successor agency, if a successor agency is established pursuant to Part 1.85 (commencing with Section 34170). Upon receiving that order from the Controller, an affected local agency shall, as soon as practicable, reverse the transfer and return the applicable assets to the redevelopment agency or, on or after October 1, 2011, to the successor agency, if a successor agency is established pursuant to Part 1.85 (commencing with Section 34170). The Legislature hereby finds that a transfer of assets by a redevelopment agency during the period covered in this section is deemed not to be in the furtherance of the Community Redevelopment Law and is thereby unauthorized.
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, for purposes of this part and Part 1.85 (commencing with Section 34170), the definition of a city, county, or city and county includes, but is not limited to, the following entities:
  (1) Any reporting entity of the city, county, or city and county for purposes of its comprehensive annual financial report or similar report.
  (2) Any component unit of the city, county, or city and county.
  (3) Any entity which is controlled by the city, county, or city and county, or for which the city, county, or city and county is financially responsible or accountable.
  (b) The following factors shall be considered in determining that an entity is controlled by the city, county, or city and county, and are therefore included in the definition of a city, county, or city and county for purposes of this part and Part 1.85 (commencing with Section 34170):
  (1) The city, county, or city and county exercises substantial municipal control over the entity's operations, revenues, or expenditures.
  (2) The city, county, or city and county has ownership or control over the entity's property or facilities.
  (3) The city, county, or city and county and the entity share common or overlapping governing boards, or coterminous boundaries.
  (4) The city, county, or city and county was involved in the creation or formation of the entity.
  (5) The entity performs functions customarily or historically performed by municipalities and financed thorough levies of property taxes.
  (6) The city, county, or city and county provides administrative and related business support for the entity, or assumes the expenses incurred in the normal daily operations of the entity.
  (c) For purposes of this section, it shall not be relevant that the entity is formed as a separate legal entity, nonprofit corporation, or otherwise, or is not subject to the constitution debt limitation otherwise applicable to a city, county, or city and county. The provisions in this section are declarative of existing law as the entities described herein are and were intended to be included within the requirements of this part and Part 1.85 (commencing with Section 34170) and any attempt to determine otherwise would thwart the intent of these two parts.
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, any action contesting the validity of this part or Part 1.85 (commencing with Section 34170) or challenging acts taken pursuant to these parts shall be brought in the Superior Court of the County of Sacramento.
  (b) If any provision of this part or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this part which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end, the provisions of this part are severable.