RANCHO CUCAMONGA–The shuttering of Rancho Cucamonga’s redevelopment agency has resulted in 17 municipal employees losing their jobs.
Like all cities up and down the state, Rancho Cucamonga was forced to phase out its redevelopment authority, which used a variety of financing mechanisms to eliminate blight and spur economic development. The redevelopment agency employed nine full-time workers and 11 part-timers.
Pursuant to two bills put forth by Governor Jerry Brown and passed by the legislature last year which were challenged by a coalition of cities but upheld by the California Supreme Court, the agencies were closed out and their funding routed to law enforcement and education.
Rancho Cucamonga, which covers 39.8 square miles and boasts a population of 165,269, lost well over $3.4 million as a consequence of the state’s action. The city was able to move three of the 20 displaced employees into other municipal posts.
Rancho Cucamonga is not alone in having to conflate its workforce in the aftermath of redevelopment’s demise. In Montclair, for example, the dissolution of its redevelopment agency will entail the loss of at least $1.3 million and will result in the loss of 11 full-time employees at the close of the current fiscal year. Other cities in the county are bracing for instituting similar economies.