As Lurie weighs Sunset appointment, history offers guidance: Pick a woman

<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/han-li/">Han Li</a></span><time datetime="2025-10-10T13:00:00.000Z">Published Oct. 10, 2025 • 6:00am</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">If you believe in gender curses — or superpowers — Sunset politics offers a neat case study.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">As Mayor Daniel Lurie considers whom to appoint as District 4 supervisor, history suggests that there’s a clear divide in how successful women have been in the role (and in the years after leaving City Hall) compared with men.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Since San Francisco returned to district supervisor elections in 2000, seven people have represented the Sunset (currently part of District 4). Of the women, all three — Fiona Ma, Carmen Chu, and Katy Tang — have gone onto higher office or become department heads in the current administration. Of the men, two (Leland Yee and Ed Jew) have done jail time, one (Gordon Mar) was booted after a single term, and one (Joel Engardio) didn’t even make it that far, being recalled in a landslide election last month.  </p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><div class="block-aside align-right align-right-overflow"><aside class="py-lg px-md md:px-xl bg-warm-gray-100 text-text-primary"><h2 class="pb-md mb-md font-bold border-b border-b-warm-gray-300 text-heading-xl">The Sunset gender divide: Women thrive…</h2><div class=""><ul class="list-block ListBlock_List__NF3JL article-body"><li>Fiona Ma, supervisor from 2002 to 2006, was elected to the state Legislature and Board of Equalization. She now serves as state treasurer and is running for lieutenant governor.<br/></li><li>Carmen Chu, appointed supervisor in 2007, later became the city’s assessor-recorder and is now city administrator — SF’s highest-ranking non-elected official. <br/></li><li>Katy Tang, appointed in 2013, now heads the city’s Office of Small Business.</li></ul></div></aside></div><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” said Caryl Ito, a former president of the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women. “There is clearly a gender disparity in who succeeds and who doesn’t. It appears the men have failed.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Ito doesn’t necessarily think Lurie’s appointment to the supervisor role should be gender-motivated. But she noted that women frequently enter office with stronger credentials and a focus on community connection.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Alondra Esquivel Garcia, copresident of the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee, said women “have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously.” Female supervisors, she added, “have proved to be qualified leaders who can unify the district.”</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="" 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_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S3840x2561-FPNG" srcset="https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S640x427-FPNG 640w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S750x500-FPNG 750w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S768x512-FPNG 768w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S828x552-FPNG 828w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S1024x683-FPNG 1024w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S1080x720-FPNG 1080w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S1200x800-FPNG 1200w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S1920x1280-FPNG 1920w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-S2048x1366-FPNG 2048w, https://assets.sfstandard.com/image/994911177489/image_28fpefa8m17jrcdkh37vpgjv5b/-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]">Joel Engardio and Gordon Mar at a debate in 2022.<span class="image-caption-divider"> | </span><span class="image-credit"><span class="sr-only">Source: </span>Paul Kuroda for The Standard</span></figcaption></figure><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Ma — who served as supervisor from 2002 to 2006, currently acts as California’s state treasurer, and is running for lieutenant governor in 2026 —  said it often takes women “a lot longer to decide to run for office,” and they are usually inspired to do so “because of some main issue or cause near and dear to our hearts.” </p><div class="block-aside align-right align-right-overflow"><aside class="py-lg px-md md:px-xl bg-warm-gray-100 text-text-primary"><h2 class="pb-md mb-md font-bold border-b border-b-warm-gray-300 text-heading-xl">…while men stumble</h2><div class=""><ul class="list-block ListBlock_List__NF3JL article-body"><li>Leland Yee, who was elected as the first D4 Supervisor in 2000, was convicted of corruption charges and <u><a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/former-state-senator-leland-yee-sentenced-five-years-imprisonment-racketeering" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sentenced to five years in prison in 2016<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u>.<br/></li><li>Ed Jew, supervisor from 2006 to 2007, served jail time on extortion and bribery convictions.<br/></li><li>Gordon Mar, elected in 2018, <u><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2022/10/20/sf-district-chinese-american-supervisors/">lost reelection four years later</a></u>, becoming the first elected incumbent to be ousted since 2000. Mar now serves on the San Francisco Democratic Party County Central Committee.<br/></li><li>Joel Engardio, who bested Mar in the 2022 election, was <u><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/10/07/joel-engardio-exit-interview-recall-sunset-dunes/">recalled</a></u> last month in a landslide election spurred by his support for closing the Great Highway.</li></ul></div></aside></div><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“So when we finally do run, we want to do a good job, and not because of fame or fortune,” she added. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Lurie has faced pressure to appoint a woman to the D4 post after Engardio leaves office Oct. 17. The San Francisco Women’s Political Committee in September <u><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26175257-sfwpc-letter-d4-supervisor/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sent a letter<span class="sr-only"> (opens in new tab)</span></a></u> to Lurie urging him to appoint a female supervisor, citing past supervisors Ma, Chu (now city administrator), and Tang (now head of the Office of Small Business) as examples of successful leadership.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“With the rich history of successful District 4 women supervisors,” the letter read, “we firmly believe that a woman is essential not only for representation, but for restoring stability, accountability, and community trust.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Garcia said the group isn’t backing a specific candidate but wants the mayor’s office to elevate women’s voices in the appointment process</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Lurie’s office has been interviewing potential D4 candidates in recent weeks but has not set a time frame for an announcement. At a recent town hall in the Sunset, the mayor confirmed that several people have expressed interest in the role and that the process is moving quickly.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Among the contenders is small business owner Albert Chow, who was a key figure in the campaign to recall Engardio. Chow said women are great leaders, but he’s ready to break the gender curse against male D4 supervisors. He compared his background to that of women who’ve held the role.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“I feel like I’m more like Katy and Carmen — they didn’t expect the role and got appointed,” Chow said. “I want to bring a small-business and true-resident approach. I don’t think there’s anyone quite like me in the mix.”</p></div></div>

