Local media down on Dellums

Not a good start for Mayor Dellums.

SFist, whose Oakland correspondent considered, but rejected, joining a task force, calls him "last-minute mayor" for his "slapdash inauguration."

Carla Marinucci of the Chronicle unflatteringly compares Attorney General Jerry Brown's low-key inauguration, and Schwarzennegger's lavish but two-day fete, to Dellums' inaugural week.

Chip Johnson gratuitously criticizes Dellums' early request for a raise. It seems to me that City Councilmembers, whose attendance at public hearings and votes are critical to running the city, deserve a raise before the mayor (who makes about twice as much as they do).

Will Harper, of the Express, warns his readers not to expect "radical changes" from the (likely one-term) Dellums mayoralty, calling the man "a bold orator but a cautious politician."

UPDATE: CBS 5 ran a story this evening entitled "Oakland's Inaugural Bash Draws Big Corporate Bucks," and their political analyst says, "ethically, it's questionable." Ethics are not the problem; the real issue is bad taste at a time of record-setting murders, as well as the hypocrisy of the old socialist soliciting corporate contributions.

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More of the tone for Mayor Dellums' administration will be set next week, with the gala events of inauguration week. Already, it's off to a bad start, with the actual inauguration a week too early, and rumors that the Paramount ceremony has been oversold. The Tribune's Brenda Payton will likely cover the events. As some of you may recall, she wrote a ridiculous column accusing retail consultants and Mayor Brown of being racist by favoring The Beach Chalet over Everett & Jones for a lakeside restaurant concession. By assigning perhaps the only pro-Dellums Trib reporter, the newspaper seems to be cutting the new mayor some slack. It is doubtful that the Chronicle or Express will be so kind.