San Jose’s Redevelopment Agency’s history of rejuvenating a city goes back to a decade after World War Two. Since then, its projects have helped San Jose become the capital of Silicon Valley while making the city the 10th largest in the nation.

However, San Jose’s perennial budget problems have all but spelled doom for the Agency. In its third round of cuts to its staff and budget, the scope of the Agency’s work has been scaled back to just a hand full of projects.

From the San Jose Mercury News:

San Jose’s Redevelopment Agency, the powerful body that helped revive the city’s once-moribund downtown, went on life support Wednesday as almost half of its remaining staff was laid off.

Short of a miracle, city officials say, most of the 31 that are left may be let go by the end of June, leaving only a handful of people to oversee the few projects left.

“It’s a historic moment for San Jose and the Redevelopment Agency,” said Terry Christensen, a San Jose State political science professor. He said the agency, born 11 years after World War II ended, played a central role in the city’s maturation from a sleepy suburban town into the nation’s 10th largest city. Its investment in what is now North San Jose’s tech corridor, Christensen added, “helped us become the capital of Silicon Valley.”

Read the full article here.