Article 6.5. Project Area Committee of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 24. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 4. >> Article 6.5.

(a) The legislative body of a city or county shall call upon the residents and existing community organizations in a redevelopment project area to form a project area committee in either of the following situations:
  (1) A substantial number of low-income persons or moderate-income persons, or both, reside within the project area, and the redevelopment plan as adopted will contain authority for the agency to acquire, by eminent domain, property on which any persons reside.
  (2) The redevelopment plan as adopted contains one or more public projects that will displace a substantial number of low-income persons or moderate-income persons, or both.
  (b) The legislative body shall, by resolution, adopt a procedure pursuant to this section for the formation of the project area committee. The procedure shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
  (1) Publicizing the opportunity to serve on the project area committee, by providing written notice by first-class mail to all residents, businesses, and community organizations, including religious institutions and other nonprofit organizations, within the project area at least 30 days prior to the formation of the project area committee.
  (2) The agency shall conduct a minimum of one public meeting to explain the establishment of, functions of, and opportunity to serve on, the project area committee. At the public meeting, the agency shall distribute copies of this article, copies of Sections 33347.5 and 33366, copies of the procedure adopted pursuant to this subdivision, copies of the redevelopment plan or preliminary plan or the pertinent portions thereof, and any other materials the agency determines would be useful.
  (3) Providing published notice of all meetings, hearings, or plebiscites conducted by, or on behalf of, the agency or legislative body relative to the formation and selection of the project area committee in the same manner as specified in subdivision (a) of Section 65090 of the Government Code.
  (4) (A) Providing written notice to all residents, businesses, and community organizations in the project area of all meetings, hearings, or plebiscites conducted by, or on behalf of, the agency or legislative body relative to the formation and selection of the project area committee. This mailed notice requirement shall only apply when mailing addresses to all individuals and businesses, or to all occupants, are obtainable by the agency at a reasonable cost. The notice shall be mailed by first-class mail, but may be addressed to "occupant." In lieu of providing separate notice for each meeting, hearing, or plebiscite, the agency may provide a single notice pursuant to this paragraph stating all dates, times, and locations of any meetings, hearings, and plebiscites relative to the formation and selection of the project area committee.
  (B) If the agency has acted in good faith to comply with the notice requirements of this paragraph, the failure of the agency to provide the required notice to residents or businesses unknown to the agency or whose addresses cannot be obtained at a reasonable cost, shall not, in and of itself, invalidate the formation or actions of the project area committee.
  (5) Providing other forms of notice appropriate to the community in which the project area is to be established, as determined by the agency. Notice provided pursuant to this paragraph may include public service announcements, advertisements in foreign-language publications, or flyers.
  (6) The number of community organizations and the method of selection, which may include election, appointment, or both.
  (7) Any other forms of assistance which the legislative body requires in connection with the formation of the project area committee.
  (c) The project area committee shall only include, when applicable, elected representatives of residential owner occupants, residential tenants, business owners, and existing organizations within the project area. Each group shall be adequately represented. Each organization represented pursuant to this subdivision shall appoint one of its members to the project area committee. No project area committee member may be appointed by the legislative body or the redevelopment agency or any member of either body. The members of the committee shall serve without compensation.
  (d) (1) The election of a representative project area committee shall be held in each project area within 100 days after the project area is selected. The legislative body shall adopt, after a duly noticed public hearing, communitywide procedures for filing for election, publicizing an election, holding an election, and for reviewing disputed elections, filling vacated seats, and other matters related to the electoral process. These procedures shall prohibit crossover voting between categories of residential owner occupants, residential tenants, and business owners to ensure, for example, that a business owner cannot vote for a tenant representative. However, if the legislative body determines that the method of selection of community organizations shall include election pursuant to subdivision (b), the legislative body shall determine the appropriate electorate and may authorize crossover voting in the election of community organizations.
  (2) The procedures adopted pursuant to this subdivision shall provide that a challenge to an election or to an electoral procedure shall be filed with the legislative body no more than 15 calendar days after the election. The legislative body shall adopt a finding that all adopted procedures of the legislative body were followed in the election. The procedures shall require that the validity of all challenges be determined within 30 days following the date of the election.
  (e) For project areas selected prior to March 7, 1973, the legislative body may, but shall not be required to, call upon the residents and existing community organizations to form a project area committee.
  (f) If the project does not contain a substantial number of low- and moderate-income individuals, the agency shall either call upon the residents and existing community organizations to form a project area committee or the agency shall consult with, and obtain the advice of, residents and community organizations as provided for project area committees in Section 33386 and provide those persons and organizations with the redevelopment plan prior to submitting it to the legislative body.
  (g) Nothing contained in this section shall prevent an agency, or the legislative body of any city or county, from creating any other committee for a project area. However, these committees shall not be merged into the project area committee subsequent to the formation thereof, and a member of any of these other committees shall not be entitled to vote in meetings of the project area committee, unless he or she is also a member of the project area committee.
  (h) The meeting of a project area committee shall be subject to the Ralph M. Brown Act (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code).
  (i) The agency may charge fees to persons purchasing or leasing property from the agency in the project area and to persons participating in redevelopment of the project area under an owner participation agreement to defray any cost to the agency or legislative body in implementing this section.
  (j) The amendments made to this section by the act that adds this subdivision shall be applicable only to a redevelopment plan that is adopted or amended on or after the effective date of the act that adds this subdivision.

