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Government

California Official Under Fire for Dropping $4,500 in Public Funds at a Strip Club

Oct. 16, 2012 4:18pm Erica Ritz

(Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

In the latest example of egregious misuse of taxpayer funds, a high-ranking Port of Oakland official is under investigation for spending more than $4,500 at a strip club in Houston, Texas.

First reported by the San Francisco Chronicle on Monday, the paper relates that California Maritime Director James Kwon entertained roughly a dozen members of the shipping industry at the Texas strip club during a 2008 conference, in what was billed as a “dinner and drink reception.”

His choice of location, however, was less than discreet. The Huffington Post notes that the “Treasures” was nearly shut down earlier this year for being a “haven for drugs, prostitution and human trafficking,” and that there were 48 arrests between 2008 and last May for prostitution and delivery of a controlled substance. The San Francisco Chronicle says the offenses were similar four years ago, when the violation was reportedly committed.

“Port commissioners take this matter very seriously,” board President Gilda Gonzales assured in a statement after an emergency meeting Friday.

However, the San Francisco Chronicle conducted its own review of the matter, and reportedly found tens of thousands of dollars of miscelleanous by California commissioners in just the last two years, including a few instances of first class plane tickets.

CBS SF has more:

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Comments (50)

Flag-Man
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:45pm
No wonder California is broke.
It took them 4 years to discover this

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- P8riot
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 6:04pm
  does this count as “stimulus” money?
  
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- starman70
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 6:35pm
  Chump change compared to what Washington wastes every day.
  
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- 1947
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 8:50pm
  He’s not coming back …….
  
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Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:32pm
Same activity, different city.

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Cavallo
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:26pm
Probably did more for the economy than some of these multimillion dollar boondoggles they have doled out officially.

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NinjaJuice
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:15pm
Why? Isn’t this he helping these girls to go to school?

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Walkabout
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:13pm
What no trolls to say Kwon is a Republican?

Very thoughtful of the newswires to not report his party affiliation.

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ColoradoMaverick
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:13pm
kalifornia has gone off the insanity cliff, never to return.

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seriouslywhy
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:12pm
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! I am so NOT surprised!

Dancer: Are you glad to see me, or is that a roll of ones in your pocket?

(sorry, I couldn’t resist)

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howieII
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:02pm
How can anyone say that they take this seriously? Someone had to approve payment for it. Sounds like someone is just signing off on expenses. Much like the white house does. It’s time every city, county state and federal governing bodies need to be audited and start throwing these people in prison for a very long time.

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term limits for congress
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:44pm
It was stimulus money, so it is okay.

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- moreteaplease
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:51pm
  rim shot!
  
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- Wool-Free Vision
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:23pm
  Darn, you beat me to it! GG
  
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- P8riot
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 6:05pm
  shoot! you got it before me too! nice one.
  
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KangarooJack
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:44pm
NO resignation to be accepted. YOU’RE FIRED should be the last “official” words uttered!

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- pissantno.10
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:50pm
  no he will get a promotion for being so inventive
  
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Yeah_Buddy
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:44pm
Man, how do I sign up for taxpayer funded lap dances?

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2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:43pm
Although I do not condone the activity, if I were to make a choice, I would rather see my tax dollars spent on a stripper than on Barry’s phony green energy businesses. The dollar bills stuffed into a g-string provide significantly larger benefits to the economy than the billions of dollars stuffed into the pockets of Barry’s cronies.

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- loriann12
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:02pm
  And sad to say, but I’ll bet she didn’t declare bankruptcy like the green industries…she spent her money on the economy, even if it was to a plastic surgeon.
  
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- 13th Imam
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:02pm
  And there is a genuine stimulus, and no pole tax.
  
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braddock66
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:41pm
There’s nothing to see here.Keep moving.Thank you.

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Mr.Fitnah
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:40pm
Normal business practice.

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The-Monk
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:38pm
Port of Oakland Maritime Director James Kwon…
Mayor of Oakland Jean Quan…

Like the same bad drink, only not spelled the same.

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floridareader
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:37pm
Californians are on the way of having all their rights stripped by overreaching government. But government officials can go living “la vida loca” expending taxpayers’ money. That is nice, very nice.

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- term limits for congress
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:45pm
  Stripped? Pun intended?
  
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- floridareader
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:56pm
  @TERM
  you can say that.
  
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The-Monk
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:36pm
It took some doing but, I was able to find a video of him at Treasure’s….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85cL1HisrNc

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- Wool-Free Vision
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:24pm
  Ziiiiiing! Nice one.
  
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- floridareader
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 5:29pm
  Good job Monk!
  
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g56
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:34pm
He needs to be fired immediately, and no golden parachutes, no retirement or bonuses, or separation pay of any sort. In addition that money needs to be repaid, held out of any money that might be due him. They should also look into fraud charges for misuse of funds.

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T-2
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:29pm
he’s support the college students

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- turkey13
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:39pm
  This guy should not be at fault, this was in 2010 and California was rolling in money. This was also before they had to bump up all those taxes to pay the union folks more money for retirement than they were making when they worked. Then all the smart business’ moved to Texas, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
  
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shimauma
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:28pm
Shouldn’t he be working for barry hussien obama’s secret service?

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gyro
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:27pm
But the question that needs asking is was it good fun for money spent ???????????

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TSUNAMI_22
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:26pm
California, the land of “fruits and nuts” as in homosexuals and crazy people (just to be clear).

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00100111
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:25pm
Nothing to see here, just redistribution of taxpayer money. He probably wanted the strippers to get their own little piece of his stimulus package.

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cessna152
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:24pm
That’s a lot of “ones” to carry around…

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SocialistSlayer
Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:22pm
He thought this was part of his benefits package – give him a break !

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