Inside the gutting of San Francisco’s women’s rights infrastructure

Newsom vetoes AI child protection bill amid tech industry opposition

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/sam-mondros/">Sam Mondros</a></span><time datetime="2025-10-13T23:59:20.950Z">Published Oct. 13, 2025 • 4:59pm</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed Assembly Bill 1064, legislation that sought to protect children from psychological and criminal harms tied to the rise of artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The veto comes as part of a broader package of AI-related bills aimed at establishing guardrails for how AI interacts with children and vulnerable users.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Although most of the measures have been signed into law, including new rules that add hefty fines for AI deepfake pornography and require AI chatbots and social media platforms to verify users’ ages and monitor for suicidal thoughts, Newsom declined to approve AB 1064, which had been touted as one of the state’s strongest attempts to regulate AI chatbots.</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“AB 1064 imposes such broad restrictions on the use of conversational AI tools that it may unintentionally lead to a total ban on the use of these products by minors,” Newsom wrote in his <u><a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AB-1064-Veto.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">veto letter<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>. He said he plans to work with lawmakers next year to develop a new bill that ensures young people can use AI in a manner that is safe and age-appropriate.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In recent months, several incidents have highlighted the effects of chatbots on those struggling with mental health issues as well as the danger deepfakes can pose to media literacy and child safety. In August, Matthew and Maria Raine <u><a data-post-id="a08de870-9cf3-4686-8d88-9275dace1441" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/26/family-blames-sam-altman-chatgpt-teen-son-s-suicide/">filed a lawsuit</a></u> against OpenAI after their 16-year-old son, Adam Raine, took his life after confiding in ChatGPT, which allegedly helped devise suicide methods for the boy. Last summer, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed lawsuits against 16 major deepfake pornography websites — 10 of which have since been shut down, according to <u><a href="https://abc7news.com/post/deepfake-porn-san-francisco-shuts-down-10-worlds-most-visited-websites-using-ai-generate-explicit-content/16638231/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ABC7<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“We’re sorely disappointed to see Governor Newsom side with Big Tech over the more than 150 families who have suffered the most unimaginable loss: the passing of their child encouraged by companion AI,” Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahn, who authored AB 1064, said in a statement. “The other legislation signed by the governor, and supported by big tech, does not do enough to protect our kids.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">While the legislation represents a significant expansion of protections for AI users, critics argue some of the most important policies were watered down at the last minute.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The <u><a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/13/governor-newsom-signs-bills-to-further-strengthen-californias-leadership-in-protecting-children-online/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed legislation<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> focuses on several areas of AI and online safety. <u><a href="https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB621/id/3207777" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Assembly Bill 621<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>, for example, strengthens penalties for deepfake pornography, allowing victims — including minors — to seek up to $250,000 in civil relief against third parties who knowingly distribute nonconsensual sexually explicit material. <u><a href="https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB316/id/3223647" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AB 316<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> prevents AI developers from escaping liability by claiming their technology acted autonomously, while <u><a href="https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1043/id/3193837" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AB 1043<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> requires age verification by operating system and app store providers to block children from accessing inappropriate content. <u><a href="https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB56/id/3141639" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AB 56<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> mandates social media warning labels about the harms of extended platform use.</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><u><a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB243" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Senate Bill 243<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>, introduced by state Sen. Steven Padilla of San Diego, requires chatbot platforms to flag users showing signs of suicidal thoughts, disclose when conversations are AI-generated, remind minors to take breaks, and block sexually explicit AI-generated images. The proposal also bans chatbots from posing as healthcare professionals and requires companies to report their self-harm response protocols and crisis alerts to the state Department of Public Health.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">An earlier version of the bill proposed stricter regulations, including bans on chatbots using unpredictable rewards to boost engagement, mandatory third-party audits, and a requirement that companies ensure bots don’t encourage suicide prior to public release. The final version significantly weakened these policies through last-minute amendments, including limiting protections to cases where companies know a user is a child, reducing reporting requirements, and removing the requirement for audits.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The changes led proponents like the Tech Oversight Project — a nonprofit watchdog that monitors tech companies — and the California branch of the American Academy of Pediatrics to <u><a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article312071911.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ultimately withdraw their support<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>..</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“It’s worse than doing nothing,” Sacha Haworth, executive director of Tech Oversight Project, <u><a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article312071911.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">told the Sacramento Bee<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>. “It does more harm than good.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The bill’s signing drew mixed reactions, even from those who agree with the need for user protections. Megan Garcia, whose son died by suicide after engaging with a companion chatbot, praised the law for preventing chatbots from discussing suicide with children or helping plan self-harm. However, Jim Steyer, a civil rights attorney who works for Common Sense Media, which withdrew its support for the weakened bill, criticized the final version as setting lower standards than other states and potentially misleading parents about the extent of regulatory protection.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Steyer, along with other advocates aiming for stricter regulation, had placed their hopes on the passage of AB 1064, which would have barred operators of California chatbots from offering them to children under 18 if the chatbots were capable of encouraging self-harm, offering therapy, or engaging in sexually explicit interactions. Proponents of the bill pointed to lawsuits filed by parents against AI companies like OpenAI after their children committed suicide, allegedly encouraged by chatbots.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“This is a very straightforward, simple choice,” Steyer said of the bill in a statement. “Are we going to put common-sense, thoughtful guardrails around these platforms that are having an extraordinary impact on our children, our teens, and our entire society? The choice is clear. We are on the right side of history.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta urged the governor to sign AB 1064 alongside a coalition of child advocacy groups. Opponents of the bill included Facebook’s parent company, Meta, and the libertarian think tank Cato Institute, founded by conservative donors Charles and David Koch. The Computer &amp; Communications Industry Association, a trade association whose members include the world’s biggest tech companies from Amazon to Google, lobbied against the bill, saying it would threaten innovation in the world’s AI capital.</p></div></div>

Nonprofit tied to City Hall scandal eligible again for city funds; exec director to leave

