Rules Committee continues Sunshine Ordinance Task Force appointments amid questions about referrals and disability representation

The Rules Committee opened a hearing on two appointments to the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force but chose to continue the item to its next meeting to allow additional outreach and a sensitive check on an ordinance requirement that at least one task-force member be physically handicapped.

Clerks said two seats were open with four applicants. An ethics commission representative (recorded variously in the transcript as John St. Croix and later speaking as John Sankara) told the committee he did not intend to support or oppose nominees but corrected a prior statement in the room, saying "In its history, the task force has made 14 referrals to the ethics commission. 1 has been referred to another agency, 5 have been dismissed, and the remaining are still pending." The statement disputed an earlier characterization by an applicant that implied many more referrals had been sent.

Four applicants spoke: Ray Hartz described repeated interactions with the task force and said members sometimes decide cases before hearing from complainants; David Pilpow briefly reiterated prior remarks; Mr. Comstock (a current task-force chair seeking reappointment) apologized for any earlier misstatement, said the task force "spends hundreds of hours deliberating" cases and "has referred scores of cases," and asked to be reappointed; and James Conebber (associate director of programs for the Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center) said he would work to make the task force more accessible to residents.

Public commenters urged the panel to consider late applications and raised concerns about the Sunshine Task Force—s relationship with the Ethics Commission. Joe Lynn said the lack of feedback from the Ethics Commission has caused frustration and suggested structural reforms to improve coordination. Kimo Crossman, a transparency activist, said the clerk's office had agreed to scan paper documents at no charge and urged the committee to reappoint some applicants while opposing one candidate he described as disruptive.

Deputy City Attorney Cheryl Adams advised the committee that the ordinance requires one task-force member to be physically handicapped "at all times" and cautioned against assuming an applicant's status without directly asking how they meet the qualification. Committee members discussed circulating the application to disability-advocacy groups and conducting a sensitive survey of current members to identify whether anyone meets the requirement.

The committee moved to continue the appointments to the next meeting so staff could add an application question and follow up with stakeholders; the record shows the item was continued to allow inclusion of late applicants and for the clerk and counsel to report back.