Politics

Redevelopment Ruling May Not Be End Of the Story

By Alison St John / Reporter

Published December 30, 2011 at 3:00 AM PST

This story was published more than 12 years ago.

The State Supreme Court’s ruling suggests the end of redevelopment as we know it.

Legal experts agree there is little wiggle room for an appeal of the State Supreme Court's ruling that gives the legislature the right to eliminate redevelopment agencies.

But attorney Elizabeth Hull, who advises redevelopment agencies around Southern California, says the legislature did not necessarily intend to completely eliminate redevelopment as a funding source for local governments.

“The records from the hearings indicate many Assembly Members and Senators agreed changes needed to be made, but total elimination of redevelopment agencies probably wasn’t in the best interest, “ Hull said on KPBS' Midday Edition,

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“But the way the law was written and the way the court has interpreted it, that’s what has occurred," she said." I think the California Redevelopment Association and local agencies are hoping the legislature will step in and solve this problem.”

Since the court issued its ruling this month rather than waiting till January as expected, some believe there may be time for the legislature to act before Gov. Jerry Brown introduces his proposed budget for next year.

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Alison St John currently serves as a general assignment reporter and occasionally co-hosts KPBS Midday Edition. She fell in love with KPBS Radio when she arrived in San Diego in 1985 and first heard NPR. She has been a voice on KPBS Radio since 1989, and has served as a news reporter for radio, TV and the web, as well as anchoring, hosting, producing and editing. Alison has reported on stories about North County and was based in the KPBS' North County Bureau. Alison covered the metro beat during the critical period of the San Diego City pension crisis, and the education beat while Alan Bersin was the controversial Superintendent of San Diego City School District. She covered health when the industry was converting to managed care and told welfare reform stories in the late 1990s when Clinton was “ending welfare as we know it.” She has covered land use issues extensively, looking at the challenges of meeting a growing population while preserving community character, and developing a better transportation system to meet environmental concerns. She has done many stories on the military in San Diego, and the series she edited on the challenges veterans face returning from active duty to civilian life won “Best of Show” from the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists. She occasionally hosts the KPBS Roundtable and KPBS Midday Edition. Alison has won awards from the San Diego Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press TV and Radio Association, and the California Golden Mike Awards. Alison was born in Tanzania, brought up in Scotland, and earned her degree in psychology and sociology from Durham University in England. Her postgraduate diploma is in student counseling. She worked in England, Nigeria, Switzerland, Belgium, India, and Japan before moving to the United States in 1981. She now lives in Oceanside and enjoys how her community is growing and changing.