" The silly council shows again why it's a bunch of nuts looking for a tree to grow on. Go back to the bay area, Mr. King, if they'll even let you come back after all the problems you've caused there. "

" What a waste of typing between the city council, Blair King, Jim krueger and the town misfits. "

" Oh, and observor, why two blog names? Are you the capital letter Observor or the small letter observor? LOL "

" And if you really knew me observor, I would apologize to you for being so loud and explain why, as I do anyone I talk to. You must really think I'm a rude loudmouth. That's the mindset your crowd has of everyone but each other, while you'd stab one another in the back for your own mothers' gold fillings. "

" Observor, maybe after 29 years of working around loud machinery on construction sites and having to literally holler to communicate, that's my natural tone, not boisterous as you think. I try to catch myself and quiet down, but the habit after all these years won't go away. My hearing is pretty well gone from not having or using ear protection that causes me not to be able to realize that I'm being loud. You should probably get to know me before you criticize me. At least of what I speak are the dirty little hidden truths of you "elites". "

" That would be no fun Tax & Cit......I like hearing you pop off and I wouldn't want to stifle that. It's a form of entertainment for all of us. Keep it up. Just speak a little louder. "

" Taxpayer&Citizen they collected a heck of a lot more than $500. My utility bill has gone up $50) to $60 dollars a month over the last year for the same usage. They can't maintain anything but they can sure raise the rates to collect the money. "

" Observor, I've only seen you in there twice. I hear you're a real Starbucks person, anyway. "

" Well, observor, if I'm making too much noise for you at the coffee house, then you should at least introduce yourself to me and ask me to be quiet. No guts? "

" That money to repair the sewers was diverted to buying that five hundred dollar pump that's cleaning up the ground pollution. The ground pollution cleanup money is probably invested with one of our local financial brokers or F&M Bank, making someone a lot of money. "

" OTH: Good question. "

" I am now absolutely convinced that Taxpayer and Citizen knows nothing about redevelopment or the players. That $20 you've been spending on "informants"........better get your money back. Your secret meetings with Daniel haven't been working out either. You're making way too much noise at House of Coffees. "

" And just how do you figure the property values on the eastside or anywhere else in Lodi are going to escalate? Of course, there's always the retired part-time real estate appraiser who is also the ex-mayor. He's been over-appraising for the good old boys and local realtors for years and he IS part of the problem. Vote him out! "

" Es_tut and Oscar have a great blog going here. Exchange if opinions and ideas in a thoughtful manner. Not pointing fingers or saying aweful things. Trying to deal mainly in facts. Grow up people. If this topic is such a great idea for Lodi, it will happen for the betterment of the community. By the sound of this article, cc already has their minds made up. At least let the community try to understand it. "

" Seems to me the only thing that stinks is that the city says, "come to a meeting! Learn about our great plan" And then mails the invitiations the day after the meeting. commonsense1, you need to change your handle. You lack any commonsense. "

" Thats dependent on how much net profit there will be on the enterprise or new development. If you can't make a net greater than the costs associated with it, you will lose money. Every single RDA I know about requires an infrastructure of employees. This overhead must also be subtracted from the net profit BEFORE you start paying back bond interest and fees. If Lodi were a destination city, it might be doable. But, so-called destination cities must have an enduring and lasting reason for people to visit. It can't be our reason, it must be the visitors. lodi, has no convention center or theme park. Vineyards and good wine are seasonal. Maybe we can have a harvest and Christmas activity for the fall and winter to attract visitors. But once the locals visit, they won't keep coming back unless the activites change frequently (like a restaurant menu). "

" What happened to the money collected over the years on our city bills that was supposed to replace the crumbling sewer pipes? How many of those pipes have been replaced? "

" 16025, you are right. There is an elephant in the room along with the mayor. They have made quite a mess on the floor and it stinks. Again, Oscar's statement is right on target. RD creates more value, which brings in more property tax revenues to help pay the cost of RD, all the while improving our community. "

" taxpayer & citizens posts always serves as a reminder that he will never make it a careeer as a understanding, non-critical, not judgmental and happy person in life. If one is not part of the solution all they become is a complainer. "

