Rules Committee forwards Richard Swigg nomination after public comment on Hunters Point cleanup

The San Francisco Rules Committee on Thursday considered the nomination of Richard Swigg to the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency and agreed to forward the nomination to the full board after confirming an ethics filing and hearing public comment.

Chair Tom Ammiano opened the special meeting and asked Clerk Gail Johnson to read Item 1, which the clerk described as “a resolution confirming the appointment of Richard Swigg by the mayor to the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.” Ammiano told the committee the meeting had been continued pending submission of the required Form 700 and stated the form had now been submitted.

During the public-comment period, Francisco De Costa, who identified himself as a frequent testifier before the redevelopment agency, urged support for the nominee but also pressed the agency to take a more active role on cleanup in Bayview Hunters Point. “33,200 signatures were collected because the people felt the issue of redevelopment and what’s going on at Hunters Point should be taken to the people,” De Costa said, and asked that Swigg “infuse the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency to do some mitigation, which means the clean up of the shipyard.” He also urged the nominee to “look into” actions by parties he named in his remarks.

The committee’s vice president (unnamed in the transcript) said he had reviewed the Form 700 filings and “would be happy to forward Mr. Swigg’s nomination to the full board.” Chair Ammiano affirmed the order, directed the clerk to record it and adjourned the meeting.

No roll-call vote was recorded at the special meeting; the committee’s action, as stated on the record, was to forward the nomination to the full board for consideration.

The nomination will next appear before the full board; the transcript does not specify a date for that hearing.