Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Enforcement Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ethics Commission reports enforcement workload, staff changes and IT plans
Summary
Staff reported 15 dismissals, 49 complaints in preliminary review and 79 open investigations; Director Pelham announced interim staffing assignments and plans to convert paper/PDF filings to electronic forms while staff provides a timeline for Netfile contract history.
At its May 5 meeting the San Francisco Ethics Commission received a monthly enforcement and operations update from staff. Acting Director of Enforcement Jeff Pierce summarized recent enforcement activity: 15 complaints were dismissed in the last six weeks, 49 complaints are in preliminary review and 79 matters are under open investigation. Pierce said the average age of matters in preliminary review has decreased to under three months though the average age of open investigations remains elevated (around 10.5 months) and staffing constraints are a factor.
Executive Director Pelham announced interim organizational moves intended to strengthen audits and program management: Gayathri Tykendiel has been designated acting deputy director and Amy Lee will serve as acting lead auditor; a senior IS business analyst position is expected to be posted soon. Pelham said about 95% of required electronic Form 700 filers had filed on time as of May 2 and staff is improving outreach and electronic filing workflows.
Stephen Massey, director of technology services, explained that the city's DATA SF vendor will discontinue a PDF-hosting feature; staff plans to convert affected paper-based forms to online electronic forms and continue posting searchable data. Massey also outlined the Netfile vendor contract history: an original sole-source arrangement began around 2007'08, a 2013 contract amendment extended terms and support, and a successor contract was arranged to provide continuity as the 2013 agreement approached expiration in late 2018. Commissioners asked staff to prepare a memorandum outlining contract start dates, renewal history, procurement method and competitive-bidding details.
Commissioners asked for follow-up reporting, including: a breakdown of which board and commission members had not filed Form 700; a report on behest payment disclosures; and a procurement memorandum concerning Netfile.