" The problems you speak of involve the ENTIRE state of California if not the nation. Lodi needs to do what is best for Lodi.
"

" Open your eyes observer. People like Mr. Snider, who are already filthy rich, have everything to do with this issue. They are the ones who again stand to profit whether redevelopment works or not, guaranteed. If it fails and loses money, they'll still profit from the taxpayers' money. Your ignorance increases each time you open your mouth. "

" Leave it to T&C to involve people who have nothing to do with this issue. I appreciate the. Comments by Oscar & Es tut. "

" I think it is unfortunate to have to endure name-calling. I am a professional in the Financial services industry. That means businesses pay me good money for my opinions. If I am wrong, I lose cliens. I have a good track record. Opinions based on experience and facts might be more accurate than those based on emotions or politics. The decision for or against an RDA won't affect me one way or the other. But when you see a train ready to hit car stuck on the railroad tracks, I think its a good idea to try to help the driver get out of the car. I tried, and what ahppnes happens. An RDA might be effective, I don't know. But we should pay for it without selling Bonds to do it. Cash is always king. If you can afford it, then buy it. Don't place everyone in debt, when we have no idea what ther costs will be. The law of unintended consequences is similar to Murphys law. "

" Es_tut_mir_leid_aber must have done his/her homework to know about aaa bond rating and interest rates. i don't think the blog is dribble. "

" Oscar, thank you for the rational, easy-to-understand example of the obvious benefits of an RA. Although I have to admit, reading the dribble from "Taxpayer" and his side-kick "ES-tut" is fun. "

" oscar, you are right. if redevelopment will help the eastside. then let's do it. but, lodi should have it's eyes wide open when doing so. the last time the city bought a "sales job" the citizen's got stuck with a ground water contamination lawsuit at 25% interest loan. "

" commonsense1 - mounce doesn't seem to be afraid of you or anyone else. it seems to me she is just calling attention to the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. i believe the LNS is the one blowing this all out. as far as an alter ego is concerned, i'm not sure if commonsense is what your handle should be. Es_tut_mir_leid_aber, thank you for posting your informational blogs. you too oscar. "

" Amazing! I knew Mounce would bury herself, but I'm suprised at how fast and furious she's digging. I would think her peer's are having a ball with this. I love to see her bunched up with
"Taxpayer" and his alter ego "ES_tut".
Perfect, absoultely perfect.






"

" I understand the concept that reduced property values will mean reduced property taxes. I don't think the City receives much property tax revenue as it is. Isn't most of their revenue from sales tax? My understanding is that the values of the properties in the designated redevelopment area are frozen. As the areas are improved, the property values go up and the redevelopment district receives the revenue from the increase in value. The base value is still subject to the 2% annual increase and continues to go to the County. You can see why cities that have replaced vacated and run down properties with malls have created a cash cow. Look at China Basin in San Francisco. Who would have ever guessed ten years ago there would be a ballpark with million dollar condominiums across the street and a vibrant commercial area.

I don't believe there will be a ballpark or million dollar condominiums in Lodi's redevelopment area. Therefore my question remains the same....will the improvements to the area create enough of an increase in value to generate the income necessary to repay the bonds? If so, I believe it could be a good thing for the area. "

" When the city refers to the eastside, they're only referring to Loel Center and Cherokee Lane. Don't let them fool you. What harebrained scheme that's successful has been hatched by any Lodi council since Snider was mayor. If you recall, he brought us Walmart, which really started this downward spiral. And now this same Mr. Snider is going to bring you the new super Walmart. This redevelopment is partially a smokescreen while sneaking this new Walmart project in. "

" This is just another Ponzi type pyramid scheme orchestrated by Mr. King and the city council puppets to enrich themselves. Like all pyramid schemes, it will be the real downfall of Lodi, socially and economically. "

" You Go JoAnne,

I see nothing wrong with a Mayor that says it like it is. If it's not working and wasting money then say it. Also if it wakes everyone else up then the statement worked. Now let's either go door to door or something to get East Side input. They just probably figure they will be ignored and need to know their comments will be listened to. "

" I understand your first point. I will reconsider my opinion. Its just that the maniac frenzy in some sectors makes me wonder where they get the time to play the RDA game. Most businesses are focused on maintaining a monthly profit not dabbling in local politics. They have too much time on their hands? Maybe they should do what they know best? Build and sell more houses.

