California IN BRIEF : BERKELEY : Mayoral Candidates Spend $350,000

In a fund-raising spree one campaign official called “obscene,” Mayor Loni Hancock and challenger Fred Weekes spent a combined total of nearly $350,000 in a close battle for Berkeley’s top electoral post. Campaign finance documents filed with the city clerk’s office indicate that Hancock spent $182,667 to win reelection. Weekes, the former council member who lost a runoff by 64 votes, reported expenses of $156,161. Both candidates were forced to step up their fund-raising efforts after the Nov. 6 general election, when Weekes forced the incumbent mayor into a Dec. 4 runoff.