Gov. Jerry Brown’s ears likely were burning early Wednesday morning.

That’s because his idea to end redevelopment funding for cities and counties – part of his plan to close a more than $26 billion California budget deficit – came in for a shellacking.

Newly elected Santa Rosa City Councilman Jake Ours called Mr. Brown’s redevelopment proposal a “shell game” to move money from cities and counties into courts and state medical programs.

“It’s a straight steal,” Mr. Ours told the regular meeting of the Sonoma County Alliance. He said important city projects will not get done without redevelopment funds playing a role. “The Hearn Avenue overpass, gone,” he said. Projects from downtown to Coddingtown are in jeopardy, he said.

The future of redevelopment for the entire North Bay is “bleak,” he said.

Redevelopment projects are funded by local property taxes that would otherwise go to the state, Mr. Ours and others noted.

In Healdsburg, hotel developer Martin Sher described how the Hotel Healdsburg was made possible in part by redevelopment agency involvement.

Mr. Sher said he had a vision for a getaway experience for Bay Area residents who have had a decades-long relationship with Sonoma County.

Few would argue Hotel Healdsburg has not had a transformational impact on that city in particular and Sonoma County in general. Two-thirds of Hotel Healdsburg customers come from within a two-hour drive of Sonoma County, Mr. Sher said. Those visitors in turn patronize businesses throughout the county.

A Healdsburg official noted that the city uses redevelopment funds for a variety of big and smaller projects such as building downtown façade improvements.