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/gabriel-greschler/">Gabe Greschler</a></span><time datetime="2025-10-09T21:05:52.601Z">Updated Oct. 09, 2025 • 2:05pm</time><time datetime="2025-10-09T15:07:19.399Z">Published Oct. 09, 2025 • 8:07am</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">A San Francisco hearing officer on Wednesday ruled that Collective Impact, a Western Addition-based nonprofit that became <u><a data-post-id="a0ef132c-148d-48fb-b790-f342e5327de4" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/19/san-francisco-nonprofit-scandal-dream-keeper-initiative-hearing/">embroiled in a major City Hall scandal last year</a></u>, can receive public funding again. City officials had suspended it earlier this year over allegations of financial misconduct.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Hearing officer Andrea McGary issued the decision after holding <u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_DfKInR2mm2z6ko_b1vNly8Hqja7IsVm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">four debarment hearings<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> in August and September to consider whether the accusations disqualified the group from receiving the funds.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">During the hearings, Collective Impact defended itself against allegations from the city attorney’s office that it helped a former city department head, Sheryl Davis, misuse city funds for personal use. </p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In a statement on Thursday, Collective Impact’s board of directors said they were “deeply gratified” by the decision, “which acknowledges that the accusations against Collective Impact were speculative and unsupported by the evidence.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">They also announced that James Spingola, the organization’s executive director, would be stepping away from his role, citing “intense strain” from the past months that has impacted his health. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“Today’s decision brings mixed emotions,” the statement included. “While we are grateful to be vindicated, the process has taken a significant personal toll.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The city attorney’s office said it would appeal the ruling. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“It is absurd anyone would think Collective Impact is a responsible contractor that can be trusted with public money when we have blatant evidence that Collective Impact paid for a City official’s personal endeavors and first-class travel, submitted false claims, and improperly spent taxpayer dollars meant to go to children,” spokesperson Jen Kwart wrote. “Not only was Collective Impact’s past misuse of City funds disqualifying, but its current leadership has taken no actions to ensure that City funds will not be misused again. This was a bizarre hearing process that led to an even more bizarre decision with no reasoning or analysis.”</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In her 25-page ruling, McGary said the city attorney did not meet the burden of proof to show that Collective Impact had acted with intent to support the charge of willful misconduct. The city was seeking to bar the nonprofit from funding until 2030.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“Appellant Collective Impact is strongly encouraged to review the terms of its grant contracts, seek the assistance of agency administrators for each grant to come into compliance, and maintain compliance with all terms and conditions required by the City of San Francisco, as well as seek the assistance [of the] Citywide Nonprofit Monitoring and Capacity Building Program,” she wrote.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The ruling is a major victory for the nonprofit, which grew from a modest after-school program to an $8 million-a-year organization providing services such as workforce development and literacy programs in one of San Francisco’s historically Black neighborhoods. The group had previously said it risked ceasing operations if it could not access the funding.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“With this outcome, we can once again focus on what matters most: empowering San Francisco’s low-income youth and families to reach their full potential and to meet the challenges facing their communities head-on,” the board wrote in its statement.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The scandal began in September 2024, when The Standard <u><a data-post-id="e00846f7-dc92-45dc-a8b6-a04c77c7d5d5" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/12/san-francisco-dream-keeper-initiative-sheryl-davis-james-spingola-nonprofit/">reported</a></u> that Davis had signed off on at least $1.5 million in contracts to Spingola’s nonprofit while the two shared a home and car together. The money came from the Dream Keeper Initiative, former Mayor London Breed’s signature program to inject tens of millions of dollars into Black communities. Davis, head of the city’s Human Rights Commission at the time, was charged with overseeing those funds.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Davis <u><a data-post-id="ff50e4a9-062d-4bac-abaa-6d265b213db1" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/13/sheryl-davis-resigns-san-francisco-human-rights-commission/">resigned</a></u> shortly after her ties to Spingola became public and now <u><a data-post-id="17e9ce56-6e1a-4b2c-ab4a-70d02ae1a664" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/25/san-francisco-sheryl-davis-dream-keeper-initiative-criminal-investigation/">faces</a></u> a criminal investigation by the district attorney’s office. She has denied any wrongdoing. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In March, the city attorney’s office blocked Collective Impact from receiving public money after investigators <u><a data-post-id="6985b8b3-eb2d-40d9-9822-7f4473714895" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/20/san-francisco-nonprofit-scandal-human-rights-commission-sheryl-davis-collective-impact/">uncovered</a></u> new details alleging the nonprofit had paid for Davis’ son’s UCLA tuition and her podcast booking costs, among other expenses. </p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="none"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="A smiling man in a black puffer jacket and jeans stands next to a smiling woman in a green coat in an ornately decorated room with arched doorways in the background." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="2334" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 600px, (min-width: 768px) 700px, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S3840x3840-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S640x640-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S750x750-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S768x768-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S828x828-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S1024x1024-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S1080x1080-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S1200x1200-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S1920x1920-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S2048x2048-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S3840x3840-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 2334 2334'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="2334"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">City investigators accused Spingola’s Collective Impact of helping former city department head Sheryl Davis misuse public money.<span class="image-caption-divider"> | </span><span class="image-credit"><span class="sr-only">Source: </span>Courtesy Photo</span></figcaption></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">During this summer’s hearings, attorneys for Collective Impact challenged the city’s charges, calling them “factually flawed” and “legally unsupported.” </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The group said that its closure would have an “injurious effect” on Western Addition youth and families. Since March, the nonprofit has relied on $2 million in private donations to cover programs previously financed by public funds.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Last month, a joint audit by the city attorney and controller’s offices <u><a data-post-id="7177bd1f-e970-4576-bc1c-db758df2f786" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/09/16/booze-luxury-hotel-retreat-city-department-misspent-4-6-million/">alleged</a></u> that Davis had improperly spent $4.6 million in public money over roughly half a decade. Some charges included $6,829 for a lecturer’s monthlong stay in a luxury hotel and $31,343 in alcohol. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Another audit, reviewing Collective Impact’s solicitation processes and grant compliance, is expected in the coming months. The controller’s City Performance Division is also set to publish an assessment of the Dream Keeper Initiative’s funding and performance metrics.</p></div></div>

Exclusive: Top official suspended after Standard investigation into alleged bid-rigging

