Morning Report: Bringin’ Redevelopment Back
EM - News Moderator 
Some North County mayors say they want redevelopment agencies to make a comeback, and they’re not the only ones.
Redevelopment agencies were a tool that cities once used to clean up “blighted” areas, build affordable housing and pay for infrastructure projects before the state shut them down more than a decade ago.
These agencies used something called tax-increment financing, which allowed cities to use property tax revenue to subsidize affordable housing and build public amenities, specifically in underserved areas. The system helped fund major projects, but it was also often misused.
In 2012, Gov. Jerry Brown shut down the agencies to help close the state’s budget deficit and amid concerns about mismanagement. But some local leaders say losing them made it harder to fund the creation of affordable housing at the level the state demands.
State Assemblymember David Alvarez, who served on the San Diego City Council when redevelopment agencies existed, told our Tigist Layne there’s interest among some state lawmakers to bring back a version of the program, though recent governors haven’t supported it.
Alvarez himself said he would like to see redevelopment agencies come back in some form, but with some guardrails.
Environment Report: Sewage Wars
San Diego and East County are clashing over toilet water.
A bloc of East County cities is building its own water recycling project, one that will eventually supply up to 30 percent of their drinking water. They want San Diego to count that toward the region’s broader water recycling goals. Their argument: if the city does, it could save billions by building a smaller version of Pure Water Phase 2, the next phase of San Diego’s massive wastewater-to-drinking-water project.
But San Diego officials say it’s not that simple.
They’re still analyzing how increased conservation efforts from San Diegans and declining wastewater flows could affect the system.
Meanwhile, tensions are rising again between the two sides, not just over water supply, but over who controls decisions at the Metro Wastewater JPA. That’s because the ultimate point of contention is who will be saddled with supporting the cost of the region’s aging wastewater system.
Read the Environment Report here.
In Other News
- Today is the federal deadline for California and six other western states to reach a deal for how to portion out supplies from the Colorado River. Federal officials have threatened to implement their own plan if the states can’t agree how to manage the river after 2026, which is when the current agreement expires. (CalMatters)
- The South Bay Union School District board will decide Wednesday where to send students from Central Elementary School after the district officially shuts the school down next summer. Central Elementary’s closure is a result of sharply declining enrollment. (KPBS)
- Water and sewer rate increases proposed for Oceanside next year were cut in half by the City Council last week, but only for a year. Residents will now see a 3 percent increase for water and 2 percent increase for sewer in 2026, and then a 6 percent and 4 percent increase in 2027. (Union-Tribune)
- The family of a 4-year-old boy who was killed by a falling tree branch is suing the city of San Diego. The lawsuit is requesting that the city inspect trees and remove those that are deemed a danger to the public. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by Tigist Layne. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.
The post Morning Report: Bringin’ Redevelopment Back appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
