Mayors plead to save CRAs

Mayors of the state's biggest cities on Wednesday stepped up their campaign against Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to shut down redevelopment agencies, making a direct appeal to the governor that argued their funds are vital to urban development. Daily News.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the heads of nine of California's other biggest cities said they told the governor the redevelopment agencies and related enterprise zones are their only source of money to leverage new development to create jobs.

"I would be negligent and accused of malfeasance if I allowed the state to decide, without me in the room, to take away $930 million for job creation," Villaraigosa said after the meeting. "For many of us, these are the only funds we have available to create new jobs."