Dellums – The Idea Stealer

Michael Macor / The Chronicle

Source: SFGate.com

Phillip Matier,Andrew Ross

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums’ 11th-hour news conference to unveil his plan to lay off cops to help eliminate the city’s $30.5 million deficit was a study in dysfunctional family values.

“For weeks, we do all the heavy lifting to put together a budget – meeting with all sides and coming up with compromises without one word from him,” City Councilwoman Pat Kernighan said. “Then he comes in the day before, takes 90 percent of what we recommended and holds a press conference.”

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Looks like Dellums acted like a complete jack ass on this one!
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Dellums Surprisingly Quiet About Looming Police Layoffs

Dellums speaking

Source: KTVU

Watch this KTVU report where Dellums has the time to make an appearance at a local boxing match, but hardly ever shows up at city  hall. He also isn’t involved with negotiations with the police officers union in order to avoid impending layoffs. Dellums gets angry when he finds out a reporter dared to show up at his office to see if he was actually there during business hours. Dellums points to his horribly staged videos which make it look like he actually works. Mayoral candidate Perata points out that how can the Dellums ask for concessions from the police union when he said he would make concessions to his own salary then back away from them.

Pretty painful to be caught in a lie and not have the integrity to do what you say!

See the news report

Dellums Has a Meltdown!

Source: SFGate.com

Carla Marinucci

Oakland’s Mayor Dellums to KTVU’s Shandobil: “Who the (blank) are you to decide my role?

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums doesn’t seem to do much on the job these days — but he went into meltdown Monday when veteran KTVU political reporter Randy Shandobil had the temerity to ask why he’s been missing in action as one of the most crime-challenged cities in the nation faces a devastating layoff of a quarter of its police force.

“Who the (blank) are you to decide what my role is?” a raging Dellums told Shandobil in a phone call Monday, after the Oakland-based reporter showed up at City Hall to ask why Dellums has been seen at high profile boxing matches lately while being a no-show at major budget meetings and city council sessions where Oakland’s fiscal crisis is Topic A.

Shandobil’s solid report Monday asked the question that every taxpayer in town wants to know: “Where’s the mayor?”

Dellums not only bridled at that question — he apparently thinks he’s too important to take part in such lowly matters as keeping cops walking the beat. He angrily told Shandobil in the phone call that — don’t you know? — “I am the CEO of the city.”

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Anyone seen Mayor Dellums lately?

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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Neldam’s sour view of Merritt Bakery sweet deal

Source: SFGate.com

Chip Johnson

When the owners of Oakland’s 56-year-old Merritt Restaurant & Bakery sounded the alarm last month, city officials tossed them a $150,000 lifeline to keep the lakeside hangout alive.

But when the owners of Neldam’s Danish Bakery, which has stood on Telegraph Avenue for 81 years, asked for similar consideration they were informed that the city’s “bank was closed.”

“I did say the bank was closed, it has been closed for 14 months and I closed it,” said Walter Cohen, director of the Community and Economic Development Agency, recalling the meeting.

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Why isn’t Dellums working on this?

Oakland Council Must Step Up and Face Hard Cuts

Another example of Dellums not stepping up and doing something about the budget.

Source: SFGate.com

Chip Johnson

An Oakland City Council member told me the other day that no one wants to be associated with the nasty business of staff and service cuts – or take responsibility for the loss of 200 Oakland police officers.

I have some bad news for all of you Oakland elected officials: Not only did you sign up for this detail, the public already blames you.

They blame you for high crime and low school achievement, even though public education is a state responsibility. They blame you, at least a little bit, for the state of public finances and for failing to keep Mayor Ron Dellums engaged, even though the public elected him. They blame you for the pending departure of the Oakland Athletics, and for the return of the Oakland Raiders.

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Passing the buck on Oakland deficit so reckless

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

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

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