Oakland, California heading for bankruptcy

Even though city officials would prefer to avoid a public conversation, behind closed doors the Oakland City Council has discussed filing for bankruptcy protection in the midst of a $100 million budget deficit.

"We have asked the (bankruptcy) question because we wanted to know the impact," said District 5 council member Ignacio De La Fuente. "In closed session, the question has been asked, and an answer was given." He would not elaborate. "It's a possibility," he acknowledged. "Things are that bad."

Council President Jane Brunner was equally aloof. She ably acknowledged the city's dire financial problem while managing to avoid the b-word altogether."We're going to try to avoid it, but am I going to say it would never happen? I can't say that," Brunner said.Full Story