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/josh-koehn/">Josh Koehn</a></span><time datetime="2025-09-25T22:38:29.902Z">Published Sep. 25, 2025 • 3:38pm</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">A lucrative contract to help manage San Francisco’s $2.6 billion in business taxes has imploded and a top city manager has been suspended after The Standard launched an investigation into whistleblower allegations of conflicts of interest and bid-rigging at the tax collection agency.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Officials for the city attorney and controller’s offices confirmed they are initiating an independent review after San Francisco’s chief assistant treasurer, Tajel Shah, was placed on paid leave Thursday. The suspension came one day after Mechanical Orchard, a self-described “AI-native technology company,” walked away from a nearly $10 million contract to replace the business tax system used by the office of the treasurer and tax collector.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The fallout comes after The Standard requested interviews with Mechanical Orchard executives regarding whistleblower allegations about Shah’s personal relationships with company officials, as well as decisions she made in favor of Mechanical Orchard during two and a half years of discussions over contracts.</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Treasurer José Cisneros, who had said Shah would not be suspended before city officials reversed course, acknowledged to The Standard in an interview Wednesday that the cancellation of the contract “is a setback for our office’s work to modernize our business tax system.” There is urgency in finding a new contractor, as the technology the city uses to process taxes for roughly 90,000 businesses could be inoperable in several years.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Regarding the potentially rigged bidding process, Cisneros said, “I intend to investigate and make sure we get to the bottom of how everything was done.”</p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR grid-wide inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="wide"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="A person in a suit waving from a convertible, with trees and high-rise buildings in the background." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="1707" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 800px, (min-width: 768px) 100vw, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S3840x2561-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S640x427-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S750x500-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S768x512-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S828x552-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S1024x683-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S1080x720-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S1200x800-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S1920x1280-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S2048x1366-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_0a4o93ldll5pt3mj6tmhgffp18/-S3840x2561-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 2560 1707'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="2560"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">A whistleblower says Treasurer José Cisneros may have been asleep at the wheel on a contract to manage business taxes. | Eloise Kelsey</figcaption></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Late last year, The Standard received a copy of a whistleblower complaint sent to the city’s Ethics Commission alleging that Shah failed to disclose her close friendship with Roque Versace, who at the time was Mechanical Orchard’s chief revenue officer. The complaint also alleged that Mechanical Orchard’s sister company, Ratio PBC, hired Shah’s niece just weeks before the city began accepting bids to replace its business tax system. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The Standard subsequently filed a public records request for all communications involving the city and Mechanical Orchard, resulting in the production of more than 1,100 emails and internal documents. A review of these documents and additional internal records appears to show that Shah, who oversees contracts and negotiations for the treasurer’s office, took steps that helped Mechanical Orchard win the bid to replace the business tax system. </p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="article-body grid-wide"><figure class="pullquote-block"><blockquote><p>“Equally concerning is Treasurer Jose Cisneros’s role in this matter. If he was unaware of Ms. Shah’s actions, it reflects a serious failure of oversight. If he was aware, it suggests complicity.”</p><cite>Whistleblower complaint</cite></blockquote></figure></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">More than a year of discussions between Mechanical Orchard officials and the treasurer’s office culminated in an open bidding process in the spring of 2024, in which companies submitted proposals and were ranked based on experience and pricing. Only the top three scorers were supposed to move on to the final round. One company finished in first place, three tied for second, and Mechanical Orchard finished third — or technically fifth, as a rival bidder, Vynyl, noted in a November 2024 letter to the city protesting Mechanical Orchard winning the contract. (Vynyl came in second overall in the final bidding process.)</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">According to the whistleblower allegations, Shah’s efforts helped Mechanical Orchard advance out of the first round of the competition, and she also instructed staff to revise the bidding process in order to reduce the scores of all finalists except Mechanical Orchard. An internal cost-assessment report obtained by The Standard shows that last-minute changes to the price of cloud infrastructure and IT support added roughly $1.7 million to proposals from all finalists — except Mechanical Orchard.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In an interview Tuesday, Shah said she was not aware that Ratio PBC had hired her niece, and only vaguely recalled that Ratio PBC was involved in the process that led to Mechanical Orchard’s winning bid. Shah said Versace was a friend but compared him to any employee for a company that has had longtime dealings with the city. However, a Facebook post from 2017 shows that Shah commented on a photo of Versace’s family, “My favorite peeps!” </p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR grid-wide inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="wide"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="Recommendation for Anjali Mehta from Eric Guroff praising her data strategy skills and project leadership on a health data engineering engagement." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="3000" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 800px, (min-width: 768px) 100vw, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S3840x2560-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S640x427-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S750x500-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S768x512-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S828x552-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S1024x683-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S1080x720-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S1200x800-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S1920x1280-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S2048x1365-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_cev7q0j4tl7fp7icsmjmasfo3i/-S3840x2560-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 4500 3000'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="4500"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">The CEO of Ratio PBC gave the niece of a top San Francisco official a glowing endorsement on LinkedIn within two weeks of its sister company winning a bid on a major city contract. 
</figcaption></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Joan Harrington, a former director and current fellow at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, called Shah’s alleged dealings and lack of transparency throughout the contracting process “extraordinary.” </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“At the very least, she violated her duty as an employee by not being transparent in the process, and it obviously had an impact,” Harrington said.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Mechanical Orchard was supposed to begin the work of replacing the city’s business tax system in January. However, this process has been mired in protracted contract negotiations that appear to be a mystery even to Cisneros.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“I’m not aware of a single reason [for the delay],” the treasurer said. “I didn’t inquire about a particular thing, because I don’t suspect there’s a failure here.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The whistleblower complaint alleged that Cisneros’ leadership is “concerning.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“If he was unaware of Ms. Shah’s actions, it reflects a serious failure of oversight,” the complaint states. “If he was aware, it suggests complicity.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">An email from Feb. 16, 2023, shows that Shah initially tried to help Versace and Mechanical Orchard get a contract to help manage the city’s property tax system by emailing Simone Jacques, who handles contracts in the assessor-recorder’s office.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“My friend and I were chatting about the company that he just joined,” Shah wrote to Jacques. “As we geeked out on old mainframe and new cloud issues, he told me about what his company does in that space. … I think it might be worth discussing your efforts with them.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Shah then forwarded the email to Versace and wrote: “FYI.”</p></div><div class="article-body grid-wide"><figure class="pullquote-block"><blockquote><p>“At the very least, she violated her duty as an employee by not being transparent in the process, and it obviously had an impact.”</p><cite>Joan Harrington, ethics expert</cite></blockquote></figure></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The assessor-recorder’s office did not contract with Mechanical Orchard, but Shah quickly pivoted to discussions with Versace about subcontracting with a vendor in her shop and replacing San Francisco’s business tax system. Shah and staff in the treasurer’s office shared numerous meetings and emails in 2023 with Versace and Ratio PBC CEO Eric Guroff.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Guroff would give Shah’s niece, Anjali Mehta, a glowing LinkedIn endorsement just 12 days after the June 2024 deadline for companies to submit proposals to replace the city’s business tax system.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Attempts to reach Roque Versace, who no longer works for Mechanical Orchard, were unsuccessful. Guroff did not respond to requests for comment.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In an email to staff this month, Shah wrote that she had been enlisted by Mayor Daniel Lurie to help handle <u><a data-post-id="6bc57da4-49ac-47c1-a28a-e2e352d5f52a" href="https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2025/08/25/daniel-lurie-permitsf-opengov/">contracting with OpenGov</a></u>, a software company that was recently given a sole-source contract to overhaul San Francisco’s labyrinthian permit system.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on Shah’s suspension or her role in the OpenGov contracting.</p></div></div>

Newsom has big decisions to make on AI, housing, and transit — with big stakes for SF

Booze, a luxury hotel, and a retreat: How a city department misspent $4.6 million

