Pursuant to AB X1 26 (adopted by the California Legislature in June 2011) and the State Supreme Court's decision in California Redevelopment Association, et al. v. Ana Matosantos, et al., 53 Cal. 4th 231 (2011), all redevelopment agencies in the State were dissolved as of February 1, 2012. The City Council adopted Resolution No. 2011-76 on August 25, 2011, pursuant to Health and Safety Code ("HSC") Section 34172, electing for the City to serve as the Successor Agency ("SARDA") to the former Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency (the "Dissolved RDA"). SARDA is tasked with the wind-down of the Dissolved RDA's affairs. Certain SARDA actions must first be approved by an oversight board, composed of seven-members representing taxing entities.

HSC Section 34173(g) expressly provides that SARDA is a separate public entity from the City, and the liabilities and assets of the Dissolved RDA shall not be transferred to the City.

Pursuant to HSC Section 34176, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2012-07, on February 9, 2012, electing to have the Palm Desert Housing Authority to serve as the Housing Successor. The Housing Authority (as the Housing Successor) submitted to the State Department of Finance ("DOF") a list of housing assets to be transferred by SARDA to the Housing Successor. On August 31, 2012, the DOF issued a letter indicating that the DOF had no objection to such housing asset list.

The housing assets (per the housing asset list), obligations, and activities of the Dissolved RDA were transferred to the Housing Successor and are reported in the Housing Asset Fund beginning in fiscal year 2011-12. However, outstanding bonds ("Housing Bonds"), secured by a pledge of moneys which would have been deposited into the Dissolved RDA's low and moderate income housing fund (known as the "Housing Set Aside"), remain as the SARDA's enforceable obligations. See also "Stipulated Judgment" below. All other assets, obligations, and activities of the Dissolved RDA have been transferred and are reported in a fiduciary fund (private-purpose trust fund) in the financial statements of the City. The County Auditor-Controller ("CAC") has established a Redevelopment Property Tax Trust Fund (the "RPTTF") for SARDA and is charged with depositing into the RPTTF the amount of property taxes that would have been redevelopment property tax increment had the Dissolved RDA not been dissolved.

SARDA is required to prepare an annual recognized obligation payment schedule (the "ROPS") setting forth the amounts due for enforceable obligations from each July 1 through the following June 30. The CAC only makes payments to the SARDA from the RPTTF based on the ROPS amounts approved by the oversight board and the DOF.

During fiscal year 2012-13, SARDA was required to conduct due diligence reviews of the low and moderate income housing fund and all other funds to compute the funds (cash) which were not needed to be retained to pay existing enforceable obligations or otherwise unrestricted, and therefore, must be remitted to the CAC. SARDA paid a total amount of $40,988,399 to the CAC based on the due diligence reviews per the DOF's determination.

The DOF issued a Finding of Completion on May 15, 2013 after SARDA remitted such payments.

The Finding of Completion allows the placement of certain loans (“Advances”) made by the City to the Dissolved RDA (which were previously voided by operation of law upon the Dissolved RDA’s dissolution) on the ROPS. For each approved repayment 20% of the repayment amount must be allocated to the Housing Asset Fund. The repayment of the Advances, pursuant to the oversight board’s and the DOF’s approval, began during fiscal year 2019-20. During fiscal year 2024-25, the City received a final determination from the California Department of Finance that these advances would not be deemed an enforceable obligation. There is no financial statement impact as these balances were offset by an allowance for doubtful accounts in previous years.

The California State Controller was directed to review the propriety of any transfers of assets between the Dissolved RDA and other public bodies that occurred after January 1, 2011. The State Controller completed its review on March 14, 2013 and did not identify any unallowable transfers of assets that occurred between the Dissolved RDA and the City or other public agencies.