Who governs a redevelopment agency? How do citizens control it?
Elected officials, directly responsible to their voters, oversee the redevelopment activities within their jurisdiction. The elected city council governs the redevelopment agency in all but three redevelopment agencies that are located within cities. The three exceptions (Long Beach, Santa Rosa and San Francisco) are governed by commissions whose members are appointed by the mayor and/or city council. In all counties, the board of supervisors governs the agency. Five closed military bases are governed by elected officials from affected cities and counties on a joint commission basis. When citizens support or disapprove of a project or program of the redevelopment agency, they have the right to voice their opinions at the regular public meetings of these responsible elected officials and the right to cast their ballot for the person they believe will best represent their interests. The voters are the ultimate “boss” of the redevelopment agency.
