Supervisors call for oversight, hearings and special investigator amid Public Works corruption allegations

Several members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Feb. 4 moved to expand legislative oversight and to seek an independent review following federal criminal charges against the city's Public Works director.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin and others urged a series of open, ongoing hearings at the Government Audit and Oversight Committee to receive reports and question the city attorney and the controller's office about contracting and internal controls in the Department of Public Works (DPW). Supervisor Peskin and Supervisor Preston announced coordinated efforts to use the board's investigatory powers under the City Charter while avoiding interference with criminal prosecutions.

Supervisor Preston and others noted the allegations in a federal criminal complaint reference public-works contracting, including pit stop public toilet contracts, and said the board should allow the department's acting director to review files. At the meeting DPW-related agenda items moved accordingly: staff requested and received a one-week continuance on a resolution authorizing Public Works to accept and expend a San Francisco BART grant for the pit stop public toilet program so the acting director could review the file. The continuance was moved by Supervisor Preston and seconded by Supervisor Peskin and was continued to the Feb. 11 board meeting.

Supervisor Haney, joined by Supervisors Safaie and others, introduced a motion directing the clerk of the board to begin the process of hiring a special investigator to examine internal controls, contracting procedures, the whistleblower program and how the board's powers may have been delegated to department staff. Haney described the review as necessary to answer systemic questions about how pay-to-play culture developed and to recommend measures to strengthen anti-corruption protections.

Other supervisors proposed charter changes to impose term limits on commissioners and to require clearer contact and transparency protocols for commissioners and quasi-judicial bodies. Supervisor Safaie and Supervisor Haney asked the city attorney to draft a charter amendment that would set term limits for service on boards and commissions; the scope and length of limits was to be determined in future committee work.

Supervisors praised the controller and the city attorney for pursuing investigations and emphasized they did not intend to interfere with criminal probes. Several members said the board should proceed with open public hearings, audits, and the special-investigator process concurrently with the city attorney and controller investigations, to restore public confidence and recommend structural reforms.

The actions at the Feb. 4 meeting were largely at the introduction and motion stage; supervisors requested that DPW items be reviewed by new acting leadership before board votes and set a short continuance on at least one DPW contract item. Follow-up committee hearings and the special-investigator scope were left to be defined in subsequent committee scheduling.