Your second point is correct but its worse than you say. San Joaquin county (our property tax collector) has over one year of being on the WORST rate of foreclosures in the USA. We dropped from #1 last month when Merced passed us with even more foreclosures (by percentage). Look at Sacramento county. The foreclosure mess is hitting that county so hard that they are PRO- ACTIVELY reassessing single family residences and lowering property taxes even though house prices have not yet bottomed out. Currently, there is no state law that requires this. When home owners start appealing over assessed valuations in San Joaquin county, it will be too late for the smaller governemnt organizations who did not plan for the decrease in tax revenue from property taxes. On toip of this our governopr has been sending out warnings that the state can't afford the budgets from prior years. Coupled with reduced property taxes are reduced taxes from sales taxes. The Board of Equalization is having to review these matters. So as long as property values are dropping, property taxes will inevitably decrease. Other problems are on the horizon. Retail sales figures are dropping as well. Ad to this the laid off construction workers and we face a recession or worse. Today, the Sacramento Bee had an article about how pawn shops were in a hot business from many people having to sell/loan jewelry for the gold or their hand tools. As the economy struggles, more people may be out of work. When that happens we get another issue that is both good and bad for all of us. Many of us who spent instead of saved are forced into saving. With increased savings we have a decrease in spending of dicretionary income. When people get frightened they save. There is a post in the Los Angeles Times today by "condoblue" that summed up the problems of many. This person bought a condo using an ARM loan. They were fully qualified for a conventional loan. As the loan reset and their equity went negative, they tried to refinance. Mortgage companies refused because they were never late and had "good credit and a good job". What is thewre to do? If they paid a conventional mortgage they would have lost tens of thousands of their deposit. So to solve the problem, the poster bought another house ironically a short sale. This while they were making payments on the condo. This was a MUST since if they ever went behind on the mortgage payments (which they could afford) they would have a terrible credit for ten years. So the new lender was fully informed approved the loan now he has two houses. He is waiting for the condo mortgage company to help- he has one month before the ARM reset. Well, he now has a house that is afforable as well. Because of theis post an many similar posts, people with means are WALKING away from their mortgages, even though they can afford them. It is a purely business decision like businesses make every day. Here is the point. As more and more "people with income and savings" walk out of a bad deal, it will be followed by people with low income, low assets and no savings. I was surprised to read that the majority of posts to this poster was POSITIVE! I couldn't believe that a "deadbeat" would be applauded. So the housing mortgage psychology has changed course from "get rich quick" real esttae flippers on late night TV to the reality of owing the debt. None of this looks good for the economy. I don't condone anyone being irresponsible with their contracts. But, when you look at how the FED is bailing out commercial banks who were not prudent (no or lax morgtgage underwriting), it makes me pause to ask the question: "Who is the real crook in all this mess?" You do have to ask the question. I feel sad for the hundreds of thousands some say over one million homeowners (actually they don't really own homes- they pay "rent" for the money to pay the mortgage. My plan is when I hear someone screaming "NOW IS THE BEST TIME TO BUY!" like a heroin addict who needs a fix, stop, slow down and analyze how YOU will lose, and why they want your money. Economics can be easily distilled to this. When you buy a car (or a house), you would rather have the car than the money that pays for the car )or hosue). The person who has the car (or house) would rather have the money than the car (or house). When these two people agree, you have a sales transaction. But if one of the people has an advantage with either information or knowledge or another reason (like a commission), the equation is unbalanced. Today the equation is starting to favor some buyers (all commodities), but the threat of inflation will kill the sale. Thats what we face today. What will happen tomorrow. I don't know. But I do know if you say NO to salesmen, and save your money, you will be in a potentially better position to make an objective decision "tomorrow". Ask your self "why buy today?". And ask tomorrow the same question--- You are now a prudent saver not a debtor. The salesmen and cheerleaders have to yell at someone else to buy now. What was President known for when he was in college? Academics? No, sports? no, Cheerleading? YES! He was a cheerleader who learned how to make "new cheers" to solve problems. We need to learn how to solve our own problems since all these cheers, chants and back-flips won't pay our bills. Good luck to everyone. We will need to help one another during this crisis of leadership. We must be self-reliant as much as possible. "