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/gabriel-greschler/">Gabe Greschler</a></span><time datetime="2025-09-16T16:00:00.000Z">Published Sep. 16, 2025 • 9:00am</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">An ongoing scandal involving the Human Rights Commission’s former leader, Sheryl Davis, deepened considerably Tuesday when city investigators said her department had improperly spent $4.6 million in public money over nearly half a decade.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The findings are part of a yearlong probe by the controller and city attorney’s offices into Davis and the department she oversaw before her resignation last year, when questions arose about financial misconduct, <u><a data-post-id="ff50e4a9-062d-4bac-abaa-6d265b213db1" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/13/sheryl-davis-resigns-san-francisco-human-rights-commission/">sparking a major City Hall scandal</a></u>.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Investigators identified numerous charges from 2020 to 2024 that are not allowed under city rules, including $6,829 for a lecturer’s 30-day stay at a luxury hotel, $31,343 in alcohol, and $8,000 for a nonprofit’s wellness retreat, among other findings, according to details of the probe shared with The Standard.</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"><div class="hidden border-none relative left-1/2 right-1/2 -ml-[50vw] -mr-[50vw] w-screen"><p class="text-xxs text-[#ABA29C] py-xs mx-auto hidden">ADVERTISEMENT</p><div class="overflow-hidden w-full mx-auto flex justify-center article-body max-w-[728px] max-h-[90px]"><broadstreet-zone keywords="politics" zone-id="180071" zone-instance-id=":R2cj536:"></broadstreet-zone></div></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The investigation concluded that Davis “knowingly” violated the city’s purchasing rules and created an “unethical” culture at the department. </p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="none"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="A woman with long dark hair sits at a desk in an office, wearing a tan blazer and looking towards the camera with a neutral expression." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="2000" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 600px, (min-width: 768px) 700px, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jospohtt192ojbar6v2lk15g3r/-S3840x2560-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jospohtt192ojbar6v2lk15g3r/-S640x427-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jospohtt192ojbar6v2lk15g3r/-S750x500-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jospohtt192ojbar6v2lk15g3r/-S768x512-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jospohtt192ojbar6v2lk15g3r/-S828x552-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jospohtt192ojbar6v2lk15g3r/-S1024x683-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jospohtt192ojbar6v2lk15g3r/-S1080x720-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jospohtt192ojbar6v2lk15g3r/-S1200x800-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jospohtt192ojbar6v2lk15g3r/-S1920x1280-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jospohtt192ojbar6v2lk15g3r/-S2048x1365-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_jospohtt192ojbar6v2lk15g3r/-S3840x2560-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 3000 2000'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="3000"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">Davis joined the Human Rights Commission in 2016.<span class="image-caption-divider"> | </span><span class="image-credit"><span class="sr-only">Source: </span>Justin Katigbak for The Standard</span></figcaption></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The revelations come as Davis faces scrutiny on multiple fronts. She <u><a data-post-id="17e9ce56-6e1a-4b2c-ab4a-70d02ae1a664" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/25/san-francisco-sheryl-davis-dream-keeper-initiative-criminal-investigation/">is the subject of a criminal probe by the district attorney’s office</a></u>, and a nonprofit she had cozy ties to <u><a data-post-id="a0ef132c-148d-48fb-b790-f342e5327de4" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/19/san-francisco-nonprofit-scandal-dream-keeper-initiative-hearing/">is fighting to receive funding</a></u> again after the city attorney barred it from public money in March.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Davis joined the Human Rights Commission in 2016 and quickly became an important figure in the efforts to infuse public funds into the city’s Black communities. After George Floyd’s murder in 2020, the city launched the Dream Keeper Initiative, a program she oversaw that put tens of millions of dollars toward Black-focused nonprofits.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In September 2024, The Standard <u><a data-post-id="e00846f7-dc92-45dc-a8b6-a04c77c7d5d5" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/12/san-francisco-dream-keeper-initiative-sheryl-davis-james-spingola-nonprofit/">reported that Davis shared a home with James Spingola</a></u>, the executive director of the nonprofit Collective Impact, whose organization had received millions of dollars through the Dream Keeper Initiative. Davis never disclosed her links to Spingola to the city, in a breach of ethics rules.</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The city announced an inquiry into the Human Rights Commission’s spending a day after The Standard’s report. It partially focused on “Prop Q,” which allows departments to bypass competitive bidding and the need for a contract if they purchase goods costing less than $10,000. (Last year, the amount was upped to $20,000.)  The probe found that in many cases, the Human Rights Commission spent money under the Prop Q cap to avoid additional oversight.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">A separate audit into Collective Impact is ongoing.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Tuesday’s investigation found the following: </p></div><ul class="list-block ListBlock_List__NF3JL article-body"><li>In 2024, the department paid the InterContinental hotel $6,829 for a month’s stay for Antoine Phillips, who participated in the Black 2 San Francisco program. </li><li>In 2023, the department paid for another two-week stay at the hotel because Phillips had lost his job and was trying to find employment. </li><li>Phillips and two unknown individuals racked up almost $3,500 in charges for a two-day town car service. He was also paid nearly $12,000 for “consultation and strategic planning meetings.” One invoice linked to the consultation services was listed for $9,999 — $1 less than the Prop Q cap.</li><li>The department spent tens of thousands of dollars on alcohol, which city employees are generally prohibited from expensing. This included a $9,033 bar package at the InterContinental Hotel in Chicago. The department split the invoices with other expenses to ensure it stayed under the Prop Q limit.</li><li>In 2023, the Human Rights Commission paid $8,000 to Total Women Empowerment Inc. for a “Queen’s Weekend Retreat” after the organization asked Davis to fund the event. The city said the department did not have any way to verify how the money was spent. </li><li>Davis’ department paid COEUR415, an apparel brand, $7,750 for 25 VIP tickets for a 2022 event, including a four-course tasting menu and three wine pairings. The tickets were given to department employees and a contractor who was barred from doing business with the city.</li><li>In 2024, the department paid the United Parcel Service more than $4,000 to ship more than 250 pounds of books and clothing to the Four Seasons Hotel and the Wyndham Hotel in New Orleans. The parcels were addressed to Davis, who has come under fire by the city attorney’s office for using department resources <u><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/20/san-francisco-nonprofit-scandal-human-rights-commission-sheryl-davis-collective-impact/">to fund the advertisement of her book</a></u>, “Free to Sing.” What books and clothing were in the UPS packages is unknown. </li><li>A nearly $60,000 Human Rights Commission charge to the Golden State Warriors for a 2023 event was split into six invoices to stay under the Prop Q cap. </li><li>The department paid $9,300 to Humanitarian Social Innovations, Inc. Davis was told that the department was prohibited from doing business with the organization, since it was located in Pennsylvania, a city rule that has since been repealed. Since the work was done in New York, Davis instructed staff to process it there to bypass the restrictions.  </li></ul><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In previous statements through her attorney, Davis has denied any wrongdoing, claiming that she never used public funds to enrich herself personally and that she tried to consult with city officials to ensure she wasn’t engaging in any conflict of interest. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Davis has also said she tried to hire a chief financial officer for her department to provide better financial oversight. The city’s Tuesday audit findings tell a different story, stating that the department waited more than six months to start the process for applicants to apply for the position. </p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="none"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="A smiling man in a black puffer jacket and jeans stands next to a smiling woman in a green coat in an ornately decorated room with arched doorways in the background." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="2334" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 600px, (min-width: 768px) 700px, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S3840x3840-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S640x640-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S750x750-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S768x768-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S828x828-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S1024x1024-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S1080x1080-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S1200x1200-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S1920x1920-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S2048x2048-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_iv8cotaqm114130fomg4261p00/-S3840x3840-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 2334 2334'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="2334"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">James Spingola and Davis shared a home while Collective Impact received millions of dollars through the Human Rights Commission.<span class="image-caption-divider"> | </span><span class="image-credit"><span class="sr-only">Source: </span>Courtesy Photo</span></figcaption></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Samuel Thomas was hired as CFO at the end of 2023. The city says Davis approved expenses with which Thomas was uncomfortable, including a rental property in Martha’s Vineyard for a 2023 conference. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">According to Thomas’ LinkedIn profile, he is still employed by the city. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In a statement, Human Rights Commission spokesperson Devi Zinzuvadia wrote, “This department holds no greater responsibility than to manage public dollars responsibly, effectively, and with integrity.  Our staff is fully committed to looking forward, not only in our compliance efforts but in all the work we are doing to serve our city’s diverse communities and constituents.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">An attorney for Davis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In March, the city attorney’s office released separate investigative findings, including that Davis had <u><a data-post-id="6985b8b3-eb2d-40d9-9822-7f4473714895" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/20/san-francisco-nonprofit-scandal-human-rights-commission-sheryl-davis-collective-impact/">used her department’s money to pay for her son’s UCLA tuition</a></u>. The allegations were part of the city attorney’s probe to cut off Collective Impact’s public funding. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In late August and September, the nonprofit appealed to the city through administrative hearings, <u><a data-post-id="1c84fc0b-7900-4d7a-81c8-a56350a99675" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/12/sheryl-davis-dreamkeeper-initiative-james-spingola-collective-impact/">arguing that it could collapse by October</a></u> if it didn’t receive new city contracts.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">A decision about Collective Impact’s eligibility for public money is expected in the coming weeks or months.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><i>Update: A previous version of this story included alcohol charges from a Palace of Fine Arts event that were part of a draft version of the city’s investigation</i><i><b> </b></i><i>and not included in final figures. The story has been updated with the final version’s total alcohol figures.</i> </p></div></div>

Bay Area lawmaker says AI companies’ attempts to stifle regulation will ‘backfire’

