The first few months of Brad Hudson’s time as Sacramento County’s Chief Executive Officer, refurnishing his office resulted in tens of thousands of dollars of bills. Now, some of those expenses have some asking two questions: were they necessary and how is it being paid for?
The answer to both questions is the same – depends who you ask. According to Hudson, a shoe buffer is a nice way to greet a manager returning from the filed and a $7,000 desk is just a nice way of telling people they can come in. But ask some of the County’s residents who have had to pay $12 per page of copies and they’d say it might not be necessary. And some are saying that those fees charged violate the legal nexus of fees.
A challenge has been brought forward in court regarding the fees, and the question of the purchases will be settled in the court of public opinion.
From the Sacramento Bee:
It looks like Sacramento County’s new CEO has taken a shine to his job. Two weeks ago, we reported in Public Eye that after four months as the county’s chief executive officer, Brad Hudson had run up expenses of $21,000 to purchase a $7,300 “Lexington model” desk, a fancy executive chair, “Diva” series conference chairs and other new furniture.
At the time, Hudson explained that he wanted “something that was appropriate for the work that we do. It’s not extravagant. I just want people to feel like they can come in.” 
Read the full article here.