" Es_Tut, your exmples of people making money has a name, growing the economy, that`s the whole idea! Expanding the tax base, increasing the cities portion of tax receipts through the process call "tax increment". With real estate values so low at the current time, now is the perfect time to institute a RA, values are sure to go back up in the not to distant future and Lodi can capitalize on this cyclical process. The 95% of California cities the size of Lodi or larger that use RAs can`t all be ignorant. "

" Thank you Es_tut...I don't by into your theory that redevelopment is being done to bail out the real estate/title companies/contractor's, etc. Redevelopment was being considered when that market was very, very strong. What I do buy into is taking on more debt than you can afford to pay back. Are you saying that the increased property tax revenues that would be derived is not enough to cover the payment? If so, that is not good. If it pays for itself then I would think it would be a good thing. A way to get public works projects completed that are so needed in the designated area.

Thank you for your polite and well thought out response. I still have a lot to learn and you have been helpful. "

" To: Oscar. Most every time a property changes ownership via a sale, especially through the local multiple listing service there is a listing RE broker and a "buyers" RE broker. They usually divvy up a 6% commission fee plus whatever else they can get between the parties. 6% can represent a lot of money especially if you consider not only principals involved in RE development projects but also buyers and sellers in the locations near the construction who are trying to get physically away from the development project. All of this increases the churn (sales activity) of real estate and an RE "sales commission tax" of 5-6% must be paid.

Other beneficiaries of the deal are brokers for the RDA debt and RDA bonds, builders, developers, property management companies, appraisers, title and escrow companies, attorneys, accountants, redevelopment consultants and others, EIR's, zoning, environmental issues etc). One problem, is that the actual people who DO THE REAL LABOR (ie workers) will get the smallest piece of the pie. The taxpayers get to pay for the RDA circus and the Bond insurers have to take the risk of insuring the bonds. If investors won't buy RDA bonds because the interest is too low, the RDA MUST ante up more fees and/or pay higher interest on the bonds. If the bonds are rated below AAA, the interest rate or Bond insurance will have to be higher to make the investment profitable to investors. Guess what? There is no Santa Claus or "free money". If we stay free of debt, especially during this housing and credit disaster (anything can happen), we will avoid paying lots of interest on the debts that are incurred for a few well-healed RDA promoters. There is NO conspiracy, its all about "business making money" where it can. If a businesss can't survive through free enterprise, then you do it through the governments power to tax. The "everyones doing it" excuse was great for some housing bubble flippers, but look what that Ponzi scheme got them. Nothing is free. If you pay now and YOU HAVE THE MONEY - liquid CASH - I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT!!! Look here I said that! NO conspiracy---The problem is when you take on MORE DEBT THAN YOU CAN KNOW, with unknown interest on interest during a recession. Lodi is NOT "a drunken sailor" on leave with a few bucks to spend. Lets wait until the economy gets back to normal and do an honest objective analysis when the time is right for THE TAXPAYERS. I predict the end of our community if the RDA advocates get their way. All so a few can grab some government contracts. These advocates need to trust the free enterprise system and go back to work and forget about a government bailout to help them while the housing market is slow. This housing/credit market may turn around tomorrow or more likely, it may be slow for another ten years. Who knows? But we shouldn't bail out a few businesses (Realty, developers, builders) because they are having a rough time. All businesses have to toughen up from time to time, and they will have to wait for their turn again. These RDA advocates need to trust capitalism and reject "Welfare capitalism" for the rich. Doing so will save Lodi from another "get rich quick scheme" that they are hatching.


