CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / SACRAMENTO
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Former state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata announced Tuesday that he is planning to run next year for mayor of Oakland, saying he was moved by the recent funeral for four Oakland police officers killed in the line of duty.
“I can no longer sit quietly on the sidelines and pretend that the city I love isn’t in full-tilt crisis,” Perata, a Democrat, said. “Oakland is suffering and, everywhere I go, people are demanding new leadership.
“So I’m preparing to run for mayor, and I’ll be making a more formal announcement in the days or weeks ahead,” he said in a news release.
It is unclear whether Perata will face off against incumbent Mayor Ron Dellums. Paul Rose, a spokesman for Dellums, said Tuesday that the mayor has not said whether he will seek reelection.
Perata, 63, is no newcomer to local politics. He served on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors before being elected to the state Senate in 1998.
The U.S. attorney’s office in San Francisco recently said it had decided not to pursue criminal charges after a four-year investigation into Perata’s finances. The federal prosecutor in Sacramento is now reviewing the case.
-- Patrick McGreevy
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