Monterey County Deserves Better than Reckless Public Funds Giveaways for Developers

If Ila Mettee-McCutchon wants to represent District 4 on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, it makes sense to examine her record as Marina's mayor. Ila has been a champion of "growth" policies that, as the empty fields in Fort Ord suggest, have not produced much actual growth. As the housing market enters its most difficult period in nearly thirty years, and as homebuilders across the country are pulling back on projects, the city of Marina is planning to sink $96 million in public funds in subsidies to private developers at the stalled The Dunes development.

A commentary in Saturday's Monterey County Herald by Quinton Roland explained why this is such a risky move:

The financing proposal defies development industry wisdom and economic realities. Just as alarming is that no alternative uses for the public's $96 million in tax revenue have been evaluated....Marina officials offer no debate as to which projects won't get done if The Dunes soaks up a generation of tax-increment revenues. California redevelopment law says that this money could pay for police and fire stations, schools, affordable housing, courthouses, libraries, parks, youth centers, senior centers, community centers and more.

In fact, many Marina residents already feel underserved by their city's government, as police and fire response times rise due to sprawl and other community investment needs go unmet. Roland concludes:

Supporters of this giveaway are panicking - pushing a desperate measure without necessity or guarantees. If we maintain our composure and resist further handouts, The Dunes still gets built in due time and we save ourselves $96 million for critical public improvements.

Monterey County faces its own budget issues, as the state deficit and the worsening economy may lead to a squeeze on county finances and core services, especially health care. Voters need to ask themselves if they want a Supervisor who supports reckless giveaways to developers or whether they want a Supervisor who will use tax money wisely and responsibly, to support core services instead of gamble it on the housing market.

Jane Parker, who the Monterey County Democrats have endorsed in this race, has long experience with managing multimillion dollar budgets and would provide the fiscal accountability and stability that we deserve - without giving away public money to housing developers.