SIMI VALLEY : 7 Officials Spent $4,997 on 4-Day Trip

Four Simi Valley City Council members and three staff members have submitted $4,997 in receipts for a recent trip to the annual National League of Cities conference in Washington, D.C., officials said Monday.

The money covered hotel, meals and transportation expenses for the four-day trip, March 3-6, Councilman Glen McAdoo said. The city, he said, got more than its money’s worth.

“Five thousand dollars is not bad” for seven people, McAdoo said. “That wasn’t even enough to cover it. It cost me $800 of my own money. I had to take personal vacation time to do it.”

Last year, Simi Valley officials were reimbursed $23,242 for expenses incurred last year on various trips to Sacramento, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, Deputy City Manager Bob Heitzman said.

McAdoo said it was imperative for Simi Valley officials to attend certain out-of-town functions, such as the League of Cities conference, which annually draws hundreds of city officials from all over the country.

He said that with the ever-growing number of special interest groups, city officials cannot afford to miss a chance to meet with state representatives and push for their fair share of federal funds and programs.