As reported here last week, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is considering redirecting redevelopment funds–from city governments across the state into local school districts. Sacramento columnist Dan Walters says it’s a good move—supporting schools and taking pressure off the state at a time when its budget is headed toward its annual disaster.
“Predictably, local redevelopment agencies are howling [...]

There will be other important demolitions in Long Beach.
But yesterday’s dismantling of the crime-ridden Avalon Motel came with a free Southern lunch, served after Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal clambered into the cab of a towering Caterpillar front-loader for a de-construction worker’s perspective, as the city struck down the blighted building.

The Smith family’s sale of its soon-to-be 75-year-old bookstore Acres of Books to the city was accomplished a few weeks ago. Yesterday’s Redevelopment Agency meeting merely made it official, putting an exact price and terms on the deal: $2,854,000–which includes closing costs, relocation costs and cost costs.
We kid; there are no cost costs. But

Despite what folks at the city told us Monday, one of Acres of Books’ owners said this afternoon that they do want to keep the store open after its pending $2.8 million sale to the city’s Redevelopment Agency.
In fact, with some luck–and another building–one of Long Beach’s oldest businesses could remain here for years to [...]

Some of you might have read this weekend about Acres of Books’ pending demise.
LBReport.com posted mutterings to that effect on Saturday, and the Los Angeles Times had something this morning.
I got the official word from the city earlier today: it’s true–and according to Craig Beck, director of the City of Long Beach’s Department of Development [...]

The moment I walk onto the American Hotel property at 221 E. Broadway, SL Residential Project Superintendent Bob Boyle asks me what I want. (He’s in charge of building the condos for Lennar next door.)
I tell him I’m looking at the Hotel–which is vacant and now owned by the city’s Redevelopment Agency–and Boyle says immediately: [...]

Leslie Markle, the Public Art Associate of the Arts Council, emails an update on the Majic Wand. As I mentioned in the previous entry, discussion regarding restoring the Wand has recently begun, but there are still a number of unknowns. Among the unknowns: what state the Wand is, and what repairs need to be made; [...]