San Francisco Government Audit and Oversight Committee Meeting - March 17, 2022
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San Francisco Government Audit and Oversight Committee Meeting - March 17, 2022
The Government Audit and Oversight Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met in hybrid format on Thursday, March 17, 2022, beginning at 18:15 UTC. Chair Dean Preston presided, joined by Vice Chair Connie Chan and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman. Clerk Erica Major handled the roll and public comment procedures. The committee approved routine items, held hearings on SFMTA's racial equity plan and plastic pollution, and acted on litigation settlements.
Discussion Items
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Item 1: Dogpatch and Northwest Potrero Hill Green Benefit District Annual Report FY2020-2021 - Public Works liaison Ramses Desalvarez and GBD Executive Director Julie Christensen presented. The district spans 200 blocks and 70 acres; 77% of stakeholders pay less than $200 per year. It has logged over 6,800 volunteer hours and attracted nearly $800,000 in grants and donations. Financials received a negative declaration from Rhina Accounting Agency. Supervisor Mandelman asked why this GBD succeeded when others failed; Christensen cited land-use pressures, city neglect, and a strong Public Works partnership. No public comment. The committee voted 3-0 to recommend approval to the full board.
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Item 2: Retroactive Grant Authorization for Office of Chief Medical Examiner - The OCME sought to accept $312,966 from the California Department of Public Health Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch for an Overdose Prevention Initiative, adding one temporary forensic toxicologist. COO David Serrano Sewell clarified the grant is not yet executed; retroactivity refers only to the ordinance after state approval. He reported that 90-day death certificate completion rose from 30% in January 2021 to 82% by August 2021, and the office achieved NAME accreditation. Supervisor Chan asked about communication with families in drug-related deaths, referencing the Jackson-Sales case. No public comment. The committee voted 3-0 to recommend approval.
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Item 3: Hearing on SFMTA Racial Equity Plan Implementation - Supervisor Chan called the hearing due to employee reports of a toxic environment. Racial Equity Officer Josephine Ankoya presented data showing management classifications are predominantly white, while the workforce is roughly 14% white. A two-year discipline analysis found disproportionate outcomes for Black transit operators, especially women in attendance-related cases. The agency is building a racial equity policy, mandatory training, and improved tracking, but has not yet established regular reporting intervals. Director Jeff Tumlin made brief remarks and left. Public comment included current and former employees describing retaliation and inaction. The committee voted 3-0 to continue the item to the call of the chair.
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Item 4: Hearing on Plastic Recycling Management and Plastic Pollution - Recology, Public Works, and the Department of Environment presented. Recology reported that 15% of collected trash is plastic, 32.4% of landfill-bound material from Pier 96 is plastic, and estimated annual plastic tonnage ranges from 8,000-10,000 tons from recycling residuals plus about 15,000 tons from gray bins. Public Works operates street cleaning with roughly 350 staff and a $110 million annual budget, removing about 1 million pounds of trash per week. SF Environment noted two-thirds of litter is single-use foodware and highlighted reusable foodware programs. Public comment from Save the Bay and Jobs with Justice supported source reduction and a corporate plastic tax. Supervisor Chan discussed possible local policies, including banning plastic shipping materials and exploring litigation and a tax measure. The committee voted 3-0 to file the hearing.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Items 1 and 2: No public comment.
- Item 3: Dante King (Black Employees Alliance, former SFMTA ombudsperson) said the agency used a Black woman to provide cover and cited examples of harsher punishment for Black workers. Jesse Rosemar (former transportation planner) accused Director Tumlin of promoting an executive with a known toxic record. P.J. from Samgan asked about BIPOC outreach for hiring. Shayda Haigu (Local 21 president) cited retaliation fears. Adrian Larne (SFMTA worker) said management labeled racism discussions a liability. Kathy Gassard (Black and African American Affinity Group) called for manager-level dashboards and accountability.
- Item 4: Henry Hoffman (Save the Bay) urged policies against top plastic polluters, noting 80% of ocean plastic comes from land and communities spend $428 million annually on cleanup. Julia Sebastian (Jobs with Justice SF) supported a progressive corporate plastic tax to fund climate jobs.
Closed Session Litigation
- Items 5-9 were four ordinances and one resolution settling lawsuits and unlitigated claims, including settlements for David Alfaro et al., Dennis Richards et al., Leticia Avila, Lawrence Thomas, and Christine H. Russell. No public comment. The committee convened in closed session and afterward voted 3-0 to forward all five items to the full board.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1 recommended to full board (3-0).
- Item 2 recommended to full board (3-0).
- Item 3 continued to call of chair (3-0).
- Item 4 filed (3-0).
- Items 5-9 recommended to full board after closed session (3-0).
Meeting Transcript
This meeting will come to order and welcome to the March 17 2022 uh 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 Connie Chan and Supervisor Raphael Mandelman. Uh, the committee clerk today is Erica Major, and uh we want to thank the team at SFGov TV for staffing this meeting. Madam Clerk, uh, do you have any announcements? Yes, Mr. Chair, the Board of Supervisors and its committees are now convening hybrid meetings that allow in-person attendance and public comment while still providing remote access and public comment via telephone. The board recognizes that equitable public access is essential and will take public comment as follows. First, public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda. Those attending in person will be allowed to speak first, and then we will take those who are waiting on the telephone line. For those watching, either channel 26, 78 or 99 NSFGovTV.org. The public call-in number is streaming across the screen. The number today is 415-655-0001. Again, that number is 415-655-0001 and enter the meeting ID to 497-5664, then press pound and pound again. When connected, you will hear the meeting discussions, but you will be muted and in listening mode only. When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, those joining us in person should line up to speak on their right, and those on the telephone should dial star three to be added to the speaker line. If you are on your telephone, please remember to turn down your TV and all listening to uh devices. As already indicated, we will be taking public comment for those attending in person first, and then we will go to our public comment telephone line. Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing to the either in either of the following ways. You can email the government audit and oversight committee clerk John Carroll at J O H N period C A R R O L L at Sf G O V dot org. If you submit public comment via email, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and made part of the official file. You may also send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office at City Hall. One Dr. Carlton B. Goodlit Place, room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102. Finally, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the board agenda of April 5th, 2022. Mr. Chair. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Uh, and before we turn to our first item, uh, just wanted to welcome everyone back to Chambers. This is our uh first uh GAO hearing here in Chambers, non-virtual hearing in quite a while, and the first uh since I uh assumed the chair of this committee. So uh we've been doing a lot of work remotely, but it is nice to be back uh in person with colleagues, City Attorney Clerk, and all our presenters. Um other announcements of the day. Happy St. Patrick's Day and also happy birthday, not just to our colleague uh Mirna Melgar, Supervisor Mina Melgar, but also to a very important uh person to this committee uh who works behind the scenes, and that is um my legislative aide Melissa Hernandez, uh, whose birthday it is and who leads uh our office in staffing this committee. So uh without further ado, uh let's call item one. Item number one is the resolution receiving and approving an annual report for the dog patch in Northwest Petrero Hill Green Benefit District for fiscal year 2020 through 2021, submitted as required by the property and business improvement district law of 1994. Uh, members of the public who would like to make public comment on item number one should call the number on the screen. That's 415-655-0001. The meeting ID today is to 497-967-5664, then press pound and pound again. If you have not done so already and would like to speak, you just need to press star three, and the system will indicate that you have raised your hand in confirmation. Mr. Chair. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Um, and uh want to thank President Walton for bringing this item forward as the sponsor, and we will now be hearing from Julie Christensen, uh the executive director for Dog Patch and Northwest Petrero Hill Green Benefit Disc District. Uh, Director Christensen, you have uh up to 10 minutes, and uh the floor is yours. Uh good morning. Uh I'm Ram Desalvarez. I actually work with San Francisco Public Works. I'll be the first speaker.
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