State blocks City of Industry’s subsidies plan

SACRAMENTO – Confronted with angry opposition from Los Angeles County supervisors, state lawmakers blocked an effort today by the City of Industry to grab millions of dollars in tax subsidies that could help lure an NFL team back to the area.

Backed by developer Ed Roski Jr., who wants to build a stadium on 600 vacant acres he owns there, the city had asked for power to divert $820 million in property tax revenue from basic government services and use it for development subsides instead.

But county officials, complaining that much of the money would come from their already tight budget, blitzed state lawmakers with letters and phone calls demanding that they vote against the city’s proposal.

Hours before it was scheduled for its first hearing, state Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles), who had gutted an unrelated bill of its original content and replaced it with Industry’s bid, pulled it from consideration. Romero’s district includes the City of Industry.

County Supervisor Gloria Molina, whose district also includes the City of Industry, denounced the city’s move.

“Everybody wants an NFL stadium, but I’m not so sure taxpayers should be footing the bill for that,” Molina said. “That’s what we potentially have going here.”

The bill would have allowed the extension of the City of Industry’s expiring redevelopment program for another decade while no longer requiring state review or proof that there is still blight.

Opponents said the extension would give Industry more time to build public-works projects, including streets, sewers and traffic lights, that would serve a stadium – and provide more commercial development to make the area more attractive to the NFL.

Industry City Manager Phil Iriarte said the stadium proposal calls for private financing of the stadium and he does not believe any redevelopment money spent to enhance the area and its streets would be a deciding factor for the NFL.

He said the city is not giving up its hope of the legislation passing this year. “We have more projects to do and we would like to do them.”

Romero held out the possibility that she would seek a parliamentary exception to revive the measure if opponents’ concerns can be addressed.

patrick.mcgreevy

@latimes.com