In a Friday afternoon letter to San Francisco officials, city controller Greg Wagner announced that his office would essentially assume control of the scandal-plagued Human Rights Commission, with his “accounting staff immediately to oversee accounting operations at HRC, including approvals of payments and other financial transactions.”
The Human Rights Commission’s director, Sheryl Davis, resigned at Mayor London Breed’s behest yesterday and hired a defense attorney after a slew of news articles alleged that she engaged in cavalier, or even potentially illegal, spending.
The San Francisco Chronicle revealed on Thursday that Davis spent some $10,000 renting a home for city interns on Martha’s Vineyard, allegedly splitting the invoice to evade city reporting requirements for purchases of $10,000 or more. On the same day, the San Francisco Standard noted that Davis had directed some $1.5 million in funding to the nonprofit Collective Impact, which is overseen by James Spignola. Spignola lives at the same address as Davis, and they co-own a car.
Trouble had long been brewing around the Dreamkeeper Initiative, which directs funds toward nonprofits serving San Francisco’s African American community. Davis oversaw the monetary allocations and distributions of Dreamkeeper, too, and the propriety with which the funds were being dispersed was a growing concern.
In his letter yesterday, Wagner noted that his office and the city attorney are currently investigating both the Human Rights Commission and the Dreamkeeper Initiative. He also shared a series of steps the controller will immediately take. They include:
- Accelerating and expanding an audit of the Human Rights Commission’s purchases under $20,000, which were less scrutinized;
- Suspension of the Human Rights Commission’s ability to make such purchases until the completion of the audit;
- An assessment of the Human Rights Commission’s “procurement processes, policies and procedures and segregation of duties,” with “necessary controls” being implemented;
- A team of analysts will work with interim Human Rights Commmission director Mawuli Tugbenyoh to “assess current contract and invoice approval process, staffing and administrative procedures, and develop a plan for long-term organizational changes to improve program and performance monitoring;”
- Audits will be performed on grant agreements with Collective Impact, the nonprofit run by Davis’ housemate, Spignola.
I know several people who work for the SF Human Rights Commission, and they all agreed that this was the worst-kept secret in the SF Black community.
It was well-known that Sheryl Evans Davis and James Spingola are a couple, and they did not hide it, either. For them to play in people’s faces with the staunch denials of their relationship, and the way that relationship affects the equitable and fair distribution of City funds to Black-led nonprofits, is shameful and embarrassing.
People who played nice were funded, while more needy and deserved Black organizations were left out in the cold, and passed over for RFP’s and City contracts. I hope that David Chiu and City Attorney’s Office does their due diligence, releases a very thorough audit to the public, and possibly restricts Collective Impact and other nonprofits from City contracts for five years or more.
unfortunately, it appears, from the comments as well as spoken rhetoric, that this scandal will continue to devolve into a racial spat simply because the current information points to impropriety by an initiative meant to raise the hopes and dreams of my brothers and sisters than have been systematically excluded from prosperity of this great nation.
As good as it’s intentions are, race-based funding programs are illegal if using Federal money, and may lead to lawsuits against the city.
How did Wagner get his job? Elected? Appointed?
I’ve lost faith that SF officials are truthful & fiscally honest, starting with the mayor & sliding down from there. Ol’ Willie accelerated & expanded the tradition of corrupt politics in SF.
Wagner is a hack out of DPH. Another milquetoast go along get along type, to replace Ben Rosenfield – who sat next to Nuru and Naomi when they let the ever fraudulent Recology raise rates on the public. For this, Rosenfield was not reprimanded, but will get his full pension. DPH is a thoroughly broken department and none of their leaders should ever get a promotion.
Fish rots at the head, WHO IS SURPRISED? Breed needs to go. ASAP.
Regarding your article on the Human Rights Commission in San Francisco, I had filled a Civil Rights complaint against a Manager of Public Supported Low Income Senior Apartment..I was denied my complaint and on the subsequent appeal again over the phone, my appeal was denied. Earlier this year I applied for a vacancy at a new complex, again in San Francisco, I was made to Submit a $35 application fee, along the necessary needed documents. During a conversation the Manager told another applicant “I drive 4 hours a day” to work here. Sounded wefamiliar. Later that evening, I receive a call , It was from the Manager … She had misplaced copy’s my DL and SSA Card, I was told my application could not submit my application, and asked me if I could text message images of both, so my application could be processed. Surprise, “DENIED””
Atff
This inexcusable corruption is a product of San Francisco’s excessive wokeness. Nobody could dare question free money for black people.
Now would somebody please look into how much money the homeless nonprofits squander?
The pattern of corruption has nothing to do with “wokeness”; it has everything to do with turning over city services to nonprofits as a way to avoid paying trained employees on the city payroll who, ostensibly, are overseen by their managers. The nonprofit dodge (called “privatization” or “contracting out” began in the 80’s (thanks DiFi) and for the past few years we have witnessed and endured the consequences.
This comment is just plain racist. This article is literally about the fact the City is auditing and taking control of a commission which is suspected of corruption. There are consequences for corruption when found, plain and simple. This has nothing to do with race.
Was the inexcusable corruption at SF SAFE a product of San Francisco’s excessive love of police?
Corruption is bad. I’m glad this was caught, and I hope someday we find our way to having less corruption going on in this city. I’m pretty sure the road to that does not run through jamming every local story into a narrative about hot-button national issues.