Did you know that California taxpayers are subsidizing private
development, luxury golf courses and sports arenas to the tune of $5
billion a year? 

Yes and remarkably, the independent State Legislative
Analyst’s

Office found there is no reliable evidence that these public agencies have created
any new jobs. All the while, politicians are cutting funding for police and
fire protection, parks and classrooms. 

California taxpayer, you have just been introduced to California’s
redevelopment industry, aka "The Money Pit!"

There are some 425 redevelopment agencies (RDA) in California, located
in almost every California community. These relatively unknown agencies use
their power of eminent domain to forcibly seize places of worship, small
businesses and homes only to give them to politically connected developers on
the cheap. In turn, they use your tax dollars to underwrite development
projects  – corporate welfare at its very worst. In some cases, this
scheme has led to public corruption.

Last March, Governor Jerry Brown and Democratic legislators sought to
abolish these RDAs. But defying conventional wisdom that Republicans are the
Party of private property rights and champions of taxpayers, Republican
legislators stood in the way of reform.

This could change now that a group of conservative activists and
private property rights advocates have launched www.StoptheMoneyPit.com, a statewide public
education campaign intended to get Republicans to renew their conservative
values by signing a pledge to permanently abolish RDAs..

Will abolishing RDAs be the one issue that unites Democrats and
Republicans? Taxpayers and property owners can only hope so.