Alameda County boldly votes to take a moral stance sometime in the future

<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/max-harrison-caldwell/">Max Harrison-Caldwell</a></span><time datetime="2025-10-07T00:58:16.828Z">Published Oct. 06, 2025 • 5:58pm</time></div></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Governments across the Bay Area have issued resolutions or policies meant to oppose Israel’s two-year-long assault on Gaza.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The Alameda County Board of Supervisors last week became the latest to do so — but not really.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The board voted to adopt its “ethical investment plan” but not implement it, pushing a decision down the road. The plan won’t go into effect until further review, which could take months. The policy doesn’t directly name Israel, but supporters and opponents understood it as an effort to divest from companies that facilitate the nation’s war in Gaza. </p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Israel’s military has been pummeling the Gaza Strip since Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians in Gaza since then, while about 2,000 Israelis have died, according to <u><a href="https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-327-gaza-strip">figures reviewed by the United Nations</a></u>.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The plan proposed last week by Alameda Treasurer Henry Levy would “discourage” the county from investing $1 billion of its $10 billion investment fund in companies that facilitate human rights abuses. The plan outlines other investment no-nos — including fossil fuel companies and firearm manufacturers — but the crowd at Friday’s meeting was there to talk about Israel and Palestine. More than 200 people signed up for public comment.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The vote came less than a year after Alameda County <u><a href="https://oaklandside.org/2024/12/12/alameda-county-divestment-caterpillar-israel-war-gaza/">divested from Caterpillar</a></u> because it sells bulldozers to the Israeli military. Hayward became the first city in the country to cut companies with ties to Israel from its investment portfolio, in January 2024, and Richmond followed suit four months later. Also in January 2024, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors passed a <u><a data-post-id="686120bb-c270-4a6c-9b32-2623dba79c5c" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/08/gaza-cease-fire-resolution-san-francisco-board-of-supervisors/">resolution</a></u> calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Some might say the resolutions from California cities and counties urging a distant country to stop bombing its neighbor are performative, but the boycott, divestment, and sanctions strategy has shown success. Indeed, Alameda County voted to divest from apartheid South Africa in the 1990s. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">In this case, though, the four-hour meeting ended in a 4-1 decision to decide on it later.</p></div><div class="!p-0 !m-0"></div><div class="floats"><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“It’s a crime to support Israel during this genocide,” one resident said. “Everything that we do here comes back around.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Opponents said the plan would embolden antisemites. “People use Israel as a pretext to hate and kill Jews,” one commenter said.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Board of Supervisors President David Haubert tried to play mediator. “Some people are rightly concerned about genocide,” he said. “Unfortunately, this has been very politicized.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">One of the only comments that was not about Israel and Gaza came from Chris Moore, a self-described “public finance watchdog” who helped lead the recall campaigns of District Attorney Pamela Price and Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Moore claimed Treasurer Henry Levy’s investment strategy led to bigger-than-anticipated losses. Levy rejected the accusation, describing Moore’s comments as misleading and uninformed.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“Anytime you implement a policy that is going to limit your investments, any finance professional would say you’re bound to impact your returns,” Moore said in a phone interview Monday. “It’s a political thing he’s doing.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Levy dismissed Moore’s comments at the meeting as “lies and innuendo,” and repeatedly said Moore did not know how the investment of public funds works.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The meeting’s lukewarm conclusion initially seemed to dissatisfy everyone.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Supporters of the investment plan, including Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, were disappointed that the board did not adopt the plan outright; opponents were disappointed that they passed it at all. </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">But in a true bit of comity, everybody was quick to claim victory in the aftermath.</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">“Palestine organizers win,” <u><a href="https://bayareacurrent.com/palestine-organizers-win/">proclaimed</a></u> Bay Area Current, an outlet funded by the Democratic Socialists of America. The anti-Zionist organization Jewish Voice for Peace said county leaders adopted the policy “with broad Jewish support.”</p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">Meanwhile, the local chapter of the Jewish Community Relations Council, in an <u><a href="https://x.com/SFJCRC/status/1974249473246118309">X post</a></u>, called the decision to delay implementation a “constructive development” and thanked the supervisors who recognized that “the measure was causing division.” </p><p class="paragraph-block article-body undefined text-left">The plan will move to the county’s Finance Committee for further review, but at the meeting, there was confusion from the supervisors about who was actually on it. </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>

A tax on fun? SF charging more for playing in parks


<p>No more free parking in Golden Gate Park. Charges for reserving tennis and pickleball courts. Higher fees at golf courses.</p>



<p>These are just a few of the ways that having fun in San Francisco will get more expensive under a <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/07/16/san-francisco-budget-mayor-daniel-lurie-supervisor-vote/">plan approved by the Board of Supervisors</a> last week, meant to cope with the city&#8217;s budget woes.</p>



<p>The board also approved higher surcharges on outdoor event spaces, picnic areas, and athletic fields. The proposed changes must be approved by Mayor Daniel Lurie.</p>



<p>Perhaps the most drastic change will be the launch of paid parking in Golden Gate Park. Starting in 2027, a spot in the park will cost about $3 per hour from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. The <a href="https://sfgov.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&amp;ID=14313082&amp;GUID=1222AE7E-397F-4711-9556-4FD0609EF313">Recreation and Parks Department estimates</a> that the park’s 3,100 parking spots will net $4.9 million in six months.</p>



<p>For the first time, there will be a $6 charge to play 18 holes of golf, and it will cost $1 per hour to rent athletic fields. Picnic areas will run $5 to $25, and a 10% surcharge will be levied on the price of outdoor venues. These surcharges — which would take effect 30 days after Lurie signs the ordinance — are expected to bring in about $1.2 million this fiscal year, which will go toward covering 10% of the costs of power, water, and wastewater for these areas.</p>



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<p>Residents are not thrilled.</p>



<p>&#8220;It just doesn&#8217;t make sense to charge everybody more for everything,&#8221; said Oxama Arafeh, 26, who was visiting Golden Gate Park. &#8220;Everybody&#8217;s struggling to begin with to afford rent and afford parking everywhere else. This just seems like a cash grab on people who can&#8217;t afford it.&#8221;</p>



