Politics & Government

Mayor Sanders to Deliver Final State of the City Address

Mayor Jerry Sanders is set to give his final State of the City Address at the Balboa Theatre on Wednesday.

In , Mayor Jerry Sanders warned San Diegans about rooting for the demise of redevelopment agencies and pushed for a move away from pensions to 401(k)-style retirement plans for city employees.

Now, a year later and heading into the mayor's final State of the City address—set for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Balboa Theatre—both topics remain at the forefront of San Diego politics.

"To those San Diegans who would sell our redevelopment agencies for pennies on the dollar, I say that your thirst for quick cash will come at a steep price," Sanders said during the .

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The state Supreme Court eliminating redevelopment agencies, and on Tuesday the City Council of the local agency instead of turning the projects over to the state.

And as Sanders threatened Sacramento regarding redevelopment agencies in last year's address—"We will stand united to defend local control and keep our tax dollars here, not pour them in the pit you’ve dug"—he continues to object to the closures.

Find out what's happening in Rancho Bernardo-4s Ranchwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Plain and simple, this money grab by the governor will have severe negative impacts on our neighborhoods and our economy for decades to come," Sanders said following the state Supreme Court ruling. "We’re not going to stand by idly and let the progress our communities are making simply die off; we’ll begin working immediately with our state legislators to pass new laws giving us tools enabling reinvestment in our lower-income communities."

As for the pension reform he desires, Sanders has over the past year joined with Councilman Carl DeMaio to push a ballot measure——that would switch new employees, except for police, into 401(k)-style retirement plans.

"I've been in San Diego for more than 40 years and I can't think of a ballot initiative more critical to our city's future than this one," Sanders said in November after the the measure qualified for the ballot. "Hopefully, the voter will embrace it and approve it."

The State of the City address is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., and is open to the public. It will be broadcast on City TV (channel 24) at 8 p.m. Wednesday and several times over the next few weeks.

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