  We present a combined experimental and theoretical x-ray absorption
spectroscopy (XAS) study of the new class of cobaltates YBaCo4O7 and YBaCo3MO7
(M= Al, Fe). The focus is on the local electronic and magnetic properties of
the transition metal ions in these geometrically frustrated kagome compounds.
For the mixed valence cobaltate YBaCo4O7, both the Co2+ and Co3+ are found to
be in the high spin state. The stability of these high spin states in
tetrahedral coordination is compared with those in the more studied case of
octahedral coordination. For the new compound YBaCo3FeO7, we find exclusively
Co2+ and Fe3+ as charge states.