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/hannah-wiley/">Hannah Wiley</a></span><time datetime="2025-08-30T13:00:00.000Z">Published Aug. 30, 2025 • 6:00am</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan has spent nearly seven years in the California Capitol writing legislation to keep kids safe against the harms of an increasingly online world.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Her fight has never felt more salient than it did this week. On Tuesday, the family of a California teenager <u><a data-post-id="a08de870-9cf3-4686-8d88-9275dace1441" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/26/family-blames-sam-altman-chatgpt-teen-son-s-suicide/">filed a lawsuit in San Francisco against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman</a></u>, alleging the company’s ChatGPT prompted his April suicide. This followed a 2024 suit from a mother in Florida who blamed <a href="http://Character.AI">Character.AI</a>’s chatbot <u><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/technology/characterai-lawsuit-teen-suicide.html">for her son’s death</a></u>. And on Friday, the Wall Street Journal examined how ChatGPT fed a 56-year-old Connecticut <u><a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/chatgpt-ai-stein-erik-soelberg-murder-suicide-6b67dbfb">man’s spiraling delusions against his mother</a></u> before he killed her, then himself. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">One of Sacramento’s most outspoken advocates for consumer protection, Bauer-Kahan said her mission has become even more pressing in the wake of these incidents. The Orinda Democrat introduced <u><a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1064">Assembly Bill 1064</a></u> this year to regulate “companion chatbots” for youth users, one of many measures working through the Legislature to crack down on AI risks. </p></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The Standard spoke with Bauer-Kahan, an attorney and mother of three, about the recent AI-related deaths, her legislative efforts, and what responsibility she feels California regulators have to ensure the technology is safe for all users. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><b>What is your reaction to these lawsuits and recent deaths? </b></p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">It feels just like a moment for us to stop and say these tools have benefits, but these harms are so real, and they’re in our face, and we have to do something. It can’t be that this arms race for AI comes at the expense of innocent lives.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><b>You've worked for years on installing safeguards around social media use, especially for kids. Can you walk me through why you are so focused on it?</b></p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">As a mom, frankly, sitting there listening to these stories week after week of children who have suffered in numerous ways — be it eating disorders or bullying or fentanyl overdoses from drugs that they acquired through social media or those that have died by suicide — is so hard, but so important. And then to watch the response from social media companies [saying], ‘‘We are doing everything we can.” This regulation, that regulation, every regulation is a problem, but never actually coming to the table in earnest with solutions for how we can protect California’s children. </p></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">It’s fascinating to watch it go from more of a partisan issue to now it’s fully a bipartisan issue. … The reason it’s such a hard fight is not just tech pushback in the Capitol, but also their ability to move lawsuits in the courts. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><b>What are the biggest pieces of AI legislation working their way through the Legislature this year? </b></p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">AB 1064, which is my Leading Ethical AI Development for Kids Act, which deals with these chatbots. What you see in those cases is that there’s emotional attachment. The chatbot is using storage history to create that relationship. We are not experimenting on California’s children. It is not the right thing to do, it’s not safe and this bill will stop that. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><b>Last year Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed state Sen. Scott Wiener’s bill to establish major guardrails around AI’s development. Was that a mistake? What did you think of that bill?</b></p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">I voted for the bill. But I don’t think any of the harms we’ve seen come to pass would have been covered by that bill. That bill contemplates bioweapons, bridge shutdowns, really large-scale catastrophic harm that have not come to pass. That capability is not here today. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><b>Does the industry have too much power in the state Legislature? </b></p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">We saw all these announcements this week that I think were intentional, and intentionally timed, by tech companies around <u><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/technology/silicon-valley-ai-super-pacs.html">political spending</a></u>. And I, in my gut, feel like it’s going to backfire. I think it backfired for tobacco. I think it backfired for oil. And I think it will backfire for them.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><b>How long will that take?</b></p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">My perception is it took a lot longer for us to start to really realize the harm [of social media]. I don’t know. But when it comes to these articles hitting so regularly, I don’t think it will take as long as it did with social media. But I might be wrong. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><b>Where can this technology be beneficial to society and help us solve some of our big, complex problems?</b></p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Oh, my God, there are so many examples! I love [San Francisco City Attorney] David Chiu, [who is using AI] to <u><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/05/san-francisco-ai-bureaucracy-00388853">find all of the waste in their reports</a></u>. … Government should be leaning into that in ways that allow us to be more effective for Californians. When the tools are trained and tested properly, I think you could see less bias in critical decisions where we historically had so much bias in. I have women in my life who live in San Francisco who feel safer in Waymos. … Waymo is AI! </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><b>How are you handling AI as a mother?</b></p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">I have teenagers now. As much as we want to put them in a bubble, we can’t. I think it helps to understand the risks. … We need to understand that, and we need to be having that conversation with our children. This [AI] is not a relationship. This is not a person. This is a tool. How do we use it? What do we use it for? If we’re having mental health challenges, who do we talk to? You don't talk to the tool. You talk to a doctor, a therapist, a parent, a loved one. Those conversations are really important. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><i>If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis or contemplating suicide or self-harm, call or text 988 for free and confidential support. You can also call San Francisco Suicide Prevention’s 24/7 Crisis Line at (415) 781-0500.</i></p></div></div>

Ex-leader of Dream Keeper Initiative under criminal investigation, sources say

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/gabriel-greschler/">Gabe Greschler</a></span><time datetime="2025-08-25T18:37:00.021Z">Published Aug. 25, 2025 • 11:37am</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Sheryl Davis, the disgraced city official who led San Francisco’s once-in-a-generation effort to invest<b> </b>tens of millions of dollars in Black communities, is under criminal investigation, The Standard has learned. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Davis <a data-post-id="e00846f7-dc92-45dc-a8b6-a04c77c7d5d5" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/12/san-francisco-dream-keeper-initiative-sheryl-davis-james-spingola-nonprofit/">resigned</a> in September as head of<b> </b>the Human Rights Commission in the wake of allegations of<b> </b>financial misconduct and conflicts of interest involving an executive at a nonprofit that received department funding.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The exact nature of the criminal investigation by the district attorney is not known. However, Davis faces a slew of separate charges from the city attorney’s office, <a data-post-id="6985b8b3-eb2d-40d9-9822-7f4473714895" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/20/san-francisco-nonprofit-scandal-human-rights-commission-sheryl-davis-collective-impact/">which has accused her</a> of enriching herself through a scheme of bribes and illegal gifts involving public money. </p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="none"><div class="relative"><div><img alt='Three people stand on a stage with the words "Dreaming Forward" in the background.' class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="1043" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 600px, (min-width: 768px) 700px, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_20qekl74e14o5cnqvt4tc9dv4r/-S3840x2561-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_20qekl74e14o5cnqvt4tc9dv4r/-S640x427-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_20qekl74e14o5cnqvt4tc9dv4r/-S750x500-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_20qekl74e14o5cnqvt4tc9dv4r/-S768x512-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_20qekl74e14o5cnqvt4tc9dv4r/-S828x552-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_20qekl74e14o5cnqvt4tc9dv4r/-S1024x683-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_20qekl74e14o5cnqvt4tc9dv4r/-S1080x720-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_20qekl74e14o5cnqvt4tc9dv4r/-S1200x800-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_20qekl74e14o5cnqvt4tc9dv4r/-S1920x1280-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_20qekl74e14o5cnqvt4tc9dv4r/-S2048x1366-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_20qekl74e14o5cnqvt4tc9dv4r/-S3840x2561-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 1564 1043'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="1564"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">Former Mayor London Breed, center, with Davis, right.<span class="image-caption-divider"> | </span><span class="image-credit"><span class="sr-only">Source: </span>Courtesy SFGovTV</span></figcaption></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office would not confirm whether it has launched an investigation. Tony Brass, Davis’ attorney, said in a statement that his client had<b> </b>made “multiple” requests to the city attorney’s office seeking guidance to avoid “any perceived, direct, or potential” conflicts of interest in her role. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“Despite these best-faith efforts to be proactive with outreach to the city attorney and lack of clear guidance subsequently, Dr. Davis never made any decisions to personally enrich herself and others at the expense of public resources, and any other narrative peddled by the city attorney’s office attempts to absolve their own responsibility of providing adequate counsel to a dedicated public servant,” said Brass.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The investigation was first <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/ex-dream-keeper-chief-criminal-investigation-20825988.php">reported</a> by the San Francisco Chronicle, which noted that Davis continues to be seen at city events, including those attended by Mayor Daniel Lurie and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Davis joined the Human Rights Commission in 2016 and quickly became an important figure in the city’s<b> </b>efforts to economically bolster Black communities. Her role became more prominent when Mayor London Breed<b> </b>launched the Dream Keeper Initiative in 2021, in response to George Floyd’s murder, as a program that dedicated city money to Black-focused nonprofits and programs. The Dream Keeper Initiative was placed under the command of the Human Rights Commission. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Davis’ tenure there ended in September, when The Standard reported that she had signed off on city contracts worth at least $1.5 million to a nonprofit leader, James Spingola, while the two were living together. Davis resigned in response to the revelations, and Breed later<a data-post-id="57e41fdf-7f71-4feb-ae57-71983fb45fa5" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/17/london-breed-dream-keeper-initiative-sheryl-davis/"> acknowledged</a> that she knew about the relationship between Davis and Spingola.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In a statement, city attorney spokesperson Jen Kwart said Davis never disclosed her living arrangements with Spingola despite completing ethics trainings over multiple years as a city employee.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">"She was well aware of her ethical and legal obligations," wrote Kwart.</p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="none"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="A man in a black puffer jacket speaks at a podium with a microphone. Another man stands in the background, wearing a blazer. The setting appears formal." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="1667" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 600px, (min-width: 768px) 700px, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S3840x2561-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S640x427-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S750x500-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S768x512-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S828x552-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S1024x683-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S1080x720-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S1200x800-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S1920x1280-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S2048x1366-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S3840x2561-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 2500 1667'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="2500"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">James Spingola, who leads the nonprofit Collective Impact, lived with Davis while receiving contracts from her department.<span class="image-caption-divider"> | </span><span class="image-credit"><span class="sr-only">Source: </span>Justin Katigbak for The Standard</span></figcaption></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Spingola, who leads the Western Addition-based nonprofit Collective Impact, <a data-post-id="a0ef132c-148d-48fb-b790-f342e5327de4" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/19/san-francisco-nonprofit-scandal-dream-keeper-initiative-hearing/">is fighting for that organization</a>’<a data-post-id="a0ef132c-148d-48fb-b790-f342e5327de4" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/19/san-francisco-nonprofit-scandal-dream-keeper-initiative-hearing/">s financial survival</a> after the city cut its public funding in March. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">A city attorney’s office investigation has also alleged that Davis used Collective Impact funding to pay for her son’s UCLA tuition and to benefit her personal business ventures. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Last week, the city and Collective Impact engaged in hearings as the nonprofit seeks to again become eligible for public funding. The hearings will continue next week.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Collective Impact’s attorneys have denied any wrongdoing and have warned that the organization may fold by October if it isn’t found eligible for public funding. The city is seeking to bar the nonprofit from receiving funding until 2030.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The city attorney’s office this month released records that allege <a data-post-id="1c84fc0b-7900-4d7a-81c8-a56350a99675" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/12/sheryl-davis-dreamkeeper-initiative-james-spingola-collective-impact/">additional financial entanglements</a> between Davis and Spingola, including that Davis had signed off on official state nonprofit forms for Collective Impact while she was a city employee. Davis also remains a signatory on the nonprofit’s bank account, according to the city attorney’s office, and the organization maintains a credit card with her name.  </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Since Davis’ resignation, the city has increased scrutiny over Dream Keeper Initiative grants. Several nonprofits and other grant recipients <a data-post-id="8befd0b9-8dd9-4280-a3f3-3cf0ea9a3bff" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/07/dream-keeper-scandal-grants-rescinded-trans-black-nonprofits/">have seen their budgets decrease by millions of dollars without that funding.</a><br/><br/>In his first budget, signed this summer,<b> </b>Lurie <a data-post-id="a9e4a177-a540-4df5-ba7a-a6d307ae2b7f" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/30/sf-status-of-women-human-rights-commission-budget/">combined</a> the Human Rights Commission and another scandal-plagued agency, the Department on the Status of Women, into a single entity “to improve coordination across departments where mission and function are aligned.” </p></div></div>

