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Public commenters accuse City Librarian, Friends of the Library of undisclosed gifts; ethics commission hears criticism
Summary
Public commenters at the San Francisco Ethics Commission meeting alleged City Librarian Luis Herrera failed to disclose gifts and that Friends of the Library raised $53 million with limited reporting; the commission heard multiple requests to prioritize Sunshine Ordinance enforcement but took no formal enforcement action at the meeting.
A string of public commenters at the San Francisco Ethics Commission meeting accused the City Librarian and the Friends of the Library of failing to disclose gifts and of withholding records, renewing calls for stronger oversight.
A public commenter said the California Fair Political Practices Commission had “found that city librarian, Luis Herrera, was guilty of 3 years of violations for failure to report gifts,” and later cited what the speaker called a $53,000,000 total raised by the Friends of the Library, with roughly $5,100,000 — about 9.6% — expended to benefit libraries. The commenter added: “Don't give money to friends of the library. Don't accept money from friends of the library.”
Ray Hartz, director of San Francisco Open Government, told the commission it had repeatedly failed to treat public comment seriously and described a multi‑year effort to obtain records from the library commission and the city librarian. Hartz said he and others had filed complaints with the FPPC against library officials and urged the Ethics Commission to place the Sunshine Ordinance and records‑withholding issues on a future agenda for public discussion. “The report is filled with things done without any outcomes that I can find,” Hartz said about the commission’s annual report.
Speakers repeatedly described litigation and filings with the supervisor of records in attempts to secure documents, and criticized what they said was the commission’s tendency to side with city departments when enforcement claims are raised. The meeting record shows public comment and staff exchanges about these allegations, but the commission did not open a formal investigation or take enforcement action during the session.
The Ethics Commission meeting minutes record public concern about disclosure and record‑access practices. The commission has authority to investigate alleged violations of state and local disclosure laws, but this meeting consisted of public accusations and requests for the commission to consider the Sunshine Ordinance more directly in future sessions rather than immediate formal action.
