Redevelopment agencies: financing.

(1) The Community Redevelopment Law authorizes the establishment of redevelopment agencies in communities to address the effects of blight, as defined, and to utilize various types of financing for that purpose. This bill would prohibit redevelopment agencies from using specified revenue for the promotion, recruitment, or retention of any professional sports team, or any related activity, as defined or for the development, planning, design, site acquisition, subdivision, financing, leasing, construction, operation, or maintenance of infrastructure, as defined, related to the occupancy, recruitment, or retention of any professional sports team. (2) The law authorizes redevelopment agencies to pay the principal of, and interest on, indebtedness incurred to finance or refinance redevelopment, from a portion of property tax revenues diverted from other taxing agencies. The portion of taxes diverted is the amount attributable to increases in assessed valuation of property in the redevelopment project area subsequent to establishment thereof. This method of financing is commonly known as "tax increment" financing and is specifically authorized by Section 16 of Article XVI of the California Constitution. The law also authorizes a redevelopment agency, in any redevelopment plan or in the proceedings for the advance of moneys or the making of loans or the incurring of any indebtedness, to finance or refinance, in whole or in part, a redevelopment project to irrevocably pledge its tax increment revenues for the payment of the principal of, and interest on, these loans, advances, or other indebtedness. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes in those provisions that authorize a redevelopment agency to pledge its tax increment revenues for the payment on loans, advances, or other indebtedness.