Oakland mayor called "Blight Queen"

[RandySF]

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan acknowledged Thursday that she had failed to clear her hills property of overgrown ivy and brush, days after a resident showed up at a City Council meeting with photos of her home and called her the "Queen of Residential Blight."

The comments by the resident, Ken Pratt, came during a hearing Tuesday of the Oakland City Council on the issue of city building inspectors' alleged mistreatment of property owners for blight citations with excessive fines and liens.

Pratt showed eight photos of Quan's property and complained that the mayor was receiving special treatment because her property was allowed to remain blighted while other property owners were being cited. Pratt showed pictures of overgrown bushes and trees outside her home and damaged railings on her deck.



http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/0...