In a 17-page letter to the San Jose City Council, CountyExecutive Richard Wittenberg and County Counsel Ann Ravel say thecity will violate state law by extending redevelopment into sixneighborhood retail districts. The council is scheduled to put theextension into effect on Tuesday under redevelopment law, whichallows the city to use tax dollars in blighted areas to condemnproperty and provide developers with land to build moderncommercial or housing projects.

Wittenberg and Ravel say the six districts, totaling 60 acres,do not meet the legal definition of blight. The two are alsoattacking San Jose's plan to next year declare another 9,500 acresblighted and thus eligible for redevelopment.

The letter also claims that tax dollars earmarked for socialservices will be spent on the retail redevelopment, and that thecounty is taking property-tax revenue from its red-hot northernindustrial area at the cost of county needs.