We could afford these things Before OAK gov’t (and all gov’t) started putting its hands in my till. It is a myth that V wants to perpetuate that by not raising the parking rates that we will have to eliminate X programs. When one reads a story or just evidences it for him /herself about the bloat, waste, fraud, corruption at OAK City Hall one realizes that the solution is to clean house at city hall, reduce salaries and benefits and get the monkey (gov’t) off the public’s back.

I think that Ralph you should replace JQC with OAK CC because Oakland cannot afford what it “wants” in terms of social services, although it really could if it was willing to run an efficient city government getting value for $ every step of the way.

It is so frustrating to read a story such as this, get a tax bill the same week that puts OAK at the top of Bay Area tax rates (1.4% property tax) and realize that services are piss poor, and many are just fradulent (like misspending bond money, OAK public schools taken over by state, Edgerly, etc) and this seems to be the rule not the exception.

This really should not come as a surprise. The GJ investigation in T&E highlighted that there are serious i.c. issues within the city governement.

As for Dan L., he needs to make like Marvin K. Mooney. First, I assume that the auditors used some type of sampling technique to select the individuals to test, so stating that the recommendations are based on a few high profile cases in just wrong. Second, whether it happened on Brown’s watch is irrelevant. It happened and it needs to be addressed. There is no way that Dellums has done anything to change these practices. Any mayor worth his weight would have been in front of the camera bank shouting to the rafters of the changes implemented. Thus, I conclude Dellums has done nothing to change the documentated practices.

Just a reminder, Quan led the effort to cut 1 staff person from the Auditor’s office last July; one month prior to the release of the Measure Y Grant Audit.

Last month, at a Council meeting, Quan requested the Auditors’ Whistle Blower Program be moved to the Finance & Management Agency Com. Quan is the chair of this committee.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20060123/ai_n16013805/
Jan 23, 2006 -Heather McDonald

Some officials at City Hall, who declined to be identified because of the ongoing investigation, said they are concerned Smith is being “railroaded” because his aggressive audits and difficult personality made him an easy target, and the city’s financial resources an inviting one.

The first indication of trouble in the city auditor’s office surfaced late last year when Smith released an audit of the city’s credit card program, designed to allow certain employees – and two council members – to make authorized purchases without wading through piles of paperwork.
****

Anyone care to guess which two Council Members?
This was well covered in the East Bay Express.

Dellums took office in January 2007.

Lindheim needs a dated org chart and a calculator. The audit also falls within the Dellums administration.

The Auditor also appears to be shoveling quite a bit of City money towards the firm that performed the audit. As a matter of fact, she previously had to go to City Council for approval, because she had not followed City purchasing regulations and conducted a competitive procurement process.

The City Council likewise seem to enjoy breaking the very rules they dictate for City Management — special rules for spending pay-go dollars, because “the City process takes too long”, multiple trips to League of Cities conferences, after cutting City travel to the bone, because “I learn so much there”, purchase of land for a park without a Charter-mandated, Council-approved ordinance, blah, blah, blah.

I have little respect for politicians who feel no need to live by the rules they demand City management live by.

City Council President Jane Brunner said she hasn’t seen the report yet but said the council “will take it very seriously” because it asked for the audit.

Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente said the report “gives us a picture of how this city functions or malfunctions.” De La Fuente said he hopes it will prompt city leaders to take action but he’s afraid that it will be swept under the rug and no meaningful changes will be made to the city’s policies.

“It seems to me that things don’t change because there aren’t any consequences for abusing the system,” De La Fuente said.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/21376713/detail.html

or

http://www.kcbs.com/Scathing-Report-on-Oakland-s-Hiring-Practices/5492748
Scathing Report on Oakland’s Hiring Practices

OAKLAND, Calif. (KCBS) — A new performance audit has found that the city of Oakland’s hiring practices are full of corruption, with the city auditor recommending dozens of changes.
City Auditor Courtney Ruby said employees and managers were hiring their friends and relatives, awarding undeserved raises and promotions.
Ruby said it is now up to Mayor Ron Dellums and the Oakland City Council to make the changes identified in the audit report.

(Lindheim says the audit is irrelevant? “Speaking for Dellums Administration”, that says a lot more! I didn’t know Dellums’ arm could reach that far up Lindheim.)