<p>“I feel like most things are cost-prohibitive at this point for an average family,&#8221; said Anne Keller as she returned with her children from a day at the park. “Just going out for little outings, everything, everywhere. You&#8217;re paying for every little thing, and everything is hiking up.&#8221;</p>



<p>The charges don’t stop there. Tennis and pickleball players will pay $5 for reservations at 28 of the city’s 66 locations. (Previously, only the Goldman Tennis Center in Golden Gate Park charged for reservations.) If players make reservations more than a week in advance, the price goes up to $20-$40 per hour.</p>



<p>Greens fees at some city golf courses are going up. A round of 18 holes at Sharp Park on the weekend will cost city residents $60, up from $43. At TPC Harding Park, the marquee course that hosted the 2020 PGA Championship, the weekend price for residents jumps from $91 to $109. Additionally, the more expensive weekend rate will be extended to Fridays at all six city courses. The added charges are expected to generate $4 million over two years for the Recreation and Parks Department.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_99.jpg?w=2500" alt="A serene pond scene with ducks and seagulls floating. The backdrop features lush greenery and a person standing near two green benches on the grassy shore." class="wp-image-363086" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_99.jpg 7879w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_99.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_99.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_99.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_99.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_99.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lloyd Lake in Golden Gate Park.</figcaption></figure>



<p>“We understand there is a budget crisis, but the golfers are being hit very hard,” said Richard Harris, president of the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance. “There are real affordability problems.”</p>



<p>The alternative to these fees would have been drastic service cuts, according to the Parks Department. Closing pools, shortening rec-center hours, and reducing park ranger positions have all been on the table.</p>



<p>“These modest, targeted fees are a critical step toward protecting the services San Franciscans love and rely on, Parks Department spokesperson Tamara Barak Aparton said. “They allow us to maintain safe, well-kept parks in every neighborhood, preserve cherished programs like summer camps and senior classes, and continue offering affordable, enriching activities for families across the city.”</p>



<p>All this is particularly painful for residents contending with <a href="https://www.sfmta.com/notices/muni-fare-changes-effective-january-1-2025">higher fares on Muni</a> and <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/recology-garbage-rates-about-to-go-up-20396166.php">higher costs for Recology</a> to pick up the garbage.</p>



<p>The city has previously prioritized eliminating some fees, which are shown to disproportionately hurt low-income and minority communities, through its Financial Justice Project, which is part of the Treasurer &amp; Tax Collector’s office.&nbsp;</p>



<p>San Francisco was the first county to eliminate fees for electronic monitors, probation, and jail bookings. Traffic fines can be reduced based on a person’s ability to pay.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The public library system stopped charging for overdue books, which has correlated with increased usage among lower-income and Black and Latino families, according to Amanda Fried, chief of policy and communications for the Treasurer &amp; Tax Collector’s office.</p>



<p>But to counteract the city’s bleak fiscal situation, significant spending cuts will be likely in future budgets, according to Nicole Neditch, the government and economy policy director for SPUR.</p>



<p>“There are a lot of things that are hitting residents now in terms of increased costs,” said Neditch. “The biggest thing is that they’re going to do permanent cost-cutting, and that is going to be difficult.”</p>


‘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>


Leaked doc shows parks nonprofit exec accused of ‘financial malfeasance’


<p>For months, the Parks Alliance’s explanation for its financial turmoil was that donor dollars had been mismanaged.</p>



<p>But records obtained by The Standard suggest that the financial issues at one of San Francisco’s most influential nonprofits, which folded this month, were more severe than previously known.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Days before the nonprofit dissolved, the board of trustees accused former COO Justin Probert of “financial malfeasance,” a charge that can carry criminal penalties, according to a document dated May 29. Probert, who spent more than four years at the Parks Alliance, was fired in February 2024 by Drew Becher, the CEO at the time.</p>



<p>“Malfeasance usually means there is intentional wrongdoing,” Joan Harrington, a nonprofit ethics expert at Santa Clara University, said in an email. “Mismanagement refers to errors in management versus intentional wrongdoing.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>Probert did not respond to a request for comment. The district attorney&#8217;s office is conducting a criminal investigation into the nonprofit.</p>



<p>The May 29 board document also reveals that the problems didn’t stop with Probert.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1668" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1535-partyforparks-240921.jpg?w=2500" alt="A man in a pink blazer with a flower on the lapel stands at a podium with a microphone. The background shows a blurred waterfront scene." class="wp-image-392005" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1535-partyforparks-240921.jpg 4000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1535-partyforparks-240921.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1535-partyforparks-240921.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1535-partyforparks-240921.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1535-partyforparks-240921.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1535-partyforparks-240921.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Former Parks Alliance CEO Drew Becher resigned in February after questions surfaced about the nonprofit&#8217;s finances. </figcaption></figure>



<p>In May 2024, the board discovered additional financial issues, pinning them on “certain C-suite officers and/or Staff of the Organization,” though no names are provided. Restricted funds meant for certain projects were found to have been used for other purposes, an allegation that initially <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/parks-alliance-20331332.php">came to light last month</a> after the Chronicle reported on leaked emails between board chair Louise Mozingo and a donor over $3.8 million of misused funds.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Mozingo did not respond to a request for comment, and multiple board members declined to comment.</p>



<p>Kevin Wilkins, who leads a national consulting firm that works with nonprofits, said the Parks Alliance’s board members deserve more scrutiny. “Speaking out after the fact and being confused is not a good look. Unless it&#8217;s been fraudulent, if they got reports that are not accurate, shy of the board being misled, they are accountable.”</p>



<p>Meanwhile, former Parks Alliance employees say they had no warning before the nonprofit’s collapse.&nbsp;</p>



