Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Oversight topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rules Committee forwards Robert Hirsch to full board amid divided views
Summary
After testimony from the nominee and competing public and supervisor statements, the Rules Committee voted to forward Mayor’s nominee Robert Hirsch to the San Francisco Police Commission to the full Board with a positive recommendation; the transcript contains inconsistent roll-call details that the committee acknowledged.
The Rules Committee voted to forward Mayor Edwin M. Lee’s nomination of Robert Hirsch to the San Francisco Police Commission to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation after extended testimony, public comment and debate among committee members.
Hirsch, an arbitrator who said he has overseen contentious hearings affecting large employee groups, told the committee he would act independently on the commission and push for implementation of Justice Department recommendations. "I maintain my integrity at all times, and I would do so if I were on the police commission," he told the committee.
Public comment divided the room. Karen Fleshman of San Franciscans for Police Accountability urged rejection, saying the commission needs members who are present at police commission meetings and prepared to challenge the Police Officers Association. Supervisor Sandra Fewer — speaking through staff because of laryngitis — released a written statement saying she would vote 'no,' explaining that the seat requires a working knowledge of San Francisco policing and its history. The staff statement concluded: "I respectfully cast a no vote for mister Hirsch to the San Francisco police commission." (Statement read into the record by staff.)
President Breed and other supervisors supported Hirsch, praising his arbitration background and saying the commission needs fair, disciplined members. Breed moved to forward the nomination with a positive recommendation to the full Board.
During the roll call the Clerk recorded Supervisor Feuer voting 'no' and acknowledged 'aye' votes read for President Breed and Supervisor Asha Safaie; a line in the spoken roll ('Preet, aye') also appears in the transcript. The Clerk then verbally reported, "We have 2 ayes, 1 no," and noted Supervisor Fewer in dissent. The transcript therefore contains an internal inconsistency between the individually read votes and the Clerk’s announced tally; the committee nonetheless declared the motion moved and approved and ordered the nomination to the full Board.
The nomination is scheduled for consideration by the full Board of Supervisors on the date set by the Clerk.
