Drew Becher, CEO of the San Francisco Parks Alliance, expressed shock at the city's findings. During a hearing Thursday, Supervisor Connie Chan with the support of two other supervisors issued a subpoena to the Parks Alliance to find out how many, if any, similar accounts the Recreation and Park Department has, and to report expenses and transactions dating back five years. So I defer to the city attorney who oversees those contracts, Farrell said. "Adequate controls against the possibility of corruption and financial transparency were found lacking in our review of key agreements between the two organizations from recent years," the report reads. Our track record is clear. As a result, city leaders have inspected departments relationships with philanthropic organizations. We are a trusted partner to many community groups and city departments and welcome any and all actions that bring more transparency and oversight to ensure the publics trust.. 1 in its park investments in the nation, dollars per capita," Chan said. Just who has influence in renovating parks, and where, is a chief concern, said Supervisor Connie Chan, the lawmaker who requested the subpoena during a hearing of the board's Government Audit and Oversight Committee. Fighting Fentanyl: CHP, Cal Guard Get to Work in San Francisco, Oakland Teachers to Begin Strike on May 4 if Agreement With District Isn't Reached, Bride Killed and Groom Injured by Speeding DUI Driver After Wedding in South Carolina, Police Say, 25-Year-Old Makes $200/Hour Without a Bachelor's Degree: I Work Less Than 6 Hours a Day', San Jose Police Arrest 3 Suspects in Robberies Targeting AAPI Community, Malik Monk's Old Comments Motivated Warriors to Game 7 Win Vs. Kings. Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. This isn't the first time the Parks Alliance has found itself under the microscope. The report further alleged the San Francisco Parks Alliance accepted some $1 million in donations from contractors under investigation by the City Attorney's Office and the money was then funneled back to DPW to pay for lavish parties. The Parks Alliance serves a unique role in this, raising money for some projects and selecting contractors, a role often served by government agencies. Big shift in weather is headed to California. The City Attorney and District Attorney have failed to investigate and prosecute the privatizer's funding of Park and Recreation Director Phil Ginsberg and his managers. Just last week, two city contractors pleaded guilty to bribing Nuru with the construction of his vacation home and a $36,000 gold Rolex watch in exchange for help in obtaining city contracts. Parks Alliance spokesperson Juliana Bunim said in a statement Thursday that the group appreciates "all ongoing efforts to strengthen transparency and collaboration between nonprofit. Sign up for our daily newsletter. The Historic Preservation Commission is expected to vote on whether to extend the contract through 2025 at its next meeting on March 3. They collectively donated $966,000 to the Parks Alliance into a Public Works-specific account funds Nuru was able to freely direct, and sometimes himself was paid from according to the report. While philanthropic organizations provide tangible benefits to all of our residents, abuses in these relationships undermine the important role they play," said Controller Ben Rosenfield, in a statement. What are the names of their anonymous donors? The probe stems from federal. That is correct, Sobrepena said. Separately, Chan has challenged a deal the city struck that guaranteed the alliance not the city -- proceeds from a five year deal to operate the 150th Golden Gate Park anniversary Ferris wheel. At the same time, the non-profit reaped $11.9 million in city payments. "Like everyone, we were outraged to learn of the public corruption in our local government, Becher said, in a statement. City officials cannot work behind the scenes with City contractors to benefit their departments and use other entities to cloak those efforts.". The lack of transparency in the deal to bring the Ferris wheel to Golden Gate Park exposed the growing corruption by the Park managers and the Mayor with private contractors. ", While the city's Recreation and Park Commission approved a use permit in December 2019 between the Parks Alliance and SF Rec and Parks for Golden Gate Park's 150th celebration, "there wasn't a draft agreement at that time," Brousseau said, "or an agreement that we felt should have been put into place.". We have nothing to hide.. Your email address will not be published. But recent revelations have demonstrated that the opaque nature of several organizations, including the SF Parks Alliance, has aided and abetted corruption within San Francisco government.". Of the $720,000 that (SF) Parks Alliance paid to vendors, more than half went to just five vendors. We are putting a stop to it, City Attorney Dennis Herrera said, in a statement. All rights reserved, Union Lawsuit Alleges Retaliation for Whistleblowing in SF City Hall Corruption Probe, Former San Francisco Public Works Head Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charge. It was a sole-source selection, there's no competitive bidding by the department," Brousseau said. How long has it been since May started off this cold in Bay Area? Supervisors Connie Chan and Aaron Peskin Call for Investigation on SF Parks Alliance . 