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<p>“It is a great example of how greed can corrupt,” said Austin Wasielewski, who spent more than a year as a technical producer and engineer for the Parks Alliance, working on concerts and other events, a job he described as a dream assignment. “It only takes a few people to destroy something.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Everybody was kept so much in the dark,” another former employee said. “The wool was pulled over everybody’s eyes.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>After the financial issues were discovered, board members participated in more than 100 meetings to try to rectify the situation, the document states. In 2024, there were multiple rounds of layoffs and event cancellations. Two financial services companies, Metis Partners and BTQ Financials, were recruited to help with the situation.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1688" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sundown-cinema-ghosbusters-mclaren-park_10-20-2023_masaki-omori_23.jpg?w=2500" alt="A group of people in colorful and humorous costumes stand in front of a large outdoor movie screen with the words &quot;Sundown Cinema&quot; displayed." class="wp-image-393470" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sundown-cinema-ghosbusters-mclaren-park_10-20-2023_masaki-omori_23.jpg 5020w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sundown-cinema-ghosbusters-mclaren-park_10-20-2023_masaki-omori_23.jpg?resize=300,203 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sundown-cinema-ghosbusters-mclaren-park_10-20-2023_masaki-omori_23.jpg?resize=768,519 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sundown-cinema-ghosbusters-mclaren-park_10-20-2023_masaki-omori_23.jpg?resize=2500,1688 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sundown-cinema-ghosbusters-mclaren-park_10-20-2023_masaki-omori_23.jpg?resize=1536,1037 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sundown-cinema-ghosbusters-mclaren-park_10-20-2023_masaki-omori_23.jpg?resize=2048,1383 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Parks Alliance sponsored dozens of neighborhood groups to help with trail maintenance and other projects.</figcaption></figure>



<p>By October, board members had “lost confidence” in then-CEO Becher’s ability to get the nonprofit back on track. The board crafted a new financial plan in December after it found that the nonprofit was “substantially deviating” from its budget. Becher <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/23/san-francisco-parks-alliance-drew-becher/">quietly resigned</a> in February and was replaced by Robert Ogilvie, who came from the PR firm Lighthouse Public Affairs. Ogilvie recruited Pia Gheen, CFO of the influential think tank SPUR, to help stabilize operations in May. That month, the nonprofit reported $1.6 million in assets, of which $1.2 million was cash. </p>



<p>Neighborhood groups say the Parks Alliance was holding their funds when it folded. For example, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/06/san-francisco-parks-alliance-accounting-invoices-nonprofit/">Friends of Franklin Square</a> says the nonprofit had $148,000 of its money, which is now lost. At a conversation Tuesday at Manny’s cafe featuring Recreation and Parks General Manager Phil Ginsburg, a Friends of Alta Plaza Park member, Anita Denz, said a $50,000 bequeathment was missing. Recreation and Parks worked closely with the Parks Alliance, even urging residents at times to work with the nonprofit if they wanted to complete neighborhood projects.</p>



<p>When asked if the neighborhood groups would be paid back, Ginsburg replied, “I think that there is an effort to raise some money privately and philanthropically to try to make folks whole.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1875" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/img_6415-1.jpg?w=2500" alt="Two people stand in front of a grand building with columns. One holds a sign reading &quot;SHOW ME MY MONEY,&quot; while the other holds a &quot;Tennis Coalition San Francisco&quot; sign." class="wp-image-411616" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/img_6415-1.jpg 4032w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/img_6415-1.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/img_6415-1.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/img_6415-1.jpg?resize=2500,1875 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/img_6415-1.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/img_6415-1.jpg?resize=2048,1536 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Neighborhood groups that partnered with the Parks Alliance are wondering whether they will be able to recoup their donor money.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Lawmakers are taking action. Supervisor Shamann Walton has <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/04/parks-alliance-nonprofit-subpeona-shamann-walton/">subpoenaed</a> documents from the Parks Alliance and is calling for Ogilvie, Becher, and board treasurer Rich Hutchinson to testify. Supervisor Jackie Fielder has called for an audit of the nonprofit’s relationship with the Recreation and Parks Department.&nbsp;</p>



<p>According to the May 29 document, board members approved an “Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors” process to wind down the nonprofit through a firm called Jigsaw Advisors. The mechanism assigns an individual who determines how much money is owed to whom.</p>



<p>In an email sent to neighborhood groups June 5, Jigsaw Advisors’ William Brinkman explained that his firm would send a notice to expected creditors detailing how to submit claims within a month.</p>



<p>“As of today, we do not have the ability to answer most questions,” wrote Brinkman. “We will do our best to be responsive as we understand the impact that the failure of SFPA has on organizations and people. We ask for your patience as this is a lengthy process.”</p>



<p><em>Correction: A previous version of this story contained incorrect details about Pia Gheen.</em></p>


‘Total fraud’: The finances of this disgraced SF nonprofit just got weirder


<p>Small community groups that relied on the San Francisco Parks Alliance for neighborhood projects are infuriated that they could lose tens of thousands of dollars of their own funding amid the nonprofit&#8217;s <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/02/sf-parks-alliance-shut-down-close/">sudden downfall this week</a>.</p>



<p>Neighborhood organizations that parked their funds with the Parks Alliance say that in the last year, it became difficult to get reimbursed for project payments as small as $100. Getting answers from Parks Alliance staff members, they say, became nearly impossible.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Others told The Standard they were outright misled about payments to their vendors, raising questions about whether the Parks Alliance’s financial issues crossed the line from mismanagement to something more serious.</p>



<p>“It was a total fraud,” said Jolene Yee, a member of Friends of Franklin Square, one of dozens of community partners that relied on the much larger and more established Parks Alliance as a fiscal sponsor. “They’re stealing bake-sale money.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="2500" width="1667" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1706-operapark-220911.jpg?w=1667" alt="A man in a blue shirt and cap holds a bottle and cups at an outdoor event with people seated and standing on grass, surrounded by trees and a tent." class="wp-image-403914" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1706-operapark-220911.jpg 3974w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1706-operapark-220911.jpg?resize=200,300 200w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1706-operapark-220911.jpg?resize=768,1152 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1706-operapark-220911.jpg?resize=1667,2500 1667w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1706-operapark-220911.jpg?resize=1024,1536 1024w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1706-operapark-220911.jpg?resize=1365,2048 1365w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1667px) 100vw, 1667px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Former Parks Alliance CEO Drew Becher quietly resigned in February after allegations of financial mismanagement surfaced.</figcaption></figure>