"

" Better yet Neo, why don't the other 4 amigos explain to us just who exactly will benefit by putting Lodi deeper into debt than they already are? Could it be the developers, realtors, appraisers (only reitred part-time), builders,and the scabby little wannabe contractors here in Lodi that can't buy a job anywhere else? Why don't these four tell us the pitfalls for us citizens and our children who are going to pay the tab? "

" Mayor Mounce, if you`d care to explain to the people of Lodi why they should not be for redevelopment I`m sure the News Sentinel would be more than happy to accept a column from you that explains in detail why you have these reservations. These bloggers are nameless and faceless, a column with a pic. and name attached would carry much more weight and credibility. "

" Oscar, it's not because of their decisions that the four amigos on city council are considered bad persons. It's just because that's what they really are, bad persons making decisions for themselves and not the citizenry of Lodi. Ms. Mounce is the only one with enough guts to vote for what she believes what we want, not what the good old boys and their pocketbooks want. "

" I don't understand the nastiness of some of these posts. I don't believe for one second that any of the five council members isn't doing what they believe is in the best interests of the City. Just because you disagree with a decision doesn't make them a bad person. I respect the fact that all five of them take the time to serve our City. If we had a unanimous decision every time I'd be worried. "

" LodiHomeOwner unfortunately for most of Lodi when Ms Mounces tenure is up the citizens of Lodi have little chance of a decent mayor. Look what's waiting in the wings. With the money needed to run for election the common man has little chance of being elected. "

" Hopefully you will learn from our city council in galt. we are in a lawsuit with our very own fire dept because we expanded our redevelopment area and subsequently diverted millions of dollars from precious city services by doing so. Also, good for Joann Mounce. Our city council and local paper would not dare speak their minds or print them in the galt herald. "

" I just really feel sorry for T & C, who thinks the east side is nothing but gangbangers. I have no problem going out in my neighborhood after dark. It's the mentality of people like T&C who give the east side such a bad rep. I also would like to address the people who say they weren't notified about the meeting: you obviously read the LNS, or you wouldn't be commenting on this story. The meeting was well advertised in said LNS way ahead of time. What were YOU reading??? "

" Other than Ms Mounce I don't believe there is a person in this RDA mumbo jumbo who is either ABOVE being immoral or unethical to make money. Lodi has a number of these people floating around. And I say that as someone who was born here. There is a lot of research to be done before we jump like sheeple. "

" I will be the first to admit that I am not an expert on redevelopment but I have a question....reference has been made to those locals who will "profit" from redevelopment projects. Who are these people? Are they contractors, realtors, developers, bankers, clothing stores, etc. Wouldn't the City be completing the public works projects? Do we expect these businesses to do it for free? I'm not looking for an argument or being called names, I'm just looking for some explanation. Thanks. "

" Sorry about the NRA. Not the national Rifle Assn, but the NAR. Its N.A.R. The National Association of Realtors. I am not one of them, I thought it was the NRA- at least that what a Lodi RE broker told me. He is the one who told me Lodians were "sheeple". "

" I don't know any of these people. I am myself this is my first post. MORR has several websites and they have not done SEO, I will look for them. One site is here:
http://www.sbeminentdomainabuse.com/id22.html

And another is here: http://www.redevelopment.com/ with links to other sites.

I have always found that sometimes it is best to learn about these technical issues is by studying what the ADVOCATES SAY, who they really are (a secret list) and how much money they are making off the deal of RDA. Here is a start and you will see some familiar names. These are the registered LOBBYISTS (look for the money-commish) for RDA in California.

HERE THEY ARE: http://www.calredevelop.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home


These people make money everytime there is a new city pulled under by RDA. READ EVERYTHING, why hide? Notice that the members list is NOT public, yet it includes public employees and governments. If its honest, lets see the names! I see No reason for THE SECRET GOVERNMENT of RDA. MAKE THE NAMES PUBLIC---but they can't because its a PRIVATE political lobby. Check them out at the California Secretary of State and The Fair Political Practices Commission. This must be the secret organization running the circus. If you believe in RDA you must be PROUD of this. If you are not proud why hide this information, unless, you have other plans---profit at taxpayers expense! As AMBAC AND MBIA bond insurers lose ratings, bond interest rate MUST GO UP, which means MORE DEBT to the RDA cities that refinance or start an RDA now. So Mr RDA cheerleaders lets talk facts. How much interest in total and percentage will the LODI RDA have to pay? How much are the fees? How much are the commissions? When you get these numbers, tell all of us, so we know what we are in for. But you won't because Lodi voters will NEVER knowingly support the interest, overhead and fat. Nothing is "FREE" with RDA. Look at the dozens of completed box stores and automalls that are sitting vacant throughout California. The developers, builders and real estate "professionals" got their money and left for more carnage elsewhere, we taxpayers now have to pay the bills, just like twith the housing bubble the NRA says does not exist. As the NRA says "NOW IS THE BEST TIME TO BUY A HOUSE". It was in 1929 as it is today, but after the 1929 crash, house prices declined over 90% over the next ten years (until 1939). Whew! We are only down 25% so far since 2005. When will prices be back to 1999 prices? I don't think NOW is the best time to buy, unless you want to pay someone a 6% commish to tell you that NOW is the time to buy. LOL "

