The redevelopment agency proposed by the Kern County Board of Supervisors sounds good with promises of new buildings and taxpayer subsidized housing via a new, unaccountable layer of government.  The intoxicating allure of government expansion programs like a redevelopment agency to politicians is hard to resist, as it allows the politician to take credit for visible building projects and to curry favor with those who wish to do business with the new government agency.

The experts say that redevelopment agencies can be used to do "public/private" projects that are too risky for the private sector to do.  Well, if it is too risky for the private sector to do, don't do it with the taxpayers' money.

An example is the Parkview Cottages redevelopment project within the City of Bakersfield, a boondoggle costing the taxpayers millions of dollars so far.  Another, troubling red flag is that the reserves of a redevelopment agency can be taken by the deficit-ridden California state government on a whim.  So much for local taxes and control.

The Supervisors need to think through the problem of "urban blight" with a limited government approach that preserves private property rights and eliminates corporate welfare that distorts the free market.