.Dellums Spends $60,000 on Travel

At a time when the City of Oakland faced massive budget deficits, cut services to city residents, and slashed public employee pay, Mayor Ron Dellums ran up nearly $60,000 in travel expenses, the Chron reports. In the past year, the travel included stays at upscale hotels and dining at posh eateries. However, Dellums spokesman Paul Rose defended the expenditures, saying the mayor has used the trips to score $66 million in federal funds for the city, including a $19.7 million grant earlier this year that helped save 140 police jobs.