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Oakland's Mayor Wants Pension Issues Worked Out At Negotiating Table

OAKLAND (KCBS) ---- Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said she wants to get concessions on public employee pension changes at the bargaining table rather than at the ballot.

The issue of pensions is a touchy one with the unions. Unlike San Jose and San Francisco, Quan said Oakland's pension issues don't need to go before the voters.

"In Oakland, contracts aren't part of our charter," she said. "We negotiate them."

KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:

Quan said both sides are at the bargaining table, hoping for some type of agreement so they can pass a parcel tax in the fall. Quan said she thinks everyone needs to give a little.

"My plan to save the city is what we call budget C, where all the employees contribute 10 percent, and I make some major cuts at City Hall," she said. "I'm asking the citizens of Oakland to come up with a quarter a day for the next five years to get us through the recession."

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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