Politics & Government

Loss of Redevelopment Means Employee Loss

Supporting business development is still one of the city's top priorities despite the lay-off of the city's downtown business development specialist.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s didn’t just cripple cities’ development, it cause the lay-off of a key city employee.

Downtown Business Development Specialist Edesa Bitbadal was let go on Jan. 17. Because she was a contractor paid for with redevelopment funds, her position could no longer exist, according to Deanna La Croix with the city manager’s office.

Bitbadal was hired in June 2011 to support businesses and ensure that there was healthy consumerism downtown. In the eight months Bitbadal was with the city, Redwood City has opened , like the and near .

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However, the city is still focused on business support as one of its main priorities, according to La Croix. The city hired Economic Development Coordinator in Dec. 2010 to “weave business into the fabric of the city.”

The city also hired as its Community Development Director to scrutinize and revamp how the city delivers its local government services. His job entails making business owners’ lives easier by streamlining as many processes as possible.

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“Business is still our main focus,” La Croix said. “It’s a huge initiative.”

 

What Is She Up to Now?

Before coming to Redwood City, Bitbadal worked as a Redevelopment Officer for San Jose's Redevelopment Agency. She similarly assisted tried to attract business owners to San Jose and retain them.

She’s returning to San Jose to run for City Council there and is currently the Vice Chair of the Planning Commission for the City.

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