Category Archives: Dellums

Anyone seen Mayor Dellums lately?

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Earth to Dellums, Earth to Dellums!
Hello, it's Oakland and we want our city back! Mike Kepka/The Chronicle

Source SFGate.com

by Chip Johnson

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom made all the right moves in his budget proposal a couple of weeks ago, protecting key city initiatives while making sensible cuts across all departments to close a $483 million budget shortfall.

In San Jose, Mayor Chuck Reed is awaiting last-minute concessions from a half-dozen unions facing job cuts. Barring agreements, Reed has vowed to push through his budget, which closes a $118 million gap by week’s end.

In Oakland, residents are still looking around for our guy, Mayor Ron Dellums, who has not been heard from for a while.

I’ve received a few e-mails from Oakland residents who’ve reported Dellums sightings at a grocery store in the Oakland Hills – in the middle of the day during the work week. But around Oakland City Hall, it would be a lot easier to find Waldo.

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Passing the buck on Oakland deficit so reckless

Dellums,

Source: SFGate.com

Chip Johnson

…About the only thing more disappointing is the abject failure of the city’s elected leadership to make tough financial decisions when similar decisions are being made in cities all around them.

And don’t look to the city’s top elected official for help.

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums reneged on a public pledge to voluntarily cut his $183,000 annual pay by 10 percent to match salary cuts imposed on all city employees.

Paul Rose, the mayor’s spokesman, sent an e-mail to Chronicle colleagues Phil Matier and Andy Ross last week that said the mayor was unable to fulfill his pledge because of a death in the family.

Well, that explains it.

Obviously, Dellums’ participation in a city tax initiative would only hurt its chances of passing.

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Oakland Mayor Breaks Promise to Take Pay Cut

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Mike Kepka / The Chronicle

Source: SFGate.com

Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross

Despite his pledge last year to join Oakland city workers being forced to take a 10 percent pay cut, Mayor Ron Dellums has never stopped collecting his full $183,000-a-year salary.

When the City Council suggested last June that Dellums take a pay reduction and cut his staff to help Oakland balance its budget, the mayor’s public stance was that he was on board. “I am in no way interested in a fight at a time of significant economic despair and economic problems,” he said. “This is a time we need to close ranks.”

It turns out, however, that closing ranks didn’t mean taking less money.

Dellums’ spokesman, Paul Rose, declined on Thursday to say why the mayor didn’t forgo $18,300 in pay this past year. A statement issued by Dellums’ office said only that “changed family circumstances following the death of a close family member made it (taking the pay cut) impossible.”

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Ron Dellums Living Large While Oakland Budget Bleeds

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Ron Dellums Sucking

Source: KTVU.com

OAKLAND, Calif. — A 2-month investigation into the expenses of Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums has found a pattern of what appears to be extravagant spending at taxpayer expense, even as the mayor suggests shutting down City Hall for a dozen days and raising taxes.

The expenses include stays at 5-star hotels in Washington D.C. such as the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton, on his many travels away from Oakland, although Dellums owns a luxurious home in the nearby exclusive enclave of Georgetown. The data obtained though the California Public Records Act also shows expensive meals, limousine services and even hundreds of dollars in flowers – all at taxpayer expense.

Oakland is facing a $14.5 million deficit in the next financial year. Dellums is calling for furloughing city workers for 12 days in the next 12 months – all without pay – and severely cutting back already stretched city services.
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Looks like Dellums got caught once again with his hands in the cookie jar! -ed


Dellums downplays stimulus funds audit

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Mike Kepka / The Chronicle

Source: SFGate.com

Matthai Kuruvila, Chronicle Staff Writer

Two days after state auditors disclosed that Oakland misspent federal stimulus dollars meant for job creation, Mayor Ron Dellums said the city’s Recovery Act problems are a thing of the past.

The city, he said, had made “virtually all of the necessary changes” by the time the results of a review were released Tuesday by Laura Chick, the state inspector general in charge of tracking the spending of federal stimulus funds in California.

“It’s much ado about nothing, man,” Dellums said in his first comments on the matter. “It’s an accounting matter.”

Chick’s auditors found that Oakland, which has struggled with an 18.3 percent unemployment rate, did not properly account for about $830,000 of the $3 million in stimulus grants it received last year for summer youth, adult and dislocated-worker programs. Auditors found the city arbitrarily used the funds, inflated job numbers and made serious accounting mistakes that made it difficult for them to track how the money was spent.

Auditors also rejected the city’s contention that some of the funds were properly spent, including $2,806 used to send youths to places that included the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and a Concord water park.

On Thursday, Dellums insisted the trips were allowable expenditures under the federal jobs creation program.

“It’s about quality of life,” Dellums said. “It’s about inspiration.”

The mayor also criticized the news media for highlighting the trips in their reports.

“Get over it,” he said. “This is much ado about nothing.”

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I think we’ll “Get over it” when Dellums is long gone!

Dellums will have to answer IRS, if not public

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Mark Costantini / The Chronicle

Source: SFGate.com

Chip Johnson

When news of Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums’ tax troubles came to light late last year, he told reporters the matter was being handled.

Well, apparently it has not been handled to the satisfaction of Internal Revenue Service officials, who last month added an additional $13,000 tax lien on the mayor’s real and personal property.

The Dec. 23 filing, which addresses the mayor’s 2008 taxes, does not state the reason for the additional penalty. It was filed just one month after disclosure of a $239,000 federal tax lien against Dellums and his wife, Cynthia.

That would be a lien on income received in his first year as mayor and it also means the IRS believes the Dellumses paid less than their full tax bill in four consecutive years.

Wow.

Dellums offered no explanation to Oakland residents when reporters from The Chronicle and at least three other media organizations called for comment.

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Looks like another tax lien for Our Illustrious Mayor!
Thanks to Jeremy Flieder via Facebook.

Dellums Breaks His Silence In Rare Interview

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Ron Dellums

Source: KTVU.com

OAKLAND, Calif. — It’s been three years since longtime congressman and Washington insider Ron Dellums took over as mayor of Oakland.

Dellums says he has accomplished much over the years, but he’s also been dogged by critics who cite his tendency to travel first class and regular absences from city hall.

Last week, Dellums spoke with KTVU in a rare interview, answering those critics with a measure of combativeness.

Dellums is about to begin the last year of his four-year term as mayor of Oakland. Oakland resident Thomas Cameron supported Dellums at first and even donated to his mayoral campaign.

Cameron had hoped the long-time veteran of congress could spark an Oakland renaissance. His views have changed since Dellums took office.

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Wow – Dellums breaks his silence! Imagine a public servant and leader that gives a “rare” interview! Time to speak up Ron and do your job.