Audit committee continues civil grand jury items to Sept. 15 to await departmental responses

The Government Audit and Oversight Committee of the Board of Supervisors voted Aug. 11 to continue multiple agenda items stemming from February 2008 civil grand jury reports to Sept. 15 to allow city departments time to prepare formal responses.

Chair Supervisor Aaron Peskin told the committee that several departments had not yet responded to requests from the civil grand jury’s foreperson and proposed the continuance. “I would like to continue all of these items to September 15 to allow the departments to submit their responses,” Peskin said.

The items moved include hearings and resolutions tied to several February 2008 civil grand jury reports, among them reports titled Fits and Starts (government responsiveness), Accountability in San Francisco Government, San Francisco Kindergarten Admissions: Back to the Drawing Board, A Year of Five Elections for San Francisco, and The Homeless Have Homes, But They Are Still on the Streets.

During public comment, city employee Douglas Shep said the accountability report was “very applicable” given widespread concern about what the city is and is not doing, and urged attention to the kindergarten admissions review and related oversight issues. Shep also referenced recent media accounts about alleged Medicare and Medicaid fraud and other high-profile prosecutions as examples of the oversight challenges facing government agencies.

Supervisor Maxwell moved to continue items 4 through 13 to Sept. 15; the motion carried without objection. The continuance gives departments and the civil grand jury’s foreperson additional time to submit and review written responses before the committee reconvenes.