<p>The Parks Alliance was one of San Francisco’s most prestigious and politically connected nonprofits before it abruptly shuttered amid allegations of fiscal misconduct that have prompted outrage and a wave of investigations into the reported misuse of funds. </p>



<p>The nonprofit served as an umbrella organization for a coalition of community partners that raise funds for the city’s parks, funneling millions toward projects such as murals and trail maintenance. At the time of its collapse, the city had more than $1 million in active grants with the nonprofit.</p>



<p>Yee said she became concerned when a vendor alerted her in March that a deposit for a Friends of Franklin Square event had not been paid. When Yee reached out to the Parks Alliance, she was told that the vendor had received the money, she said. Only after prodding the Parks Alliance again did Yee convince its staff of the missing payment.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In the meantime, Yee paid the deposit with her credit card — and she may never get the money back. The Parks Alliance still hasn’t provided Friends of Franklin Square with $2,500 in unpaid reimbursement requests. In total, Yee said, the Parks Alliance is holding $148,000 from donors to Friends of Franklin Square.</p>



<p>Kath Tsakalakis of Friends of Lakeside Village found herself in a similar situation.&nbsp;</p>



<p>She was contacted in March by an artist who had helped with graffiti removal in the neighborhood and had not been paid the promised $800.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Tsakalakis said financial records provided by the Parks Alliance reported that the artist had been paid. Confused, Tsakalakis contacted the nonprofit to resolve the matter. Staff promised to pay Friends of Lakeside Village’s bills through March but never followed through, she said. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/lincoln-park-steps_jason-corning2.jpg?w=2500" alt="A colorful mosaic staircase with intricate patterns leads upward, flanked by greenery and tall trees, creating a vibrant, artistic pathway." class="wp-image-393469" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/lincoln-park-steps_jason-corning2.jpg 5302w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/lincoln-park-steps_jason-corning2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/lincoln-park-steps_jason-corning2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/lincoln-park-steps_jason-corning2.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/lincoln-park-steps_jason-corning2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/lincoln-park-steps_jason-corning2.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Parks Alliance helped funnel millions of dollars toward neighborhood projects, including stairs at Lincoln Park.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Like Yee, her organization has not recouped its money.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Tsakalakis said her organization is owed $26,000 from the Parks Alliance — $12,000 of which is her own money.</p>



<p>“They’ve left all of us high and dry,” she said. “I have never seen anything with this lack of integrity.”</p>



<p>While the Parks Alliance may have ceased operations, its problems are far from over.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The organization faces <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/da-launches-criminal-probe-nonprofit-misspending-20335694.php">a criminal investigation</a> by the district attorney, and the city attorney is conducting a probe to determine whether public money was misused. An individual familiar with the criminal inquiry said investigators are trying to determine whether the nonprofit&#8217;s financial troubles were merely mismanagement or amounted to fraud or embezzlement.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The district attorney declined to comment.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Last month, Mayor Daniel Lurie cut off public funding to the Parks Alliance after news broke of the district attorney’s investigation.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In the weeks preceding the organization&#8217;s closure, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/parks-alliance-20331332.php">allegations surfaced</a> that the Parks Alliance used millions of dollars of restricted donor funds to pay for its own operating expenses.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_101.jpg?w=2500" alt="The image shows a peaceful forest scene with tall trees and lush green undergrowth. Sunlight filters through, creating a dappled effect on the ground." class="wp-image-363083" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_101.jpg 8029w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_101.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_101.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_101.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_101.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12162025_ggphomeless_aar_101.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">After a criminal investigation came to light in May, the Parks Alliance shut down on Thursday.</figcaption></figure>



<p>CEO Robert Ogilvie announced that the nonprofit would shut down through a legal mechanism known as an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors process.&nbsp;The arrangement designates an assignee to negotiate with parties that are owed money from the Parks Alliance.</p>



<p>As of May 12, the nonprofit had assets worth $1.6 million, of which $1.2 million is cash, according to Ogilvie. The organization’s website is still online, but the staff and board member pages have been taken down. </p>



<p>Ogilvie did not respond to a request for comment.</p>



<p>Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the SF Parks and Recreation Department, wrote in a report Thursday that the Parks Alliance owes the city $1.1 million. Of that, $823,652 is from funds the city held with the nonprofit, while the remainder is from grant agreements.&nbsp;The Parks Alliance “must fully reimburse any and all funds owed to the Department,” Ginsburg wrote.</p>



<p>Community groups say they have not received guidance on how, or whether, they can expect their money to be returned.&nbsp;The assignee overseeing the nonprofit’s closure did not respond to a request for comment.&nbsp;</p>



<p>On Thursday, city lawmakers <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/04/parks-alliance-nonprofit-subpeona-shamann-walton/">announced a subpoena</a> of the Parks Alliance in an effort to compel testimony from former leadership and produce financial documents.</p>



<p>“Their funds were held in trust,” said Supervisor Shamann Walton, who is spearheading the subpoena. “And now those funds may be gone.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>Walton plans to compel testimony from former CEOs Ogilvie and Drew Becher, as well as board treasurer Rick Hutchinson. <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/23/san-francisco-parks-alliance-drew-becher/">Becher resigned in February</a> as rumors of financial mismanagement spilled into public view.</p>



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<p>Supervisor Jackie Fielder has also called for an audit of the Parks Alliance’s relationship with the parks department, which relied heavily on the nonprofit’s fundraising.</p>



<p>“I will do everything in my power so that the leaders of the Parks Alliance are held responsible,” Fielder said Thursday.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Signs that something was awry with the nonprofit’s finances date back at least one year, when the Parks Alliance <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/28/san-francisco-nonprofit-parks-alliance-audit/">failed to produce</a> a required audit after it was linked to a 2020 corruption scandal involving former Public Works director Mohammed Nuru. As the organization’s finances started to go downhill, the Parks Alliance <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/20/san-francisco-parks-alliance-nonprofit-scandal-bonuses/#">paid bonuses</a> to its top managers.&nbsp;</p>



