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Committee opens hearing after discovery of retroactive contract approvals; HSA reports corrective measures
Summary
Supervisor Aaron Peskin led a hearing into retroactive approvals of contracts potentially in violation of Charter section 9.118; HSA director Trent Rohrer said HSA found one additional retroactive contract (Meals on Wheels), described procedural gaps and proposed 15 measures to prevent recurrence.
Agenda Item 2 was introduced as a hearing into the circumstances surrounding retroactive Board approval on Jan. 29, 2019, of a grant agreement between the City and County of San Francisco and the Tenderloin Housing Clinic and its first amendment, and to review contracts potentially not submitted to the Board as required by Charter section 9.118.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin, sponsor of the hearing, said the Board learned that one contract had been approved in violation of Charter section 9.118. He read aloud the relevant subsection of 9.118, which requires Board approval for non-construction contracts exceeding 10 years, anticipated expenditures of $10,000,000, or amendments with an impact of more than $500,000, absent specific charter exceptions. "Unless otherwise provided for in this charter... any other contracts or agreements... having a term in excess of 10 years or requiring anticipated expenditures by the city and county of $10,000,000 or the modification or amendments to such contract or agreement having an impact of more than a half a million dollars shall be subject to approval by the Board of Supervisors," he read.
Trent Rohrer, Executive Director of the Human Services Agency, said that after discovering the Tenderloin Housing Clinic contract issue, HSA scoured roughly 200 contracts across HSA departments (Department of Aging and Adult Services, Office of Early Care and Education, Department of Human Services) and found one additional instance — the Meals on Wheels contract — that had been handled retroactively. Rohrer said the review revealed gaps in contract processing and that HSA had developed about 15 measures to tighten protocols from procurement through approval to avoid similar errors.
Supervisor Peskin said he asked every city department to scour records and no other departments reported similar violations. During public comment, an unidentified speaker repeated allegations about Mission Rock and affordable-housing requirements; those allegations were entered as public comment and are not resolved in the hearing transcript.
Supervisor Peskin moved to file the matter after the HSA presentation and the committee filed the item by consent. No further action or formal sanctions are recorded in the committee minutes; HSA reported internal corrective steps.