Scandal rocked this SF nonprofit. Now it’s fighting for its life

<div class="content-grid article-content"><div class="Metadata_container__fxAzw"><div class="Metadata_metadata__W_0LF"><span>By <a class="" href="https://sfstandard.com/author/gabriel-greschler/">Gabe Greschler</a></span><time datetime="2025-08-19T20:30:53.067Z">Published Aug. 19, 2025 • 1:30pm</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Collective Impact was once a shining star among San Francisco’s vast network of nonprofits, growing from a humble after-school program in 2007 to an organization with an annual budget of $8 million that provides a slew of services to the Western Addition, a historically Black neighborhood.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Collective Impact now faces financial collapse after a scandal erupted last fall over allegations of fiscal misconduct involving a former city official, which led the city to <u><a data-post-id="6985b8b3-eb2d-40d9-9822-7f4473714895" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/20/san-francisco-nonprofit-scandal-human-rights-commission-sheryl-davis-collective-impact/">strip the nonprofit of public funding</a></u>.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Nearly a year later, Collective Impact is launching a bid to regain the city’s trust and qualify for public funding again. During an administrative hearing to consider the organization’s petition that started Monday and is expected to continue through the week, Collective Impact said it is so short on cash it could shutter within two months, leaving hundreds of clients without critical services, such as workforce development and literacy programs.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“Even with funding from non-city sources, Collective Impact anticipates a complete shutdown of its programs by October 2025, which will undoubtedly have an injurious effect on many Western Addition youth and families,” the nonprofit’s attorneys wrote in a filing before the hearing.  </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">But the nonprofit faces serious head winds to receiving public money again.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">On Tuesday, city officials revealed more troubling findings from their investigation into the organization's alleged misconduct, saying Collective Impact has refused to hand over critical financial information in response to the probe and that the nonprofit misused public funding for employee bonuses.</p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="none"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="A man in a black puffer jacket speaks at a podium with a microphone. Another man stands in the background, wearing a blazer. The setting appears formal." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="1667" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 600px, (min-width: 768px) 700px, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S3840x2561-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S640x427-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S750x500-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S768x512-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S828x552-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S1024x683-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S1080x720-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S1200x800-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S1920x1280-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S2048x1366-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_rs9hkh4muh4ivbl24aaga3uj5f/-S3840x2561-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 2500 1667'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="2500"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">James Spingola's Collective Impact, founded in 2007, serves low-income families in the Western Addition.<span class="image-caption-divider"> | </span><span class="image-credit"><span class="sr-only">Source: </span>Justin Katigbak for The Standard</span></figcaption></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Problems for the nonprofit started in September, when The Standard reported that former Human Rights Commission Executive Director Sheryl Davis directed city contracts worth millions of dollars to Collective Impact <u><a data-post-id="e00846f7-dc92-45dc-a8b6-a04c77c7d5d5" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/12/san-francisco-dream-keeper-initiative-sheryl-davis-james-spingola-nonprofit/">while sharing a home with James Spingola, the nonprofit’s executive director.</a></u> Davis never disclosed the relationship.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The revelations forced Davis’ resignation and <u><a data-post-id="57e41fdf-7f71-4feb-ae57-71983fb45fa5" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/17/london-breed-dream-keeper-initiative-sheryl-davis/">cast a shadow over former Mayor London Breed’s signature program</a></u> for the city’s Black community, the Dream Keeper Initiative. Some of the funding that Collective Impact received through the Human Rights Commission was allocated through the Dream Keeper Initiative. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The Standard also uncovered a separate organization sponsored by Collective Impact that <a data-post-id="6786589b-ab32-4bca-a029-ac84fa133a1c" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/25/san-francisco-nonprofit-dream-keeper-initiative-collective-impact/">used Dream Keeper Initiative funds for steak dinners, liquor, and first-class airfare</a> — money that was earmarked for mentoring youths in the juvenile system and a podcast with a racial justice theme.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The city attorney’s office in March released a 28-page investigation into Davis’ connections to Collective Impact. The investigation included allegations that Davis used the nonprofit’s funds for personal enrichment through a years-long scheme of illegal gifts and bribes. The city attorney’s office said Davis used the organization’s money to cover her son’s UCLA tuition, pay for expensive travel, and prop up her independent business ventures, among other accusations. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The Standard previously reported that Collective Impact <u><a data-post-id="272d2de3-6378-482b-9bae-2f44a8cafaed" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/03/san-francisco-dream-keeper-initiative-scandal-sheryl-davis/">had reimbursed Davis thousands of dollars</a></u> as a city employee for software subscriptions and other expenses.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The city this month published <u><a data-post-id="1c84fc0b-7900-4d7a-81c8-a56350a99675" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/12/sheryl-davis-dreamkeeper-initiative-james-spingola-collective-impact/">another tranche of evidence</a></u>, highlighting how Davis’ and Spingola’s financial entanglement was tighter than previously thought. While she was a city employee, Davis signed official nonprofit forms for the organization, and she remains a signatory on Collective Impact’s bank account, according to the city. The nonprofit still has a corporate credit card in Davis’ name. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">During the hearing Tuesday, city auditor Amanda Sobrepena testified that Collective Impact has refused to disclose charges on Davis’ credit card made from February 2020 to February 2022. (The nonprofit said it cannot access financial records on the card before March 2022 and maintains that it hasn't been used for nearly a decade.)</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Auditors also discovered stipends of $500 and $1,000 paid by Collective Impact to its employees, money that Spingola described to Sobrepena as “appreciation payments.” City investigators said the grant from which the stipends were paid prohibits using the funds as bonuses for nonprofit employees. </p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="none"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="A woman with long dark hair sits at a desk in an office, wearing a tan blazer and looking towards the camera with a neutral expression." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="2000" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 600px, (min-width: 768px) 700px, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_gpds1d42bh4q959f7ga7dcvl60/-S3840x2560-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_gpds1d42bh4q959f7ga7dcvl60/-S640x427-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_gpds1d42bh4q959f7ga7dcvl60/-S750x500-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_gpds1d42bh4q959f7ga7dcvl60/-S768x512-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_gpds1d42bh4q959f7ga7dcvl60/-S828x552-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_gpds1d42bh4q959f7ga7dcvl60/-S1024x683-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_gpds1d42bh4q959f7ga7dcvl60/-S1080x720-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_gpds1d42bh4q959f7ga7dcvl60/-S1200x800-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_gpds1d42bh4q959f7ga7dcvl60/-S1920x1280-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_gpds1d42bh4q959f7ga7dcvl60/-S2048x1365-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_gpds1d42bh4q959f7ga7dcvl60/-S3840x2560-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 3000 2000'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="3000"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">Former Human Rights Commission Executive Director Sheryl Davis resigned in September 2024 amid allegations of financial mismanagement.