James Spingola, the nonprofit director charged with four felonies for purportedly aiding and abetting former Human Rights Commission head Sheryl Davis, was released from jail on Wednesday on the promise that he return to court next month.
Davis, who was arrested on Monday, is being charged with 17 felonies for misappropriating public funds for her personal business ventures and her son’s tuition, and failing to disclose that she and Spingola shared a home and vehicle.
Spingola’s nonprofit, Collective Impact, received more than $4 million from the Human Rights Commission’s Dream Keepers Initiative during Davis’ tenure.
In a brief but charged appearance before the judge and Assistant District Attorney Erin Loback, Spingola’s lawyer, Randy Knox, advocated for his immediate release without bond. Davis was released on $50,000 bond on Monday afternoon, but Spingola has been in custody since he and Davis surrendered on their warrants on Monday morning.
“He has no recent criminal record,” said Knox to the District Attorney’s team and the presiding judge. “This man is not a danger to the public.”
Behind Knox and Spingola, who sat quietly in an orange sweatsuit next to Knox, more than a dozen people crowded into the few rows of observation chairs, some spilling out into the courtroom. Spingola, who entered through the back entrance of the courtroom from the jail, nodded in recognition to the crowd, flashing a thumbs-down sign.
At Knox’s cue, the crowd of observers stood in unison.
“All these people have come to show support today,” Knox said.
Both the District Attorney’s team and the presiding judge said they had no objection to Spingola’s release, and ordered him to return to the courtroom on May 6.
At that, Spingola’s supporters burst into cheers, some holding clasped fists in the air. Others slapped each other on the back. Some had traveled in caravans from Bayview-Hunters Point, and others from the Fillmore, where Spingola runs the Ella Hill Hutch Center, a community center that serves predominantly Black youth and families.
One of those supporters was Margaret Brodkin, the former director of the Department of Children, Youth and their Families.
“This is a travesty,” said Brodkin, adding that she has worked with Spingola and Davis for nearly a decade.
In a letter Bodkin distributed to reporters outside the courthouse, she writes, “James Spingola and Sheryl Davis are two of the most dedicated and skilled service providers, program developers and community leaders in the city in many decades. Treating them like criminals is itself a crime.”
Brodkin argues that the September 2025 audit of Davis’ department, which played a key role in their being arrested and charged, was “flawed and distorted.”
In September 2024, reporting on Davis’ spending found that Davis had spent more than $10,000 in city funds on a home rental in Martha’s Vineyard, and that she shared a home and a vehicle with Spingola, without disclosing this as a potential conflict of interest. Davis resigned from her post and has been a subject of investigation ever since.
The audit, which was conducted by the controller and the city attorney’s office, found that Davis misused approximately $4.6 million in city funds. Many of Davis’ expenses, including her son’s graduate-school tuition and for her business ventures, such as promoting her children’s book, were funded by Collective Impact.
Davis is scheduled to face charges on April 2.
Now let’s talk about the corruption at Calle24.
They can round up a few supporters, but put this to a city-wide vote and these two are going away for a long time.
Damn, they lured Margaret Brodkin out of her lair to flack for these grifters. Someone should look into her shenanigans when she was with Coleman Advocates when Willie was dispensing cash.
At least Spingola hired one of the best criminal defense attorneys in town.
You made astute comments. I guess Spingola can afford the best. Is Brodkin a dupe or ???
Margaret Brodkin is batty, a notorious bully, and a fierce advocate for children.
Brodkin was a fierce advocate for nonprofits that have the keyword “child” or “children” somewhere in their remit.
If memory serves, Brodkin also has a strange sectarian leftist history.
I’m really angry at people like Davis because her self-dealing plays right into the conservative reaction. You would think that the misuse of public funds would result in tighter controls but no, it results in a reduction of public funds. It’s the perfect excuse to end a program that benefits people.
Welcome to my Simulation,
Too many coincidences.
Randy Knox may be the only person in San Francisco who was a patron of my Jazz Club in St. Louis (h. brown’s) in the late 70’s.
Ross Mirkarimi was a busboy at a Pizza place (Talayna’s) down the street a bit and Brodkin I believe was a classmate of my first fiancée at Oberlin during the same period.
Neska (Linda Laflamme) was my music director.
Ike Willis went from there to play lead guitar for Zappa.
I went from that memory to make another on the LA Times track team with Otis Chandler and Tom Johnson.
Come to my 82nd birthday party next week and it is Pot Luck and BYOB from Noon to 5pm.
Best lawyers in SF are Matt Gonzalez, Randy Knox, Mano Raju, Jim Sutton and John Keeker.
go Niners !!
h.