<p>On Thursday, roughly a dozen volunteers from the Parks Alliance’s former partner organizations gathered at City Hall to demand that lawmakers correct the situation. The volunteers said they want the partnership that the Parks Alliance offered to continue in some form with another fiscal sponsor, and for their funds to be returned.</p>



<p>“The way that the dissolution of our fiscal sponsor, the Parks Alliance, happened has not allowed us to continue our work,” said Ildiko Polony, executive director of Sutro Stewards. “The city needs to show real leadership.”</p>


SF lawmaker to subpoena scandal-ridden parks nonprofit


<p>The investigation surrounding the San Francisco Parks Alliance, a once-influential nonprofit that shuttered this week amid allegations of financial impropriety, ramped up Wednesday when a city supervisor said he plans to subpoena the organization.</p>



<p>Supervisor Shamann Walton announced the investigatory step after the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/02/sf-parks-alliance-shut-down-close/">Parks Alliance abruptly folded Monday</a>, capping off weeks of scandal as allegations surfaced that the nonprofit had misused millions of dollars to cover operating expenses.</p>



<p>The organization acted as a major fundraising body for the city&#8217;s parks, funneling millions toward projects such as murals and trail maintenance. Its former CEO, Drew Becher, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/23/san-francisco-parks-alliance-drew-becher/">quietly resigned in February</a> and was replaced by Robert Ogilvie, who lasted just three months. </p>



<p>The Parks Alliance is working with a firm that will close down the nonprofit through an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors process. </p>



<p>Walton&#8217;s subpoena request will be introduced Thursday as a motion at the Board of Supervisors&#8217; Government Audit and Oversight Committee and requires approval by its members. It calls for Ogilvie, Becher, and board treasurer Rick Hutchinson to testify. </p>



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<p>The subpoena can compel the nonprofit to provide testimony and documents. If the summoned party does not comply with the subpoena, the city can go to court.</p>



<p>A hearing about the Parks Alliance&#8217;s alleged misuse of donor money that was set for Thursday will be postponed. However, Supervisor Jackie Fielder will introduce a motion to audit the relationship between the Parks Alliance and the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, a move that will also require approval.</p>



<p>The probe comes as neighborhood organizations that used the Parks Alliance essentially as a bank account to store donations have expressed frustration about how their money was spent and whether they will be able to recoup anything.</p>



<p>In May, Mayor Daniel Lurie cut off the Parks Alliance from city funding after news broke that the district attorney was conducting a criminal investigation into the nonprofit.</p>



<p>For at least a year, the organization saw its finances crumble and failed to produce a <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/28/san-francisco-nonprofit-parks-alliance-audit/">mandatory audit</a> of its finances for the city. Despite the nonprofit&#8217;s bad state of finances, top managers were paid <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/20/san-francisco-parks-alliance-nonprofit-scandal-bonuses/#">bonuses</a>.</p>


Lurie’s $15.9B budget just landed. Here’s what to know


<p>Mayor Daniel Lurie released his nearly <a href="https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/70_CSF_Proposed_Budget_Book_June_2024_Final_REV1_0525v2.pdf">$16 billion budget proposal</a> Friday, showcasing his master plan to close San Francisco’s $782 million deficit.</p>



<p>Many services will keep their funding at the current levels: the San Francisco Police Department, the public defender’s office, the district attorney’s office, street cleaning crews, and homelessness services.&nbsp;Other city agencies will likely lose funding. <br><br>Lurie wants to cut roughly $185 million in contracts and nonprofit spending over two years, though the specifics of those reductions were not immediately available. He has also proposed eliminating approximately 1,400 positions from the city’s job rolls, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/28/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-budget-layoffs/">mostly vacancies and retirements</a>. More than 100 of those cuts could come from layoffs.</p>



<p>Under Lurie&#8217;s proposal, the city&#8217;s total budget amounts to $15.9 billion in fiscal 2026 and $16.3 billion in fiscal 2027. </p>



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<p>In an address Friday morning, Lurie said the cuts are needed to right-size San Francisco’s habit of spending beyond its means, starting with the tech boom in the 2010s and continuing into the pandemic.</p>



<p>“Here’s the bottom line: We have to stop spending more than we can afford,” Lurie said. &#8220;The era of soaring city budgets and deteriorating street conditions is over.”</p>



<p>Despite Lurie’s<strong> </strong>talk of fiscal austerity, the majority of city departments would receive a budget bump under his proposal. The Department of Emergency Management, home of the 911 dispatch center, gets a 15% increase, the largest in the city. Budgets for the Juvenile Probation Department, the City Treasurer and Tax Collector and the Board of Supervisors would also shoot up by over 10%.<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>Discounting so-called enterprise departments, or agencies that are largely self-sufficient with independent budget processes, Human Services is set to pull in the largest overall windfall, with an $81 million increase. The police, fire, and sheriff&#8217;s departments would each<strong> </strong>get a more than $22 million bump.</p>



<p>But 21 departments do lose out in Lurie’s proposal<strong>:</strong> the Homelessness and Supportive Housing department is set to lose nearly $104 million; the<strong> </strong>Economic and Workforce Development Department<strong> </strong>faces<strong> </strong>a $57 million cut; and the Department of Public Works could lose $26 million trim.</p>



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<p>Other departments that are set to lose large shares of their budget include the Ethics Commission, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/30/sf-status-of-women-human-rights-commission-budget/">Human Rights Commission</a>, and the Arts Commission.<br><br>Lurie closed the massive two-year deficit in his budget proposal partially through cuts but also by factoring in better-than-expected estimates for revenue in coming years. <br><br>Despite delivering a balanced budget proposal for the next two years and taking an estimated $300 million chunk out of the long-term deficit, the mayor acknowledged that the structural deficit will persist in the following years. The mayor’s office confirmed that in balancing the budget, it tapped into $40 million in reserve funds to pay for new equipment across city departments.<br><br>While other departments are facing layoffs, the administrative budget of the mayor&#8217;s office will get a bump due to negotiated wage increases, officials confirmed.</p>