<span class="image-caption-divider"> | </span><span class="image-credit"><span class="sr-only">Source: </span>Justin Katigbak for The Standard</span></figcaption></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“This case is about protecting valuable public resources from misappropriation,” Deputy City Attorney Aaron Wiener said Monday during opening remarks at the hearing.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The nonprofit’s attorneys disputed the city attorney’s findings, calling the charges “pure speculation” and “irresponsible and unreasonable inferences.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Lauren Kramer Sujeeth, an attorney for Collective Impact, said the city’s charges were “factually flawed” and “legally unsupported.” Sujeeth said Spingola and Davis shared a living arrangement as roommates, and the amount of money claimed to have been misspent is a small fraction of the total funds Collective Impact used to benefit clients.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Spingola informed investigators during interviews that his relationship with Davis was not romantic. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“Errors are not corruption,” said Sujeeth. “Sloppiness is not willful misconduct.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">During the hearing, Collective Impact’s attorneys underscored the importance of city funding for the organization. They said that in the months since city funding stopped, the organization has relied on roughly $2 million in private financing to cover services that previously received public funding, including a summer program for 125 students. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The hearing proved contentious at times, with Collective Impact’s lawyers and city attorneys jousting over evidence and questioning for extended periods. It’s unclear when hearing officer Andrea McGary might rule on Collective Impact’s eligibility to receive city funding again. The city is petitioning for the organization to be barred from public financing until 2030. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The scandal has caused a ripple effect across the city’s nonprofit sector, especially among those serving Black communities. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In his first budget, Mayor Daniel Lurie <u><a data-post-id="a9e4a177-a540-4df5-ba7a-a6d307ae2b7f" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/30/sf-status-of-women-human-rights-commission-budget/">combined the Human Rights Commission</a></u> and another scandal-ridden department, the Department on the Status of Women, into the Agency on Human Rights, a plan the Board of Supervisors approved “to improve coordination across departments where mission and function are aligned.” Lurie also made significant budget cuts to both departments in the face of a historic $782 million deficit, raising concerns that alleged misconduct by some nonprofits has caused an irreparable effect on the broader community. </p></div><figure class="ImageBlock_ImageFigure__ZnquR inset-image mobile-grid-full mobile-grid-full" data-align="none"><div class="relative"><div><img alt="A transaction detail report lists five billing entries from July 2021 to November 2024 for the University of California, Los Angeles, all tagged as S-Collaboration." class="block lazyloaded" data-nimg="1" decoding="async" height="521" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 1001px) 600px, (min-width: 768px) 700px, 100vw" src="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bnhutqlho91918es3inglb9l7m/-S3840x1545-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bnhutqlho91918es3inglb9l7m/-S640x257-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bnhutqlho91918es3inglb9l7m/-S750x302-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bnhutqlho91918es3inglb9l7m/-S768x309-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bnhutqlho91918es3inglb9l7m/-S828x333-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bnhutqlho91918es3inglb9l7m/-S1024x412-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bnhutqlho91918es3inglb9l7m/-S1080x435-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bnhutqlho91918es3inglb9l7m/-S1200x483-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bnhutqlho91918es3inglb9l7m/-S1920x772-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bnhutqlho91918es3inglb9l7m/-S2048x824-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_bnhutqlho91918es3inglb9l7m/-S3840x1545-FPNG 3840w" style="color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 1295 521'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=='/%3E%3C/svg%3E&quot;)" width="1295"/></div></div><figcaption class="basis-full mt-[10px] text-xs text-gray-550 font-inter leading-[18px]">Evidence presented during Tuesday's hearing appears to show UCLA tuition payments made by Collective Impact for Davis' son.<span class="image-caption-divider"> | </span><span class="image-credit"><span class="sr-only">Source: </span>Courtesy San Francisco City Attorney's Office</span></figcaption></figure><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“They should get justice. They should face the music,” the Rev. Amos Brown said in an interview, referring to nonprofits that misused Dream Keeper Initiative funds. “But right now, the administration should not penalize the Black community.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Collective Impact isn’t the only organization under the Human Rights Commission to face scrutiny this year. Investigators allege the Human Rights Commission <u><a data-post-id="efcd92bc-1efe-4afe-a571-976aaae12e89" href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/11/san-francisco-dwayne-jones-human-rights-commission-sheryl-davis/">gave special treatment</a></u> when awarding contracts to the nonprofit Urban Ed Academy, whose founder in 2023 was charged on felony counts related to the misuse of public funds and bribery. Davis <u><a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/portrait-sf-official-gift-nonprofit-contractor-20192521.php">received a portrait worth $5,500</a></u> from Urban Ed Academy less than a month before she awarded the nonprofit a $270,000 grant. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">More witnesses were expected to appear Tuesday afternoon during the administrative hearing, including Spingola, whose testimony could provide important details about Collective Impact’s conduct. Based on the length of previous testimony, the question-and-answer period could last hours.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left"><i>Josh Koehn contributed reporting. </i></p></div></div>

‘A Ponzi scheme’: Lawmakers skewer leaders of disgraced parks nonprofit


<p>San Francisco supervisors on Thursday grilled three former executives of the defunct Parks Alliance during an investigatory hearing into allegations of financial misconduct at the once-influential nonprofit.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The Parks Alliance for more than a decade controlled millions of dollars used for park improvements, art projects, and trail repairs throughout the city, before shuttering last month amid accusations that it had mismanaged donations and used restricted funds to cover its own operating costs.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The scandal involving one of the city&#8217;s most renowned nonprofits has sent shockwaves through San Francisco’s tight-knit philanthropic world and prompted investigations by the city attorney and district attorney.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="1334" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-15.jpg?w=2000" alt="A man in a suit and tie stands at a wooden podium, speaking into a microphone, in a formal setting with ornate wood paneling in the background." class="wp-image-420111" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-15.jpg 2000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-15.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-15.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-15.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Former Parks Alliance CEO Drew Becher quietly resigned in February 2025 after financial mismanagement allegations surfaced.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Around 50 people attended the hourslong hearing, which elicited laughs, applause, and grunts of frustration. Supervisors on the Government Audit and Oversight Committee demanded that the nonprofit’s former executives — longtime CEO Drew Becher; his successor, Robert Ogilvie; and board treasurer Rick Hutchinson — respond to the allegations and explain what they knew, and when, about the organization’s finances.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“We&#8217;re here to demand answers from the Parks Alliance,” said Supervisor Shamann Walton, who initiated the hearing in early June after sending <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/04/parks-alliance-nonprofit-subpeona-shamann-walton/">subpoenas</a> to the three executives. “This is about public trust, accountability, and the real consequences of failed oversight.”</p>