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It was previously unclear how federal investigators knew about the tipoff Nuru was re-arrested and the complaint against him and Bovis made public in late January after he initially had likely entered into a cooperation agreement with the feds. The audit has confirmed a very problematic relationship between the San Francisco Parks Alliance and city departments, Chan told NBC Bay Area, particularly with the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department.. As the Chronicle reports, Bovis's foundation is named along with Recology and the San Francisco Parks Alliance as entities the feds are seeking mentions of in all meeting notes, minutes, and communications from these city departments. The BLAs Director of Policy Analysis Fred Brousseau told the Committee that the Parks Alliance has had a relationship with Rec. The City Controller's Office and City Attorney's Office report into city ethics is the second to be released this year. The Department of Public Health has been dragged into this apparently in connection with a facility that was built at 2401 Ingalls Street, just north of Candlestick Point, by Kong's construction-waste management firm SFR Recovery. This report makes it clear that pay-to-play has been happening in our city. The subpoenas request information related to any donations or payments the companies made to charities affiliated with Bovis, to the San Francisco Parks Alliance or the San Francisco Clean City . The risk here is that when city contractors or building permit applicants or holders donate to non-city organizations, it can create a pay-to-play relationship, or the appearance of one. Contractors and building permit holders made donations to the Public Works subaccounts at the SF Parks Alliance, Sobrepena explained. The Parks Alliance is a major philanthropic backer for the parks and other city departments. Abrupt closure of S.F. They said while the bulk of the money raised went for scholarships, about 20% of the crab feed proceeds went for Recreation and Parks operational costs, including girls baseball leagues, World Cup soccer viewings, training retreats and worker appreciation events. Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay. Other agreements lack prohibitions against conflicts of interest. A report issued just this month from the San Francisco Budget and Legislative Analyst, an arm of the city tasked with researching questions posed by the Board of Supervisors, took a look at the Parks Alliance's financial relationship with SF Rec and Parks. The development of the tennis courts went over $400,000 which the City has to pick up. and Park. Probe also leads to cancellation of $171,000 portable toilet contract with company tied to restaurateur Nick Bovis; more contracts are under review SAN FRANCISCO (Feb. 12, 2020) City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced today that he has issued eight subpoenas as part of a joint public corruption investigation with City Controller Ben Rosenfield. "Certainly, some of these groups are operating above board. Haney called Public Works actions "inappropriate behavior" and said the department "is clearly out of control." City department heads will now be required to reveal when they solicit donations to nonprofits like the "friends of" organizations and for city departments to formalize their relationships with these nonprofits, which would legally require those groups to boast greater transparency. The money is used to renovate the city's treasured green spaces large and small for example, erecting a towering Ferris wheel in Golden Gate Park and laying down AstroTurf at Merced Heights Playground. The ongoing federal investigation into corruption at San Francisco City Hall has reached into the City Administrator's Office, the Planning Department and the Department of Public Health,. The probe stems from federal criminal charges . We did not benefit in any way nor had any control over the donations that Nuru and Public Works solicited and directed to the sub-account, as the report states. The audit tracked the money going in and out of the Alliance over a five year period. The latest set of subpoenas, obtained by the Chronicle, sound both onerous in their scope and familiar in dealing with the sort of low-level corruption the feds have uncovered thus far primarily padding the pockets of some longtime city officials and contractors through sweetheart contracts and such. Required fields are marked *. While no formal accusations have been made, Chan's subpoena comes in the wake of an ever-unfolding corruption scandal that has ensnared four city department heads since early 2020. is the city's financial engine and it is sputtering. elsewhere. The net encircling former Public Works director Mohammed Nuru has now ensnared more entities in The City's ever-growing corruption scandal. Much of that spending from the subaccounts were related to staff appreciation, including department initiatives with volunteers and merchandise, generally at Public Works direction. The latest subpoenas also reflect the ongoing probe into the city's dealings with two businesses run by city contractor Florence Kong, who was charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office in early June with lying to investigators about gifts she allegedly gave to Nuru. The report further alleged the San Francisco Parks Alliance accepted some $1 million in donations from contractors under investigation by the City Attorney's Office and the money was then funneled back to DPW to pay for lavish parties.
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