It was an area hit hard by foreclosures, Salinas got $2.3 million in stimulus money to buy bank-owned homes, move families back in and build back up neighborhoods. 

"Banks are urged to work directly with the community and they're aware of this program," said Alan Stumpf, Salinas' Redevelopment Director.  

The city is required to buy the homes at a little less than market value and despite what you may think, the city is not in bidding wars over them.

"These are homes that have not been put on the open market, the banks come to us and say we have a number of homes to look at, we have to see if they meet our location criteria and cost criteria."

So newer homes, in neighborhoods with manicured lawns in nice communities are more of what the city is looking for. Stumpf said he would love to buy rundown houses in neighborhoods that need a little TLC, but "We have limitations on the amount of money we can spend to rehab the homes."

(AP) - A Monterey County official is recommending that the county scrap a planned renovation of its Salinas courthouse complex because of rising costs.

The county encountered problems while renovating the complex's north wing in 2005, when asbestos was accidentally released during demolition. Last month, Nova Partners Inc. agreed to an undisclosed settlement with people exposed to the potentially cancer-causing material.

And on Tuesday, the county's Board of Supervisors approved spending an extra $9 million to complete the north wing project, now totaling nearly $72 million.

The costs overruns prompted Public Works Director Yazdan Emrani to urge the county to abandon plans to renovate the east and west wings. Emrani instead recommends closing down those parts of the complex and purchasing a new building nearby.