" Great post Es_tut_mir_leid_aber. What kept running through my mind as I read the article, was that perhaps people didn't attend due to the feeling of "What's the use? We're screwed." I applaud Mayor Mounce's position of looking at both sides; this is something that any logical, thinking person would do before making a decision that would cost so much - look at the pros and cons. I, too, didn't receive the flyer until yesterday. A couple other things running through my mind were: What's the status with the water pollution situation? Was that ever resolved in a satisfactory manner? I'm also thinking about the "redevelopment" in Stockton several years back when Arroyo's restaurant - a virtual landmark - was moved to "improve" the area. The improvements? A fast food restaurant and a gas station. Sorry, but I'm *very* leery of all the rah-rah going on regarding redevelopment - seems like just another potential land grab to me. "

" Es_tut, thank you for explaining just what redevelopment will really do for Lodi. This city council are the same people who are going to lead this redevelopment and I can't say I'd trust anyone that can't even get a simple mailer to its citizens until the day after the metting. Or was it planned this way so only the good old boys and girls would attend to make it look like it was a sure and positive thing? Your blog is very interesting and I'm sure you'll still have many skeptics. Our Mayor, Ms. Mounce, knows what redevelopment really means and the other four amigos and Mr. King are just playing stupid and showing their own real personal greed to enrich only themselves first and give the spoils to the city. "

" T & C, you're very confused and paranoid and you are not only part of the problem, you are the problem. I have one blog name, and one only. You need to go to the MORR website and you and your wannabes will want to establish a new game plan to once again rape Lodi. Like when you helped Flynn steal the cash and Hansen and Hitchcock further bankrupt the city with their power buy. Now you've got Mr. King to broker and transfer the funds. The dominoes are about to fall. "

" To: LodiHomeowner. Thank you for your kind comment. I beg you to please, please read the NY TIMES LINK in my post. If the link does not work, use any search engine and search keywords "AMBAC", "Fitch ratings", and another link at CNBC "MAD MONEY" or this one.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3146857

It is very scary, when it is time for us to save and be cautious with our spending the LODI RDA cheerleaders want us to go into more debt! We must all remember that if you borrow, YOU MUST PAY, and PAY and PAY. Thats is why so many good people are losing their homes. Partially for being naiiave, partially for being a little greedy, but mainly for listening and believing "professionals" on commission. We should all listen to what Dr Cramer of CNBC says about being wary of people "on commission", whether its a transparent upfront commission or a secret commission, be very very wary and skeptical. Our country may go into a finacial collapse because of thes "professionals" - "just doing their job". Its time to make some changes, so that common people don't get pludered by these games. Does anyone want to bid on my house? I am only asking $100,000 less than last year which is $200,000 more than I paid? I don't think so - no one has any money. Now that buyers actually have to have a good job, good credit and a down payment to buy a house. Now the risk goes to the buyer and prices will drop even more. The old OPM (Other Peoples Money) braggadaccio of flippers "FLIP THAT HOUSE" is really from our pension funds! I guess we have been the suckers. "

" OTH, I got my newsletter the day after the meeting also. I do believe that there are people out the trying to make Mayor Mounce look bad. Personally I think she is doing a great job. I love her honesty and her willingness to "serve" ALL the people of Lodi, not just the chosen few. "

" T & C, aren't you the Taxpayer & Citizen want-to-be? The person who tried to "steal" the real T&C's identity? And you really think people care or believe anything you blog? You, lady, are a fool, an impostor, and not very bright. "

" To Eastsider: Please read my post. The RDA cheerleaders will appeal to "greed". We have to do for ourselves what we can. Most everything we want our government to do will cost us more over the long haul. For example, curbs, gutters and sidwewalks? If you ask us Lodi citizens to pay for it, it will cost tens times what the real cost would be....and the trees that Lodi developers planted will lift up "your" sidewalk, and YOU will have to pay. think about it. Nothing is "free". Profits go to those making money off our city contracts. Just say NO!