<p>The executives largely provided muted answers to the intense lines of questioning, leaving supervisors exasperated.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Hutchinson testified that the nonprofit’s leaders first became aware of possible financial mismanagement in June 2024. But when pressed for details on why or how funds were misused, Hutchinson drew a blank.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“We didn’t know what we didn’t know,” said Hutchinson, whose responsibilities as Parks Alliance board treasurer included managing the nonprofit’s finances.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Becher, who <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/23/san-francisco-parks-alliance-drew-becher/">quietly resigned</a> in February after initial allegations of financial impropriety surfaced, offered similarly tepid answers to questions about when donors and city officials were notified about the nonprofit’s crumbling coffers. Becher claimed he was provided incorrect information from his financial team and alleged that he was often in the dark about the nonprofit’s fiscal health.</p>



<p>“I do take responsibility, but I can only make decisions based on the information I’m given,” he said.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="1334" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-19.jpg?w=2000" alt="A man in a suit speaks passionately at a microphone in an ornate room. He gestures with his hands near a laptop and papers on a desk." class="wp-image-420115" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-19.jpg 2000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-19.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-19.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-19.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Supervisor Shamann Walton expressed anger Thursday at the former Parks Alliance leaders&#8217; answers to tough questioning.</figcaption></figure>



<p>About an hour and a half into Becher’s testimony, his attorney, David Callaway, walked up to the microphone to shield his client from additional questioning.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“He’s done,” said Callaway, a former federal and state prosecutor.</p>



<p>Before that, Hutchinson and Becher both appeared to push most of the blame on the nonprofit’s former COO, Justin Probert. In a stunning allegation, Becher said Probert had never logged into the organization’s financial software during his tenure at the nonprofit — leaving the group without the critical information needed to catch problems.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Last month, The Standard <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/18/san-francisco-parks-alliance-nonprofit-scandal-justin-probert/">reported on a Parks Alliance Board of Trustees document</a> that alleged Probert had engaged in “financial malfeasance,” an accusation that can prompt criminal charges. Probert was fired from the nonprofit in February 2024.</p>



<p>The executives’ answers drew sharp rebukes from Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who said she was &#8220;disappointed&#8221; that they had failed to provide substantive explanations for the nonprofit&#8217;s downfall.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“This just seems like a bit of a Ponzi scheme,” added Supervisor Stephen Sherrill.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The Parks Alliance was for years considered one of San Francisco’s most prestigious nonprofits, bolstering private funding for green-space projects that couldn’t be covered by city funds from taxpayers. The nonprofit worked closely with the city’s Recreation and Parks Department, and its board members at times included some of the most well-connected names in San Francisco politics.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The Parks Department now faces a city audit over its relationship with the Parks Alliance. Meanwhile, dozens of neighborhood groups are scrambling to recover funding they had parked with the nonprofit, which held donations for the local organizations under <a href="https://nonprofitfinancials.org/resources/fiscal-sponsorship-101/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=20733398801&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAphVTX15CK9LdfL350UZH3Z74H_YR&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwvuLDBhAOEiwAPtF0VtcQk9OEki6ePC4QLQVplRGESp6rLfPLSPRA0idVgnnHOjbdnzYANBoCl-AQAvD_BwE">a fiscal sponsorship model</a>. Some of those groups are out <a href="https://sfstandard.com/author/gabriel-greschler/#:~:text=%E2%80%98Total%20fraud%E2%80%99%3A%20The%20finances%20of%20this%20disgraced%20SF%20nonprofit%20just%20got%20weirder">hundreds of thousands of dollars</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="1334" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-17.jpg?w=2000" alt="A man with white hair and a beard is seated, looking attentively forward. He's wearing a beige jacket and there's a blurred background behind him." class="wp-image-420113" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-17.jpg 2000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-17.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-17.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/9588274961_parksalliance-17.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rick Hutchinson, the former treasurer, could not answer questions as to why funds were mismanaged.</figcaption></figure>



<p>During public comment on Thursday, community groups lashed out at the Parks Alliance, alleging that they had for years faced financial issues with the nonprofit, including delayed reimbursements.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The Parks Alliance was first enveloped in controversy in 2020, when it was linked to disgraced Public Works chief Mohammed Nuru, who was sentenced to prison in 2022 for what the federal government called a “long-running scheme of bribes and kickbacks.” Nuru was accused of directing donations to Parks Alliance accounts and using that money to influence contracting choices, though nonprofit officials denied unethical activities.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Two months after Becher resigned, the San Francisco Chronicle <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/parks-alliance-20331332.php">reported</a> on a leaked email between a top Parks Alliance donor and a board executive that revealed how $3.8 million in restricted funds set aside for specific projects had instead been used by the nonprofit to cover its operating costs.</p>



<p>The Standard reported in May on records that revealed that Becher <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/20/san-francisco-parks-alliance-nonprofit-scandal-bonuses/">handed out bonuses</a> to top management as the nonprofit’s finances were crumbling. Other documents showed that the nonprofit <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/28/san-francisco-nonprofit-parks-alliance-audit/">had for months failed to complete a financial audit</a> requested by the city but still was able to receive grant funding and avoid being added to a nonprofit “watch list.”</p>



<p>In late May, Mayor Daniel Lurie <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/san-francisco-parks-alliance-20341215.php">cut off city funding</a> to the Parks Alliance. Days later, the nonprofit <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/02/sf-parks-alliance-shut-down-close/">folded</a> through an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors, a mechanism that helps wind down an organization by identifying parties owed money.</p>



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<p>Several community organizations are in discussions on whether to create a new entity like the Parks Alliance. The city, meanwhile, is owed $1.1 million from the Parks Alliance, according to the Parks Department.</p>



<p>The members of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee voted to continue their probe and said they would call on others, including representatives of city departments, to testify about the nonprofit scandal. Walking out of the Board of Supervisors&#8217; chambers, Walton was asked whether he was satisfied with Thursday&#8217;s hearing.</p>



<p>&#8220;Of course not,&#8221; he said.</p>


Asian Art Museum

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The Abatement Appeals Board provides a final review process for City permitting decisions. It ensures fair and efficient adjudication of permit-related disputes before an impartial panel. The board holds authority to make binding decisions on appeals concerning notices of abatement.

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Adult Day Health Care Planning Council

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Cristel Tullock

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Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Crafts Examiners

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San Francisco Airport manages air traffic operations and ensures safe aircraft movement. It provides parking facilities and maintains airport infrastructure to accommodate travelers and staff. The department oversees ground transportation and coordinates with airlines for efficient passenger services.

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The Airport Commission oversees policy and strategic planning for San Francisco International Airport. It makes key decisions on airport development projects and financial management. It ensures compliance with regulations and collaborates on initiatives like terminal naming.

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Malcolm Yeung

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San Francisco Arts Commission invests in a vibrant arts community and shapes cultural policy. It enlivens the urban environment through public art programs and supports diverse artistic expressions. The commission facilitates meetings and discussions to engage the community in cultural development.

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The Asian Art Commission determines policy and administers the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. It oversees museum operations and collaborates with the Asian Art Museum Foundation on fundraising efforts. Commissioners ensure the museum's strategic direction and financial sustainability.

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Asian Art Museum showcases Asian art and culture through exhibitions and educational programs. It offers diverse collections and hosts special events to engage the community. The museum fosters cultural appreciation and understanding by providing access to its extensive art collections.

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Richard Lee

Stephen Wasserman

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The Assessment Appeals Board #2 adjudicates property tax assessment appeals for San Francisco taxpayers. It evaluates evidence presented by taxpayers and the Assessor to determine accurate property values. The Board exercises authority to render final decisions on residential properties and specific real estate assessments.

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The Ballot Simplification Committee ensures voter materials are clear and understandable. It reviews and revises ballot language to accurately reflect propositions and measures. The committee advises on simplifying complex legal and technical terms for voter comprehension.

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The Bayview Hunters Point Citizens Advisory Committee provides policy advice on planning and land use matters in Zone 2 of Bayview Hunter's Point. It offers expertise in land use policies, zoning issues, and urban development. The committee advises the Board of Supervisors, City Boards, and commissions on relevant projects and initiatives.

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The Behavioral Health Commission advises on mental health policy implementation and quality service delivery. It reviews and advocates for effective mental health services, ensuring policies meet community needs. It educates stakeholders to integrate mental health considerations into broader health strategies.

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