TMC: Thirty Miles of Corruption

Acording According to the Sacramento Bee Former City Manager Brad Hudson has spent $21,000.00 on furniture to redecorate his top floor office, and has ran up $26,000.00 in County Expenses.  His Lexington Model Timber desk alone has costed the County $7,300.00, and according to Sri Woods, Hudson explained his motive for shopping furniture.  He wanted a more mouth watering atmosphere than what was combined by his aged predecessors Steve Szalay and Terry Schutten.  He went on to say, ” I wanted something appropriate for the work that we do,” he said, “It’s not extravagant.  I just wanted people to feel like they can come in.”  His taste for Guccism went on to purchase the “Diva Series” discussion chairs and the high back “Tuxedo Executive” chair to match his Lexington desk, and tied it all together with linen wall coverings.  Five of eight flights from Sacramento to Ontario were billed as moving expenses – at a cost of $1,667. Hudson said he needed to take care of a variety of personal business on weekends in Riverside as he made the transition to Sacramento.  But he has his critics, such as Daniel Uselmann, former president of the American Federation of the State, County and Municipal employees, isn’t so sure.  “We’ve had layoffs………office expenditures may not be a good idea.”  Hudson isn’t planning to sell his Riverside home, which explains the Brad sightings around town.  Will this be the beginning of an expensive Schwarzenegger type commute for the County of Sacramento?

Quite a bit different from the comment section on our Press Enterprise, which has not been the same since criticism by Chief Sergio Diaz, after fallen RPD Officer Ryan Bonaminio was killed last year. Regardless, the comment section of the Sacramento Bee did not hold back on its uncensored criticism:

This is of no surprise to County Workers. Brad Hudson hasn’t even introduced himself to County Employees since he came to work in August of 2011. And from what we hear from his Administrative staff he is a man full of himself, ego, and an attitude of my way or the highway. Shame the BOS didnt do a little more research before picking Mr. Hudson. He has a very low opinion from his Executive staff who are with him daily.  Maybe the Bee should look into why he has directed the Municipal Services Agency to go around town and pick up shopping carts and deliver them back to the stores, ON THE PUBLICS DIME! Its all about image for the egotistical man whom the Board of Supervisors placed in command.  This latest spending of the publics money to redecorate his office and the seventh floor conference room is just plain wrong. And the Board should inform him that his decisions in these poor economic times when the County is struggling finacially is a laspe on good judgement. Lastly to Mr. Hudson~~ I pass you daily in the hallways of the Administration Building.  You have greeted me only once. Is it becuase of my finely pressed jeans and laundered shirts I wear?  Do I not fit into your ‘mold’ of what a professional worker should wear? Good luck! You can take it up with my Union. I’m sure the Board buying you out of your existing contract would be cheaper then the ensuing court case.    – commenter on the Sacramento Bee, known as CntyAdmnWkr

There is absolutely no defense for this expenditure!  A person at this level of leadership should already have an open door style of management!  There’s something wrong when a person doesn’t consider a $7,300 desk as extravagant, especially in these financial times!  I’m not going to find his office more inviting just because he has a Lexington desk.  Rather, I’m going to find it nauseating.  You don’t need a gawdy desk to do the job right!  If you needed a desk, you could have gone to state surplus.  This guy is so stuck on himself.  The BOS should be ashamed of themselves; they should have left him in Riverside!     -commenter on the Sacramento Bee, Doshima

And the Bee didn’t mention his automatic shoe-polisher (that I have seen with my own eyes). He didn’t like the first one (approx. $700+), but it couldn’t be returned (reason unknown).  So, he had staff buy him the one he wanted (approx. $900+). AND, he said he wanted to implement a dress code for County workers … said WE looked “rustic and provincial” the way we dressed.  But he was told by Legal that he had to meet and confer with the Unions to do that. He didn’t want to get involved with the Unions, so he just ‘told’ every department head that he wants a dress code. Coming from him, the department heads are going to implement it anyway, because of the threat of losing their jobs. The threat has come from Brad’s hatchet-man, Nav Gill (the COO).  Who fired 4 different dept. heads when they didn’t do what he wanted (of course, he used bogus charges).  Lovely working here under folks who use Hitler, Stalin, Amin, & Bashir as their role-models. Nav would set up his own Gestapo if he could.      -commenter on the Sacramento Bee, I_Furpie

Wow.  I see Brad is up to his usual self.  I’ve worked for Riverside County for many years and saw Brad there and at the City.  To say he is arrogant and aloof is beyond an understatement.  He wanted a cafe in the lobby of City Hall, and spent a million dollars in change orders alone because of his whims.  When they redecorated City Hall, and started to use green tones, it was stopped and immediately replaced with blues, to a much greater cost.  He willfully violated CEQA when he asked the Riverside Planning Commission to approve an EIR BEFORE the comment period was over, and of course had his hatchet men do the dirty work.  He authorized the tearing down of a historic building that was to be saved per the City’s own conditions, then he and city staff offered a  myriad of reasons for the action, none of which matched. When I learned that Brad was leaving Riverside, I was overjoyed.  Then, I heard that he was headed to Sacramento County, and my first thought was – What did they do to deserve this? You say he doesn’t care about County employees or the public?  That’s not true – he doesn’t even think about you, so he can’t care.  In his Brad-centric universe, the only people he has to keep happy are his superiors, which at the city of Riverside were the mayor and 7 councilmen.  All the others could go to you-know-where for all he cared.  Like you in Sac County, there were several people who crossed him and were never heard from again – just spirited away.  Good luck folks – you’re going to need it.  As a number of you have said, buckle up and get ready for the ride!  I wish I had some better news for you.  BTW – a campaign was started here just before he left.  Someone printed green buttons (his least favorite color) with the slogan “I didn’t vote for Brad” on them.  Food for thought, since he’s now running your county and you didn’t get input into his selection . . .      -commenter on the Sacramento Bee, RiversidesGladBradsGone

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/23/4141605/public-eye-sacramento-countys.html#disqus_thread

“The next two or three years are going to be a tough row to hoe. A lot hinges on the economy, most of which is out of our hands. If we have to just keep grinding down programs and personnel, at some point we reach the state where it’s nearly impossible to make that next cut or service reduction.”

Read the rest here in this interview story in Comstock’s Magazine, called “Working Lunch With Bradley Hudson.” by Douglas Curley.

UPDATE: 01/11/2011: THE SACRAMENTO BEE: PUBLIC EYE: SACRAMENTO COUNTY CEO’S REFURNISHING INCLUDES SHOE POLISHER  http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/06/4166679/public-eye-sacramento-county-ceos.html#storylink=misearch

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