"

" Great blog, Es_tut_mir_leid_aber. It would make sense why most of the people attending the meeting were real estate professionals. I would love to hear information from MORR. "

" To lodicitizen: Are you a Realtor? or in "the business"? "

" Great post... Es_tut_mir_leid_aber ...oops, I mean Taxpayer & Citizen! "

" Sorry taxpayer & citizen but YOU are the one shooting off your big mouth! In the scheme of all things great and small, each of us is either part of the problem or part of the solution. You, clearly are part of the problem. You see no good in anything that has to do with lodi! "

" Thank you Joanne! My wife and I could not attend, our jobs depend on us not getting involved. There is some element of truth to the "Good ol Boys" theory. My employer does business with a few of the local wannabe "bigshots". If anyone of his "spies" saw me or any of my family at the meeting expressing any viewpoint but the "party line" I would be in jeopardy of being laid off. Thats how this town runs. There are many technical issues about Redevelopment. Here are a few points. Any time you needlessly put your self in debt, you MUST PAY. This is true for individuals, organizations AND governments. The reason for this is that "money" has a value that changes over time. In order for an investor to loan money, interest and fees must be paid. If it is not profitable compared to other investments the investors will not invest. Therefore a bidding situation develops so that "insiders"( bond salesmen and reps), and others are able to make the most of the profit (commission incentives). I have nothing against profit and this is perfectly legal, but why should Lodians endanger our finances to play a fincancial game that places the city of Lodi at a disadvantage? You can make statistics do whatever you want. Salesman on commission thrive on confusing buyers with dazzling promises and charts of growth. Read the national newspapers to see what happens when these commissioned sales people are not controlled and carefully watched. The whole team of Real estate COMMISSIONED SALESMEN, "mortgage Loan officers" (actually commissioned salesmen), commercial banks (on percentage commission) have sold large institutional investors toxic mortgage notes that have very little value. As "mortgage owners" ("homeowners") walk from their contractual obligations (mortgage contracts), the only people who made profits on these deals were a few sellers who did not reinvest in Real estate (they jumped off the housing merry-go-round), real estate "professionals (salesmen), a few mortgage companies (over 100 are now bankrupt), Junk Bond salesmen, and a few commercial banks. Everyone else must pay the commission on these sales jobs. Now as our President wants to "give us" $600 each, we must ask whose money is this? It is our money--that does not exist. The people who made money off the housing crisis won't spend the money, so to increase liquidity our governemnt plans to "trickle down" some to the taxpayers. The same exact thing is occurring with local and state bonds all over the country. As property tax revenues drop from a dropping property tax, interest on the bond debt can not be paid. The largest local government bond insurers: AMBAC Financial, MBIA and Security Capital Assurance may soon go bankrupt because the ratings agencies last week determined they don't have the assets to insure the bonds. They dropped the ratings from AAA to A or below. See NY TIMES article: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Bond-Insurers.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Back to my point. It is NOT surprising to read in the LNS that many of the attendees at the meeting were those who stand the chance of making money off the deal. So I say: If you are a renter and you want to know why houses have gone up 25% a year while your salary income has not changed. Why trust these same people again? If you own a home that is losing its value every day. Look at the same people. If you are paying a huge mortgage for that little 1930's "cozy estate" with two bedrooms and more termites than nails. Look at the same people and their army of "appraisers" (Who side is the vice mayor on? Yours or his clients commission? Appraisers must keep their clients "happy", or they lose the client, unlicensed building inspectors, and "loan officers" (actually commissioned salesmen). We must remember, that once the profit is looted from the RDA, the people who live here are stuck with the bill. The big shots can take their money and walk. None of this is illegal, but it is immoral and unethical to attempt to extract money from poor or working people who areb already worn out from the last bubble. Who has the time to figure out these tricks and legal strategies to separate us from our income.

