Sex Scandal Could Aid Redevelopment Foe

A lurid sex scandal may open the door for one of the foremost critics of California redevelopment law to enter the Legislature.

Mike Duvall, R-Yorba Linda, resigned Wednesday, shortly after the release of tape in which the married Duvall, evidently unaware the microphone was live during a legislative hearing in the Assembly, was heard bragging about his sexual exploits with two different women. The tape was played on KCAL-TV in Los Angeles.

Within hours of the resignation, Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby said he would run in the upcoming special election created by Duvall’s resignation.

Norby is termed out of his seat on the county board, and had been planning a run for the county clerk’s office, reportedly with an eye on Duvall’s seat in 2012, when Duvall was expected to term out.

Norby, a Republican former City Council member in Fullerton, is the founder of Municipal Officials for Redevelopment Reform, an organization that has criticized redevelopment agencies and their use of tax increment financing, which typically back bonds sold for redevelopment projects. They say redevelopment diverts taxes from public uses and unfairly benefits selected private developers.

The primary for Duvall’s seat is expected in November, followed by a general election in early 2010 if no candidate gains a majority in the primary.

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