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Supervisors ban practice of seeking undated resignation letters from appointees, 8–2
Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved an administrative-code amendment prohibiting preemptive, undated resignation letters for city board and commission nominees. The measure was prompted by disclosures about the mayor's prior practice and passed 8–2 after extended debate.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 8–2 on Feb. 7 to amend the Administrative Code to establish a city policy against asking nominees for undated resignation letters.
Supervisor Preston introduced the ordinance, saying it responds to “the revelation that the mayor was obtaining undated resignation letters from nominees for appointed commissions.” The ordinance states the decision whether to resign rests with the commissioner and cannot be delegated to an appointing authority; it applies to all appointing authorities, including the mayor and the board of supervisors.
Why it matters
Supporters framed the change as a protection for the independence of city boards and commissions. Supervisor Preston said the practice threatened commissioners’ ability to exercise independent judgment and could be used to “summarily remove” members despite charter removal provisions. He cited the whistleblower disclosure by a police commissioner who said he was pressured to make statements undermining a police commission policy and feared the resignation letter would be used against him.
Opponents said the ordinance was unnecessary because the city attorney had previously determined such letters were ineffective. Supervisor Mandelmann called the ordinance “a slap at the mayor” and said he did not think the mayor was “all that wrong in the first place.” He also said different commissions have distinct functions (quasi-adjudicatory vs. policy-making) that may warrant different approaches.
How supervisors voted
The clerk recorded the roll call as eight ayes and two noes. The two votes against were recorded as Supervisor Mandelmann and Supervisor Stephanie. Other supervisors voting yes included Supervisor Preston, Supervisor Melgar, Supervisor Peskin, Supervisor Ronan, Supervisor Safa Yi, Supervisor Chan and Supervisor Dorsey.
What the ordinance does and does not do
The ordinance codifies a city policy prohibiting the preemptive collection of undated resignation letters from people being considered for appointment or reappointment to city boards and commissions. It does not alter the charter provisions that govern formal removal processes; those removal processes remain in place.
Implementation and next steps
The ordinance was adopted on Feb. 7 and will be codified in the Administrative Code. The city attorney and departmental staff are referenced in the ordinance record; supervisors thanked the city attorney’s deputies and legislative aides who worked on the text. No additional committee referral was recorded after the vote.
Ending
The vote concludes a months-long public debate about appointment practices in San Francisco and formalizes restrictions on the collection of undated resignation letters from prospective commissioners.