I suggest to Mayor Mounce that we formally invite FOR FREE, financial experts who have experience with the failures of Redevelopment agencies. The most well known is MORR. They have new printed materials and tireless energy. AND THEY WON"T CHARGE A DIME> Why? Because they have suffereed through the RDA caused accounting scandals, irregularities and allegations so they have the experience, and we ONLY HAVE THE VOICE OF THE CHEERLEADERS who send us glossy slick brochures AFTER the meeting. Please be cautious. The cheerleaders for RDA will appeal to the normal human feeling of GREED. They got us with the GREED of the common man being a millionaire without working, just by paying house payments for a few years to get the "good life". The only people who "won" are the cheerleaders. Now that no one can afford or wants to buy a house with a dropping value, they have very few customers. So now we have another attempt to grab some commissions. EVERYTIME property changes hands, these RE "professionals" (salesmen on commish) are out there with their hands out for their 6%. They have everything to win, we have everything to lose. If we say "NO" to them now, they will have to work like the rest of us---in a real job.

We have already heard from the cheerleaders For RDA. The RDA Cheerleaders are salivating like hungry wolves ready for the attack of the "sheeple" as they call us. Ms Mayor, please contact MORR and ask them to give us their knowledge about what happens AFTER RDA, it won't cost anything, and it will be fun to watch the "Big shots" sweat it out for once. Our "movers and shakers" (except our biased "consultant") have NO experience with RDA, why should we believe them?

"

" ZZ
I went to the meeting 1/24 the only way I heard about it was I recived a phone call weeks in advance and wrote it down on the calander, I am still waiting for my newsletter, my neighbor got hers yesterday, whats going on? I didn't think the food was appropriate at this meeting, if Blair King wants to do something to impress the public why didn't he take the $24,162 and fix some pot holes with it, that would get lot of peoples attention "

" Funny this meeting was at Loel Center rather than Hutchins. Any resident of Lodi knows you don't go out after dark in that area unles you have your red or blue hooded sweatshirt on. Good planning city council! You knew what the attendance would be beforehand. The senior center services should all be consolidated at Hutchins Street, where it still half safe after dark. "

" Sounds like councilperson Katzakian's Lodi Printing didn't get those mailed on time. By the way, how much business does Lodi do with Mr. Katz personally? "

" You go, JoAnne! You know the pitfalls of redevelopment and where all that money really goes. Into the city coffers. It's time there is a meeting with the OPPONENTS to tell us what's really going on with redevelopment and not just Mr. King's friends and business associates' pack of lies. "

" Hansen, why are you shooting your big mouth off concerning a meeting you didn't attend? You're the same one that payed your little electrical CEO game with Hitchcock and broke Lodi in the first place. You need to step down immediately before you damage Lodi as bad as you did the police department. Quit doing all these favors for your "buds" and work for us citizens or go away. "

" Mayor Mounce, maybe the information dissemination program IS working - maybe we all "get it" and it's time for the Council to get off the dime, quit holding meetings, and actually DO it! My street hasn't been paved in 50 years, we need curb, gutter & sidewalks...stop hiring consultants and giving us sandwiches! We want action! "

" I recieved my brochure Friday. "

" Well Mr Hansen my glitzy little newsletter advertising the meeting arrived in my mailbox almost a full 24 hours after the meeting. Since the return address was the city managers office maybe someone didn't get them to the post office in time. Next, knowing the way politics are played in Lodi maybe this was a deliberate oversight by certain individuals to embarrass the mayor. Lastly it didn't take Tweedledee and Tweedledum long to cry indignation. "

" This behavior is very typical of Mounce. One unique factor in this case is that she voted for it! To my knowledge, there is no organized group, or even a single individual that is a Lodi citizen, who has publicly proclaimed that they are against the redevelopment plan, so how is City staff supposed to present the opposing view? Mounce, you can't afford to make messes like this and still get re-elected! "