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Board presses mayor on corruption probes; Breed says administration ordered reviews and is open to stronger whistleblower protections
Summary
Supervisor Dean Preston asked Mayor London Breed what steps the administration is taking after federal corruption allegations involving city officials; Breed described internal directives and said she would work with the Board on strengthening whistleblower protections.
Supervisor Dean Preston pressed Mayor London Breed on the Board's need to restore public trust after a string of indictments and resignations of senior city officials.
"It's essential that the public have confidence in the integrity of those in leadership positions," Supervisor Preston said, noting a year-old U.S. attorney's criminal complaint and a subsequent flow of indictments and resignations.
Mayor London Breed said she immediately asked the city attorney and controller to open independent inquiries when she learned of the federal investigation, directed city employees to cooperate with investigators and issued executive directives intended to "fix systemic issues" tied to the allegations.
"Nothing matters more than ensuring the public trust," Mayor Breed said. "The moment I learned of the federal investigation, I called on our city attorney and controller to begin their own independent investigation into the charges and to make recommendations to us." She added that administrative changes had been made and that further reforms would be implemented in partnership with the Board.
Supervisor Preston followed with a question about whistleblower protections and whether the mayor would support strengthening the city's laws to encourage and protect employees who report wrongdoing. Breed said she was "open to any suggestions" and that, drawing on her time as a supervisor, she recognized the value of a stronger system to address whistleblower complaints.
Distinguishing discussion from action: The mayor described administrative directives and internal reviews already undertaken; the Board did not take a formal vote on reforms during the Jan. 12 meeting but multiple supervisors signaled interest in pursuing legislative or charter-based changes to contracting, permitting and whistleblower protections.
What was said on the record: All quotes and attributions in this article are drawn from the Jan. 12 public transcript of the Board of Supervisors meeting.
Next steps: Supervisor Preston said he intends to collaborate with the mayor's office and, as incoming chair of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee, to study whistleblower protections and other reforms during the year.
