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Bay Area Mayors Lobby To Save Redevelopment Agencies

OAKLAND (KCBS) – Mayors from across the Bay Area gathered in Oakland on Wednesday in an effort to lobby for the redevelopment agencies that Governor Jerry Brown has proposed cutting.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said that when she does the math, it doesn't make sense to her.

She said redevelopment projects create about 300,000 jobs a year, add $40 billion to the economy and when you cut them out, "it's pennywise and pound foolish."

KCBS' Janice Wright Reports:

Union City Mayor Mark Green said it's not just affordable housing.

"We've had a school built in Union City in one of our redevelopment agencies, we've had new firehouses built, we've had a police substation under construction," said Green.

And he points out that jobs for these projects went to local workers.

But Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia said other numbers tell a different story and that existing redevelopment agencies aren't spending money in the most efficient way.

"At a time when we have limited resources, we have to have priorities and ask, are we spending the money most efficiently," said Gioia.

He also said the estimates of jobs that would be lost without the redevelopment agencies are inflated.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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