Jean Quan ought to acknowledge her shortcomings Chip Johnson On The East Bay

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan was in hot water recently for making factually incorrect statements about her crime plan. Now, she's raising brows for apparently telling the Alameda County civil grand jury about a partnership with the FBI that existed only in her mind.

But take note: Quan isn't a malicious liar intending to misinform the public for her personal or political benefit.

Unfortunately, she has a bad habit of speaking extemporaneously, saying the first thing that comes to mind - and that can create havoc.

Some colleagues say it's not a new thing for Quan. She's done this for years, and many people take what she says as fact with a grain of salt.

But the stakes in the mayor's office are much higher than they are when you're a city councilwoman or school board member, elected positions Quan has previously held.

Big city mayors usually don't get to pick and choose the topics they want to address. They're supposed to field whatever comes - at a press conference, at the farmers' market, or right outside their offices.

Strong politicians can use effective policy proposals to influence public debate, but all elected officials are required to answer questions about the good, bad and ugly events, trends and developments that occur in the areas they are elected to represent.

Quan should be able to do this, but doesn't. She is often rattled when confronted by the press corps.

On Monday, Quan joined Gov. Jerry Brown, federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Port of Oakland officials to announce the first phase of a massive expansion project planned for the city's industrial waterfront.

In between describing his vision of long-term infrastructure and job creation, Brown casually fielded questions about his tax plan, pension reform and the financing details of the state's high-speed rail plans.

Quan, however, was not as flexible.

When it was over, she made a beeline for the parking lot - with reporters in tow.

She declined to answer questions on any other subject - neither her recent verbal gaffes nor the shooting of five people outside the Jack London Theater on Sunday night.

Anne Campbell Washington, Quan's chief of staff, said the mayor attended the press conference for the sole purpose of talking about the port project - nothing else.

Three days earlier, Quan dodged questions from a Chronicle reporter who asked about her comments to the grand jury. He caught up with her at the Old Oakland Farmers' Market on Ninth Street after her staff said she was in meetings.

Quan said she remembered speaking before the panel but couldn't recall the gist of the conversation. She also didn't remember if she had said anything about the FBI helping the city's crime lab - either before the grand jury or in a public speech. Finally, she said even if she did remember, she wasn't sure she was allowed to talk about it.

That final statement is the perfect example of her bad habit.

Testimony provided to the grand jury, particularly the testimony of a public official, is no private matter, said Rob Warren, an Alameda County deputy district attorney who also serves as a legal adviser to the grand jury.

Quan apparently believed there was some restriction, so she invoked a rule that doesn't exist.

If Quan was as open about her shortcomings as she is hell-bent on influencing public opinion, it would go a long way toward providing a more complete snapshot of her performance as mayor, which hasn't been all bad.

Quan successfully negotiated the first pension reform in the Oakland police union's history, has managed to balance the city's budget in an era of declining revenue and had the foresight to hire a cadre of talented administrators, including City Administrator Deanna Santana and Santana's assistant Fred Blackwell Jr.

Human imperfection, including forgetfulness, is not a moral sin or character flaw. The ability to accurately recall facts is a talent that some people have, some don't, and many if not most people will struggle with as they grow older.

If Quan would just acknowledge her shortcomings instead of trying to explain them away, or worse, lay the blame elsewhere, people might be more forgiving.