Oakland Mayoral candidate Don Perata once again demonstrated his low regard for the rule of law by announcing that his campaign has exceeded Oakland’s campaign spending limits. The Oakland Tribune reported that Perata said he based his decision on guidance from a variety of city officials, including the city attorney. “John Russo told me that as far as he was concerned, the cap had been broken,” Perata told the paper. But a spokesman for Russo said that is not true, and the Trib report diligently noted that the city attorney’s recent legal opinion on the subject would seem to confirm that. Perata is exploiting a loophole in the city’s toothless contribution limits that allows any candidate to spend whatever he wants once an independent outside campaign committee has done so. “Independent” allies of Perata, who just happen to get their money from the same places he does, say they have — ooopsy!!! — exceeded the spending limits. The former state senator says, er, well, this is all, like, some kind of total coincidence.
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