(a) If a project area committee does not exist, and the agency proposes to amend a redevelopment plan, the agency shall establish a project area committee pursuant to Section 33385 if the proposed amendment to a redevelopment plan would do either of the following:
  (1) Grant the authority to the agency to acquire by eminent domain property on which persons reside in a project area in which a substantial number of low- and moderate-income persons reside.
  (2) Add territory in which a substantial number of low- and moderate-income persons reside and grant the authority to the agency to acquire by eminent domain property on which persons reside in the added territory. The project area committee may be composed of persons from only the added territory or both the added area and the existing project area.
  (b) Once a project area committee is formed, the requirements of Section 33385.5, except for project area committee expansion, shall be followed.

The agency shall forward copies of the proposed amendment to the redevelopment plan to the project area committee, if one exists, at least 30 days before the hearing of the legislative body, required in Section 33454. Where the proposed amendment would enlarge the project area, the redevelopment agency shall call upon the project area committee to expand its membership to include additional members on the project area committee in compliance with Section 33385. Such expansion of membership shall be submitted to the legislative body within 30 days for the body's approval within 60 days to assure that the project area committee is representative. The legislative body shall not hold the public hearing, required by Section 33454, until the enlarged project area committee has had at least 30 days to consider the proposed amendment. The committee, if it chooses, may prepare a report and recommendations for submission to the legislative body. If the project area committee opposes the adoption of the proposed amendment, the legislative body may only adopt the amendment by a two-thirds vote of its entire membership eligible and qualified to vote on such amendments.

The redevelopment agency through its staff, consultants, and agency members shall, upon the direction of and approval of the legislative body consult with, and obtain the advice of, the project area committee concerning those policy matters which deal with the planning and provision of residential facilities or replacement housing for those to be displaced by project activities. The agency shall also consult with the committee on other policy matters which affect the residents of the project area. The provisions of this section shall apply throughout the period of preparation of the redevelopment plan and for a three-year period after the adoption of the redevelopment plan, subject to one-year extensions by the legislative body.

Minutes of all the meetings of the redevelopment agency with the project area committee, which meetings shall be open and public, together with a record of all information presented to the project area committee by the redevelopment agency or by the project area committee for the redevelopment agency for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this article shall be maintained by the redevelopment agency. Such minutes and record shall be open to public inspection and a summary of such record shall be included in the report to the legislative body, submitted by the agency pursuant to Section 33352.

(a) Upon recommendation of the project area committee, funds as determined necessary by the legislative body for the operation of the project area committee shall be allocated to the committee by the legislative body. This allocation shall include funds or equivalent resources for a committee office, equipment and supplies, legal counsel, and adequate staff for the purposes set forth in Section 33386.
  (b) No funds allocated under this section shall be used for any litigation, other than litigation to enforce or defend the rights of the project area committee under this part.