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Board pauses full hearing on Fire Department harassment allegations; public and internal advocates call for fair investigations
Summary
The committee opened but did not complete a hearing on allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination in the San Francisco Fire Department. Chair expressed deep concern, the item was continued to the call of the chair, and employee advocates urged full, fair investigations and protections for survivors.
The Government Audit & Oversight Committee opened agenda item 3 on Oct. 25 to address allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination in the San Francisco Fire Department but did not conduct a full hearing at this time.
Chair Kim said the committee had discussed a settlement and subsequent closed‑session material and voiced disappointment that incidents of harassment and discriminatory culture continue to occur in the department. "Actions like this are completely unacceptable regardless of the reasons or motivations for why they occur," the Chair said in prepared remarks.
The committee acknowledged the presence of Fire Chief Joanna Hayes White (in closed session) and the department's human resources director (Mickey Callanan) along with the Department of Human Resources' Equal Employment Opportunity lead, and then opened the floor for public comment while deferring a full hearing. The Chair moved to continue the item to the call of the chair.
Public testimony included internal voices: Catherine Alba, a 19‑year San Francisco Fire Department member and vice president of United Fire Service Women, said the organization "does not condone any kind of harassment or retaliation" and supports full, fair investigations. Sherman Tillman, president of the San Francisco Black Firefighters Association, echoed calls for investigations and denounced retaliation.
Next steps: the committee did not finalize findings at this meeting and will continue the item at a later date; the Chair emphasized the need for continued review and possible follow‑up with department leadership and human resources.
