San Francisco Government Audit and Oversight Committee Meeting - June 11, 2021
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San Francisco Government Audit and Oversight Committee Meeting - June 11, 2021
The Government Audit and Oversight Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on June 11, 2021, at 10:15 AM. The meeting was chaired by Supervisor Dean Preston, with Supervisors Shamann Walton and Rafael Mandelman present. Vice Chair Connie Chan was excused. The committee reviewed eight items, including employee compensation, contract amendments, and a major lease agreement. All items were forwarded to the full Board of Supervisors.
Consent Calendar
- No separate consent calendar was designated; all items were discussed individually but approved with minimal debate.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 4 (HealthRIGHT 360 COVID-19 contract): One caller opposed the $11.9 million increase, arguing that high vaccination rates made the expenditure unnecessary and that funds should go to other needs. A second caller supported the extension, noting that FEMA reimburses the cost and that outreach to underserved communities remains important.
- No public comments were received on other agenda items.
Discussion Items
- Item 1 (Unrepresented Employee Compensation): Steve Ponder, Compensation Director, presented an ordinance fixing wages for unrepresented employees (mostly in the Mayor’s Office). Most employees receive a 3% increase phased in, while some (e.g., 1280 labor relations class and AB 44 attorney) receive higher amounts due to market adjustments. Discussion focused on why many lower-paid staff are unrepresented and the urgency of approving before June 30. Deputy City Attorney Brad Rossi clarified that approval after June 30 would prevent retroactive implementation. The committee voted to forward the item to the full board on June 22, not as a committee report, to allow more time for questions.
- Item 2 (SEIU 1021 Nurses MOU): The second amendment allows carryover of unused tuition reimbursement funds from FY2021 to FY2022. The committee voted to recommend it as a committee report for the June 15 board meeting.
- Item 3 (CalMHSA Tech Suite): Teresa Yu from DPH described a statewide mental health innovation program that funds technology-based solutions (e.g., peer chat app, Headspace mindfulness). The amendment extends the term to May 2024 and increases the amount to $10 million, but the actual budget is lower. Supervisor Mandelman questioned the use of $10 million for a texting service amid acute mental health needs. The committee recommended approval as a committee report.
- Item 4 (HealthRIGHT 360 I&Q Contract): DPH’s Ms. Hiramoto requested a 1-year extension and $11.9 million increase to maintain one isolation/quarantine hotel (64 beds) due to potential variant surges. Supervisor Preston asked about wind-down triggers and interim use of rooms. BLA confirmed the contract is fully FEMA-reimbursable. The committee recommended approval as a committee report.
- Items 5 & 6 (Medline Supply Contracts): Daisy Aguaio (DPH supply chain) presented two 6-year contracts for medical supplies: bulk distribution ($115 million) and low-unit-of-measure distribution ($178 million). BLA recommended reducing the not-to-exceed amounts by removing holdover budgets. The committee adopted amendments and forwarded recommendations to the full board as committee reports.
- Item 7 (St. Vincent de Paul Navigation Center): Emily Cohen from HSH presented a 4-year extension and $30 million increase (total $40 million) for the Division Circle Navigation Center (186 beds, currently operating at 77 due to COVID). The committee recommended approval as a committee report.
- Item 8 (AT&T Lease at SFO): Airport representatives Kathy Widener and Dee Casada described a 10-year lease where AT&T will manage a neutral-host cellular network at SFO, paying $2.4 million annual base rent plus a one-time $28.6 million reimbursement for infrastructure. AT&T will proportionally collect costs from all cellular partners. Supervisor Preston questioned the business model. The committee recommended approval as a committee report.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1: Unrepresented employee compensation ordinance forwarded to the full board on June 22, 2021 (not as a committee report). Vote: 3-0.
- Item 2: SEIU 1021 MOU amendment recommended as a committee report for June 15, 2021. Vote: 3-0.
- Item 3: CalMHSA Tech Suite amendment recommended as a committee report for June 15, 2021. Vote: 3-0.
- Item 4: HealthRIGHT 360 contract amendment recommended as a committee report for June 15, 2021. Vote: 3-0.
- Items 5 & 6: Medline contracts amended per BLA recommendations and recommended as committee reports for June 15, 2021. Vote: 3-0.
- Item 7: St. Vincent de Paul grant amendment recommended as a committee report for June 15, 2021. Vote: 3-0.
- Item 8: AT&T lease agreement recommended as a committee report for June 15, 2021. Vote: 3-0.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. This meeting will come to order and welcome to the June 11th 2021 special meeting of the uh government audit and oversight committee, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Uh I'm Supervisor Dean Preston, Chair of the Committee, joined uh by uh Supervisor uh uh Shimon Walton uh and uh supervisor Raphael Mandelman. Um the committee clerk is John Carroll, and uh our thanks to SFGov TV for staffing this meeting. Uh Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Yes, I have thank you, Mr. Chair. The minutes will reflect that the committee members have participated in this remote meeting through video conference to the same extent as if they were physically present in their committee room. The board recognizes that public access to city services is essential and invites public participation in the following ways. First, public comment will be available on each item on this agenda, either cable channel 2678 or 99 and sfgovt.org are streaming the public comment call in number across the screen at this time. Each speaker will be allowed two minutes to speak on each agenda item that they stand up to speak for. Comments or opportunities to speak during the any of today's public comment periods will be available via phone by dialing 415-655-0001. I'll repeat that. The meeting ID is 18705480. Following that, press the pound symbol twice to be connected to the meeting. When you're connected, you will hear the meeting discussions, but your line will be muted and in listening mode only. When your item of of interest comes up, dial star followed by three to be added to the speaker line for that item. Best practices are to call from a quiet location to speak clearly and slowly and to turn down your television, your radio, or your streaming device, or whatever you're using to access the meeting. Alternatively, you may submit your public comment in either of the following ways. You may email them to myself. I'm the government audit and oversight committee clerk. My email address is J-O-H-N period C-A-R-R-O-L-L at SFGOV.org. If you submit your public comment by email, I will include it in the public file for whichever item it is on which you are commenting. Uh you may also send your written comments by U.S. Postal Service to our office in City Hall. The address is one Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, room 244, San Francisco, California 94102. And finally, Mr. Chair. Items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors Agenda of June 22nd, 2021, unless otherwise stated thank you, Mr. Clark. Um and uh before we go to our agenda items, uh, I would like to make a motion to excuse Vice Chair Chan from today's government audit and oversight committee meeting. On the motion offered by Chair Preston that Vice Chair Chan be excused from today's proceedings, Member Mandelman. Aye. Mandelman, aye. Member Walton. Aye. Walton, aye, Chair Preston. Aye. Preston, aye. Mr. Chair, there are three eyes. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. And uh thank you, uh President Walton, for uh being here with us today in GAO. Um let's uh call item one, Mr. Clark. Item one.
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