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Board renews temporary behested‑payments waivers despite ethics concerns
Summary
Supervisors approved six‑month renewals of behested‑payments waivers for several city offices, including the mayor's office and assessor‑recorder, after members voiced concerns about appearances of impropriety and requested reporting; the assessor‑recorder waiver passed 8–2.
The Board of Supervisors on Oct. 28 adopted a package of resolutions renewing six‑month waivers to San Francisco's behested‑payments ordinance for multiple city offices and officials, allowing limited solicitation of charitable donations for defined public-interest uses.
Supervisor Fielder urged caution, invoking Proposition E (the behested‑payments ordinance) as a guardrail against conflicts of interest and asking departments to report how much fundraising they had directed to the city in recent periods. "The ordinance functions as a check against governmental conflicts of interest and serves to build trust between the city and its residents," Fielder said, adding that any waiver must include a finding that it would not create an appearance of impropriety.
Supporters contended the waivers enable essential fundraising to support immigrant legal services, reproductive and LGBTQ rights legal defense, environmental protection litigation, and racial equity initiatives that otherwise might lack funding. Board members also emphasized that public appeals and disclosure requirements remain in place.
The board approved the package; item 28 (the assessor‑recorder waiver) passed 8–2 with Supervisors Chan and Fielder voting no.
Proponents promised regular public disclosure of solicited funds and asked departments to report on amounts directed to the city to help the Government Audit and Oversight Committee evaluate public‑interest value and any risk of improper influence.
The resolutions were adopted on the floor without committee reference.
