Hypocrisy about the City's Financial Crunch

Councilmember Jean Quan peppers her constituents with broadcast emails and list messages. In her Oct. 3, 2009 weekly newsletter Quan claims the City has a tough new attitude to travel expenses, taking the credit herself. She asserts, "The Finance & Management Committee received its first report [on travel expenses] after making drastic budget cuts and new regulations that I authored last year."

But the alleged parsimony does not apply to councilmember Quan herself. The city council agenda for Oct. 6 has this item:

Resolution authorizing Council Member Jean Quan to travel to New York On October 7-9, 2009 to attend the Harlem Children's Zone Practitioner's Institute as a board member of Safe Passages, with the City paying "all expenses incurred for said travel."

Expect a bill for some thousand(s) of dollars. For much less money City staff could do research on the social problems that Quan plans to "investigate" in person. Furthermore, any solutions coming out of this conference of social program operators would require more City grants, which Oakland simply cannot afford at this time.

At the council session members Quan and Brunner insisted that the Atlantic Foundation would pick up the tab. Supposedly, the resolution was "just in case." That was the verbal claim, but the force of law is the above resolution. If Quan is so confident, why doesn't she commit to pick up the tab personally if the Foundation does not come through?

It did not matter to the city council, which duly handed Quan a blank check for her junket.