Official’s Letter Compared to Twilight Zone

There’s something like an ill wind from the Twilight Zone, something empty and forsaken as a closed carnival woven all through “A Look at the Positive Side of Redevelopment” from Rosemead Councilman Dennis McDonald (Times, Letters, Dec. 12).

If I were the councilman, I’d be wary of inviting the Los Angeles Times to investigate the activities of my redevelopment cronies.

When Councilman McDonald speaks of the “positive” side of redevelopment, what are his examples? “Money!” And “tax revenues derived from an increase in assessed valuation of structures in the projects.”

Please notice how he skillfully avoids talk of grievously increased taxes for the surrounding survivors of redevelopment.

He says the extra revenues are good for, what was it? “The communities, counties and the state.” But not a word about flesh and bone humans.

That’s the spooky part! When McDonald speaks, he speaks as a man who lives safely out of range of the covetous eye of eminent domain’s agencies and their pals in the other “taxing entities” served by them and their work.

He speaks of the state and its cryptic power to take, take, take, and tax, tax, tax.

I can’t help but feel redevelopment kingpins would lose more of their black eye if they would only spend more time studying people’s hearts and personal efforts to build a life than the value of their hard-earned property.

EDWARD T. BAGLEY

La Puente