The Gaines emerge as GOP heroes

CORRECTED VERSION

Steven Greenhut: The redevelopment lobby — those various corporate-welfare types, bond dealers, consultants, advocates for central planning, assorted bureaucrats and other enemies of property rights — got a pretty good scare yesterday after the Legislature voted by a simple majority to eliminate the agencies (AB26x), even though they also approved a measure that would allow the agencies to live again (AB27x) provided they reimburse various agencies for the money they divert. The governor vetoed the budget bill, but it’s unclear right now what this means for redevelopment. Apparently, these bills have not been sent to the governor yet, and we’re still checking.

Republicans had been saving redevelopment, thus proving that their limited-government rhetoric is nothing more than rhetoric. Previous legislation requiring elimination on a two-thirds vote failed. But the bills came up on a simple-majority vote given that the appropriations elements were stripped out of them. We got to see some GOP clowns in action. Don Wagner was first and foremost of these as a previous post points out. He wanted it both ways. He argued against redevelopment but in favor of saving the agencies and then tried to conceal his vote to avoid political consequences. We saw some foolish Democrats also. Lou Correa of Santa Ana always complains about redevelopment and eminent domain abuse, but when push came to shove, he refused to support the vote.

But we also saw some heroes. Sen. Ted Gaines, R-Roseville, provided the swing vote in the Senate. There were no other GOP heroes in the Senate. At least there is one conservative conscience there. In the Assembly, GOPers who voted to end these central planning, welfare-doling, eminent-domain-abusing agencies were Chris Norby, Jim Nielsen, Beth Gaines, Dan Logue and Allan Mansoor. The list of Republicans who actually act on their stated principles is very short, but at least there are some people on that list. Look to them for the future of the party.

The redevelopment edifice is crumbling, and may have even crumbled. Stay tuned.