Alameda Mayor Trish Spencer waving to the crowd
at Monday’s Independence Day parade.

ALAMEDA | Alameda’s traditional Fourth of July Parade is one of the largest in the Bay Area. In turn, it’s no easy task organizing the 100 or more individual floats and marchers to function smoothly.

Unfortunately,, Mayor Trish Spencer didn’t make it any easier.

The mayor, who hosts the annual parade that runs from Park Street to the West End, threw a tantrum shortly before the start of the event.

The reason for the fit, according to sources, is Spencer disliked the type of automobile she was assigned and refused to ride in it.

The last second change in plans added more pressure for organizers already scrambling to put on the late morning event without a hitch.

But they did not secure another car for Spencer and her husband. Instead, she found her own car, a refurbished classic truck that allowed Spencer stand on the pickup’s bed and wildly wave to Alameda parade-goers while shaking her money maker.

A year ago, during her first parade as mayor, Spencer rode in a low rider car with hydraulics.

The incident on the Independence Day holiday may seem trivial, but runs parallel with a growing number of acts that paints Spencer as a primadonna, or, at the very least, a public official who often rides alone.

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