<p>The mayor’s proposal kicks off negotiations with the Board of Supervisors before the final budget deadline of July 31. Public hearings will begin next month, allowing departments to request more funding.&nbsp;</p>



<p>&#8220;As we move through the board’s budget process in the month of June, it is clear that we have no good options,&#8221; said Supervisor Connie Chan. &#8220;As budget chair, I will work with Mayor Lurie and my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors to invest our public dollars in protecting San Franciscans and our values.&#8221;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uncertain-times">Uncertain times </h2>



<p>The financial threats to the city’s coffers are twofold.</p>



<p>San Francisco has struggled more than many U.S. cities in its economic recovery from the Covid pandemic. Downtown office vacancies skyrocketed at the start of the pandemic, throwing a critical component of the city&#8217;s economy into disarray. Those vacancies remain above 30%.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding to San Francisco and other sanctuary cities that don’t comply with his hard-line immigration policies. The president’s budget plans include <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/14/san-francisco-hud-homelessness-housing-trump-budget-cuts/">gutting tens of millions</a> of dollars for low-income housing and homeless-prevention strategies. Republicans in Congress have&nbsp;also proposed cuts to programs for low-income residents, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/political-fight-medicaid-escalates-house-republicans-trump-big-bill-rcna209194">such as Medicaid</a>, which would similarly impact city revenue.</p>



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<p>The <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/24/san-francisco-judge-blocks-trump-sanctuary-city-order/">city has responded</a> <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/02/san-francisco-sues-hud-over-illegal-funding-dem/">with federal lawsuits</a> to block those efforts and protect funding streams for critical services.</p>



<p>Also at risk is hundreds of millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding that the city used for emergency shelters for homeless people during the height of the pandemic. City officials now fear they will not be reimbursed for those funds.&nbsp;<br><br>Lurie confirmed Friday that the federal agency had notified the city of plans to claw back $140 million in funding it has already provided. </p>



<p>The city also receives $1 billion in federal funding each year for Medicaid and housing, among other services. But there are increasing worries among city leaders that the money will not come through under Trump’s administration. Lurie is therefore proposing a $400 million reserve fund as a way to &#8220;deal with that uncertainty.&#8221;</p>



<p>When asked what will happen if those safety funds are not sufficient, Lurie told reporters at City Hall that he hopes the city&#8217;s economic recovery,&nbsp;predicated on increased tax revenue, will cover for the missing funds.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-critics-decry-budget-cuts">Critics decry budget cuts </h2>



<p>Socking that money away, however, has put more pressure on an already buckled budget.</p>



<p>One of Lurie&#8217;s most controversial proposals is to redirect large portions of the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2022/11/08/wanting-more-from-tax-dollars-voters-poised-to-add-oversight-to-homelessness-department/">Our City, Our Home fund</a>, which voters approved via a 2018 ballot measure. The money was intended to boost transitional housing for younger residents, along with mental health services&nbsp;and additional shelter beds. Lurie instead wants to broaden the pool of San Franciscans the fund would help, raising concerns that there will be less money for the youth whom the ballot measure was intended to serve.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The proposal, which is likely to meet fierce opposition from supporters of homelessness nonprofits, would require a supermajority of the Board of Supervisors to approve.</p>



<p>Swift condemnation from local unions came as Lurie was in the middle of his budget address. In addition to criticizing proposed layoffs, labor groups decried tech companies such as Airbnb that have sued the city <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/31/san-francisco-budget-deficit-lawsuits-business-taxes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">to recoup tax</a> <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/31/san-francisco-budget-deficit-lawsuits-business-taxes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">money</a> they allege was overpaid.</p>



<p>Lurie declined to comment on the Airbnb lawsuit but said he welcomes more businesses to San Francisco.</p>



<p>&#8220;We want businesses here so that we can bring that tax revenue, and we can bring jobs back to San Francisco,&#8221; Lurie said.</p>



<p>&#8220;This is ridiculous. [Lurie] said this is a new era of accountability,&#8221; Anya Worley-Ziegmann of the People&#8217;s Budget Coalition, which advocates for nonprofits, community groups and unions, said Friday at City Hall. &#8220;Where&#8217;s the transparency? Where&#8217;s the budget?&#8221;</p>



<p>Service Employees International Union Local 1021 President Theresa Rutherford, whose union represents many city healthcare workers, said in a statement she was &#8220;deeply disappointed&#8221; in Lurie&#8217;s budget plans.</p>



<p>Rudy Gonzalez of the San Francisco Building &amp; Construction Trades Council said, &#8220;Layoffs are totally unnecessary. We can find the funds to save jobs and uphold San Francisco values.&#8221;</p>



<p>In response to the unions&#8217; criticism, Lurie said, &#8220;I take no joy in this. I was elected to make hard choices.&#8221;</p>



<p>Aside from union leaders,&nbsp;some&nbsp;city officials were dismayed by the proposed budget cuts. Patrick Ford, executive director of the San Francisco Ethics Commission, which monitors campaign finance issues and other matters, said despite <a href="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/press-release_-lurie-takes-on-city-hall-insider-corruption-with-aggressive-ethics-enforcement-proposal-to-restore-trust-integrity-accountability-in-city-government.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lurie&#8217;s promises on the campaign trail</a>&nbsp;to fully fund the department, up to four positions in the 28-person city agency could be affected by the mayor&#8217;s layoff plans. </p>



<p>&#8220;Based on what I know so far,&#8221; Ford said, &#8220;the rhetoric and reality are pretty different when it comes to the mayor’s support for ethics.&#8221; </p>


SF keeps trying to tax away vacancies — but just can’t get it right


<p>For years, San Francisco has had one overarching solution to the problem of vacant storefronts and apartments. Tax them at a high enough rate, and the owners will be pressured to rent them out for less, the thinking goes.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Voters agreed with this logic when they passed the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2022/01/17/new-san-francisco-tax-on-vacant-properties-may-miss-its-intended-target/">retail vacancy tax in 2020</a> and <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2022/11/13/election-update-props-l-and-m-pass-district-4-still-too-close-to-call/">the empty homes tax in 2022</a>. But years later, the former appears to have made little impact, while the latter was struck down by a judge as unconstitutional.</p>



<p>The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took the added step of burying the empty homes tax further, introducing an ordinance to suspend it for a calendar year while San Francisco appeals the ruling.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The empty homes tax was slated to go into effect in April and would have applied to buildings that have three or more units vacant for more than six months within a year. Owners would be charged between $2,500 and $5,000 per unit, depending on size.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2500" height="1667" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supervisors-fighting-for-presidency-a-black-horse-wins_aar_37.jpg?w=2500" alt="A woman in a black robe sits beside a man in a suit at a wooden podium, with flags in the background. The scene appears formal and official." class="wp-image-353152" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supervisors-fighting-for-presidency-a-black-horse-wins_aar_37.jpg 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supervisors-fighting-for-presidency-a-black-horse-wins_aar_37.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supervisors-fighting-for-presidency-a-black-horse-wins_aar_37.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supervisors-fighting-for-presidency-a-black-horse-wins_aar_37.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supervisors-fighting-for-presidency-a-black-horse-wins_aar_37.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">One of the first orders of business of the new Board of Supervisors was to explore suspending an empty homes tax passed in 2022.</figcaption></figure>



<p>A coalition of property owners quickly challenged the law and <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/02/judge-upholds-challenge-to-san-francisco-empty-homes-tax/">sued the city</a>.</p>



<p>An initial court decision from Judge Ronald E. Quidachay found the tax invalid for multiple reasons, but primarily because it violated the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/enrd/natural-resources-section/fifth-amendment-takings-law#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20the%20%22Takings,the%20payment%20of%20just%20compensation.">Takings Clause of the U.S. Constitution</a>, which prohibits governments from forcing a property owner against their will to share a property on which they reside.</p>



<p>That decision <a href="https://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/mainCaseScreen.cfm?dist=1&amp;doc_id=3119880&amp;doc_no=A172067&amp;request_token=NiIwLSEnTkw%2BWzBFSCFNWE5IIEw6UVxfJCI%2BRzxSQCAgCg%3D%3D">was appealed</a> by the city attorney’s office, which is scheduled to present opening arguments to the appellate court next month.&nbsp;</p>



<p>To avoid the headache of being legally forced to collect a tax that has an uncertain future, the city is recommending that the board suspend the tax. Should the Court of Appeals rule in the city’s favor, the tax would be reinstated and applied the year after.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2500" height="1667" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012.jpg?w=2500" alt="A person on a bike wearing earbuds rides past a closed store with &quot;DJ Gear &amp; Lighting&quot; signage. In the background, a worker pushes a cart near an orange barrier." class="wp-image-159125" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012.jpg 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-300x200.jpg 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-768x512.jpg 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-650x433.jpg 650w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-370x247.jpg 370w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-800x533.jpg 800w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-450x300.jpg 450w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-20x13.jpg 20w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-185x123.jpg 185w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-740x493.jpg 740w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-400x267.jpg 400w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-1600x1067.jpg 1600w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-225x150.jpg 225w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-900x600.jpg 900w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NordstromBathroom05032023-012-72x48.jpg 72w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A retail vacancy tax passed in 2020 has had mixed results.</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1761" height="1761" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inline-02-20240628_mossersuccessionbattle_me-49-cropped_39834a.jpg?w=1761" alt="A blue sign attached to a building reads &quot;Mosser Companies&quot; with their web address, phone number, and &quot;Lease Now.&quot; The perspective shows ornate structural details and part of a sign saying &quot;Apartment.&quot;" class="wp-image-286876" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inline-02-20240628_mossersuccessionbattle_me-49-cropped_39834a.jpg 1761w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inline-02-20240628_mossersuccessionbattle_me-49-cropped_39834a.jpg?resize=150,150 150w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inline-02-20240628_mossersuccessionbattle_me-49-cropped_39834a.jpg?resize=300,300 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inline-02-20240628_mossersuccessionbattle_me-49-cropped_39834a.jpg?resize=768,768 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inline-02-20240628_mossersuccessionbattle_me-49-cropped_39834a.jpg?resize=1536,1536 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inline-02-20240628_mossersuccessionbattle_me-49-cropped_39834a.jpg?resize=180,180 180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1761px) 100vw, 1761px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The vacant homes tax would have applied to the 2024 tax year but was struck down in court.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Meanwhile, the retail vacancy tax — which initially charged landlords $250 per foot of street frontage that was empty for more than six months — relies on both property and business owners to self-report before they pay.</p>



<p>Penalties for failing to report vacancy status were waived during the first two years of the tax, but if an empty property is found to have been un-reported, there would be penalty fines levied plus 1% interest per month from the time the tax was due.</p>



<p>Even though the law was meant to juice occupancy, critics say it has a detrimental effect on businesses at large, since even during pre-pandemic times, it took at least a year to get occupants into retail space because of the complex process of lease negotiation, remodeling, permitting, and construction.</p>



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<p>Proceeds collected for the commercial vacancy tax program go toward the Small Business Assistance Fund, which has brought in about $3 million, according to <a href="https://sf.gazetteer.co/despite-tons-of-storefronts-standing-empty-across-the-city-hardly-anyone-pays-the-vacant-storefront-tax">a report by Gazetteer SF</a>, despite the ordinance’s authors saying it would generate as much as $5 million annually.&nbsp;</p>



<p><a href="https://data.sfgov.org/Economy-and-Community/Commercial-Vacancy-Tax-San-Francisco/rzkk-54yv/about_data">Data from the city treasurer&#8217;s office</a> support the notion that the tax has failed to solve the city’s empty storefront problem.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In 2022, there were more than 3,100 submissions and 182 reported vacancies. A year later, the number of submissions went down by 26%, with only 2,350 commercial parcels reporting their vacancy status. Of those, 100 self-reported to be vacant. A brief walk around the city provides a counterpoint to that figure.</p>



<p><strong>Correction Note</strong>: <em>A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that there are no penalties for not reporting one’s retail vacancy status</em>.</p>


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