San Francisco Government Audit and Oversight Committee Meeting – July 1, 2021
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San Francisco Government Audit and Oversight Committee Meeting – July 1, 2021
The Government Audit and Oversight Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met remotely on July 1, 2021, chaired by Supervisor Dean Preston, with Vice Chair Connie Chan and Member Rafael Mandelman. The committee reviewed seven regular agenda items, including grants, a mental health services update, and a performance audit of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, plus closed session litigation matters.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1 – Cannabis Tax Fund Grant: Unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to accept and expend $986,248 from the California Highway Patrol Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program for an automated liquid handling instrument and two new positions (forensic analyst and toxicologist) for FY2021-2023.
- Item 3 – Sharp Park Habitat Conservation Grant: Unanimously approved a resolution retroactively authorizing a $200,500 grant from the California Department of Parks and Recreation for the Sharp Park Habitat Conservation Project, requiring a deed restriction to protect San Francisco garter snake habitat through 2039.
- Item 4 – CDC HIV Grant: Unanimously approved a resolution retroactively accepting $2,740,288 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, covering August 2020 – July 2021.
- Items 5 & 6 – Heron’s Head Park Shoreline Resilience Project: Unanimously approved resolutions authorizing acceptance of an in-kind donation of beach materials (estimated value $417,000) from Hanson Aggregates Mid-Pacific, Inc. and a $1,667,000 grant from the California Ocean Protection Council to construct a living shoreline to protect against erosion and sea level rise.
Public Comments & Testimony
- On Item 2 (MHSA Update): One caller, Mr. DeCosta, criticized the department for delays in bringing the resolution and expressed frustration with the overall dysfunction of the behavioral health system.
- On Item 7 (HSH Audit): Mary Kate Bacalau, co-chair of HSHLA (Homeless Services Leadership Alliance) and representing Compass Family Services, supported the audit findings, emphasized the need for collaborative program monitoring with providers, and urged focus on housing and the adult, family, and youth systems.
Discussion Items
- Item 2 – Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Annual Update FY2021-2022: Tracy Helton, interim director of MHSA, presented the update. Key points: MHSA funds 87 programs serving 36,807 unduplicated clients in FY2019-20, with 51% of revenues allocated to Full Service Partnership (FSP) programs for severe mental illness. The department reported an 85% decrease in arrests and health emergencies for FSP adults and 90% for transitional youth. Supervisors Mandelman and Chan expressed deep concern that despite such spending, the city’s behavioral health crisis is worsening, with visible street suffering and rising overdose deaths. Supervisor Preston noted the report did not reference major local initiatives like Mental Health SF or state preemption. The department requested an extension from the state (original deadline June 30, 2021). The committee voted unanimously to continue the item to the July 15, 2021 meeting.
- Item 7 – Hearing on Performance Audit of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH): Amanda Guma of the Budget and Legislative Analyst (BLA) presented findings from the August 2020 audit. Key findings:
- Contract underspending: 16–17% of revised budget unspent annually (FY2017–2020); updated to 14% in FY2020-21.
- High vacancy rate: 26% in FY2019-20, later reduced to 8.9% but with new positions (36 temporary) pushing effective rate to 18%.
- Lack of standardized program monitoring: only 9 of 20 sampled contracts had monitoring reports; no consistent metrics or corrective action processes.
- Data system limitations: the “One System” had limited functionality, causing delays in housing placements.
- Governance gaps: no formal oversight body; major decisions made without stakeholder input. HSH Director Shereen McSpadden responded that the department has made progress: fully staffed HR team, 12 vacancies remaining, developing monitoring policies with a workgroup (training to begin fall 2021), expanding the One System to include unit-level housing inventory (completion spring 2022), and engaging stakeholders through multiple advisory bodies. Supervisors discussed the need for clearer metrics, formal oversight, and accountability. The hearing was filed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Items 1, 3, 4, 5, 6: Recommended to the full Board of Supervisors (all 3-0 votes).
- Item 2: Continued to the July 15, 2021 regular meeting of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee (3-0).
- Item 7: Hearing held and filed (3-0).
- Closed Session: The committee unanimously voted to continue one litigation item to the call of the chair and recommended the remaining litigation items (settlements totaling over $5.3 million) to the Board of Supervisors for the July 13, 2021 agenda.
Meeting Transcript
This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the July 1st, 2021 regular meeting of the government audit and oversight committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. I am Supervisor Dean Preston, Chair of the Committee, and I'm joined by Vice Chair Supervisor Connie Chan and Committee Member Supervisor Raphael Mandelman. The committee clerk is John Carroll, and I want to thank uh Jesse Larson and the SFGov TV team for staffing this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. The minutes will reflect that the committee members have participated in this meeting in this remote meeting through video conference to the same extent as if they're 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. Cable Channel 26 and sfgovtv.org are streaming the public comment call-in number across the screen at this time. Each speaker will be allowed two minutes to speak. Comments and your opportunities to speak during any of today's public comment period are available to you via phone by dialing 415 6550001. After you've dialed that number, the meeting ID for today's meeting is 146057 8563. Following that, you'll dial the pound symbol twice to be connected to the meeting. When you're connected, you'll hear the meeting discussions, but your line will be muted and in listening mode only. When your item of interest comes up on our agenda, please dial star followed by three to be added to the speaker line. Do so as soon as we call the item. Best practices are to call from a quiet location, speak clearly and slowly, and to turn down your television, your radio, your streaming device, or whatever you may be using to access our meeting. Alternatively, you may submit your written public comment in either of the following ways. You may email them to me. I'm the government audit oversight committee clerk, and my email address is J-O-H-N, period C A R O L L at SFGOV.org. If you submit your public comment via email, I will forward your public comment to the members of the committee and I will add your comments to the official file for the item on which you are commenting. You may also send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office in City Hall. Our address is City Hall, Room 244, one Dr. Carlton B. Goodlick Place. San Francisco, California 94102. And finally, Mr. Chair, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of July 13th, 2021, unless otherwise stated by motion. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Please call the first item. Agenda item number one is an ordinance authorizing the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to accept and expend a grant in the amount of 986,248 dollars from the California Highway Patrol Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program and amending ordinance number 16620 to provide for the addition of one grant funded class 2403 forensic laboratory analyst and one grant funded class 2456 forensic toxicologist for the period beginning July 1st, 2021 through June 30th, 2023. Members of the public wish to write public comment on this ordinance should call the public comment number. I'll repeat it. 4156550001. Today's meeting ID is 146057-8563. Press the pound symbol twice to connect to the meeting and then press star followed by the number three to enter the queue to speak. Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. And I believe today we are joined by uh David Serrano Sewell, Chief Operating Officer with the Office of the Chief the Medical Examiner and Dr. Luke Rhoda, uh Chief Forensic Toxicologist. I will turn it over to either or both of them for their presentation. Thank you, Chairman and honorable members of the committee. I am David Serrano Sewell, the COO here at the OCME.
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