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

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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: