Board committee forwards ordinance creating limited amnesty for properties tied to Santos and Curran fraud schemes

The Budget and Finance Committee on Friday voted to amend and forward to the full Board of Supervisors an ordinance (File No. 250191) creating a time‑limited amnesty program for properties identified in the Department of Building Inspection—9s (DBI) internal quality control audit tied to work by engineer Rodrigo Santos and former inspector Bernard Curran.

The ordinance, introduced by Board President Rafael Mandelman, would waive specified planning code enforcement, waive planning and DBI fees tied to abating the identified violations, and provide refunds to owners who already paid those fees. Chair Supervisor Connie Chan moved the amendment proposed by Mandelman and to forward the ordinance to the full board with the committee—9s positive recommendation; the motion passed on a 3-0 roll call (Vice Chair Supervisor Matt Dorsey, Member Angadio and Chair Chan voting aye).

Why it matters: The ordinance responds to an internal DBI audit of properties that had contact with Santos and Curran amid criminal prosecutions of both men. Mandelman said the measure is designed to relieve property owners "who were unwittingly and through no fault of their own swept up in the sad and sorry saga of Rodrigo Santos and Bernard Curran." The program aims to limit additional financial burdens from fees and penalties for a defined subset of…