Redevelopment Project

“Northeast Valley CRA Project,” Letters to the Valley Edition, Dec. 26.

Enough is enough. I find it appalling that these no-growth advocates opposing the establishment of a CRA [Community Redevelopment Agency] redevelopment zone would take such great protest with Councilman [Alex] Padilla and a community-based agency getting low-income individuals, Latino immigrants and those who live in public housing involved in the CRA public advisory board elections. These are the very people who need to be involved and part of our democratic process. Shame on these no-growth advocates! Seems like they want to be the only ones making decisions in the northeast San Fernando Valley.

Maybe by excluding other voices, they can make their case for no growth, secession and Los Angeles Unified School District breakup. I support Padilla and redevelopment efforts in our community.

GEORGE FLORES

Arleta

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Freshman Councilman Padilla should be ashamed of himself for being seduced by two CRA-financed organizations to hire six buses to shuttle 100 residents of the San Fernando Gardens city housing project to stuff the ballot boxes for a pro-CRA advisory committee in the northeast Valley (“CRA Backers Take Lead in Balloting,”Dec. 21). This kind of nonsense shows just how far the CRA will go to win approval of its outrageous attempt to take absolute control over 6,835 “blighted” Valley acres and rob the entire city of future property taxes for the next 45 years.

The CRA, close to bankruptcy, has recently laid off more than a third of its staff. But even this drastic measure has not solved its years of mismanagement problems. Its $340-million budget is so top-heavy with debt payments that it can’t make ends meet, and it has asked the City Council to help out by giving it $9 million to make payroll for its 200 staff members this year. That’s the same $9 million the city refused to spend to haul away trash that instead will go into the Sunshine Canyon dump in Granada Hills.

Simply put, the CRA needs the property tax money that will be generated by the northeast Valley to stay in business. If it does absolutely nothing except make more meaningless promises to the community, approval of “the project” by the City Council means that the CRA will be allowed to directly confiscate a whopping $1.1 billion in Valley property tax receipts over the next 45 years. That’s without one square foot of new structures being built.

There are also the very real questions of if, and when, any redevelopment will truly occur. The CRA’s own environmental impact report says it can accomplish its objectives by developing only 71 of the total 6,835 acres, and its own current budget report admits that it does not intend to spend one penny in the area for another four years.

Even then, four years from now, the CRA’s official budget does not include any new construction or redevelopment. Instead, the CRA will “create incentives” for homeowners to borrow money to remodel their own houses, and will help landlords find tenants for buildings near Hansen Dam, presuming the buildings are still empty at that time.

Padilla, like many before him, has been sandbagged by the CRA. It is now time for him to wake up and realize that he has been had. He should put a stop to this blatant land grab and get rid of the CRA like a dog gets rid of fleas.

WALTER N. PRINCE

Planning and Land Use Chair

PRIDE Homeowners Group

Northridge

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As a longtime resident of the northeast San Fernando Valley, I welcome the proposed CRA redevelopment zone.

I and many others support initiatives that would create jobs, attract businesses and enhance the community’s quality of life. Right now there are too few places where families can feel safe to take their children. Our main thoroughfare, Van Nuys Boulevard, is not family-friendly. There are too many nuisance uses, like bars and liquor stores. With a redevelopment zone, Van Nuys Boulevard could be greatly improved.

I think its incumbent upon all of us who are genuinely concerned about our community to bring about this positive change.

RAUL J. BOCANEGRA

Arleta