UC Davis Expense Reports Detail Costly Trips By Chancellor
UC DAVIS (CBS13) — Expense reports for an embattled UC Davis chancellor are raising eyebrows as they show the pricy comfort she lived in during her stays.
The reports show Linda Katehi has typically flown first-class on flights, stayed at luxury, five-star hotels and hired tour guides and limousines over the last six years.
The 80 pages show a host of big numbers, including $6,300 to fly to Greece and $2,600 for a couple of nights in Mexico City.
A UC Davis spokesperson defends the price tag of Katehi's trips.
The five-star resort in Greece was where Katehi stayed during a trip meant to "cultivate the relationship with a major donor" in 2012. Expense reports show she billed the university $1,500 here and also spent nearly $250 on a private tour guide to "brief them on the history and architectural elements of the area."
The following year, she opted for a luxury resort in Switzerland with sweeping views of Lake Geneva. For one night, UC Davis was on the hook for $1,400 "because the traveler was traveling with a major donor, she stayed at the same hotel as the donor."
Prior to that, Katehi submitted an $8,400 expense report for a five-day trip to Italy to take part in the Food Pavilion Expo in Milan. The justification reads, "business class airfare was purchased since traveler would be flying for several hours on an overnight and overseas flight."
A total of $974 was later reimbursed by the expo. Documents show numerous expense travel changes were also billed to the university, along with a limousine service.
A UC Davis spokesperson says the chancellor's expenses are approved by the UC Davis controller, but does not have a set annual travel budget.
Those expenses amount to $174,000 over six years.
