Myth Buster Fact Sheet
This kills the Anti-Corruption Measure Put in place by Voters
False. Proposition B maintains the two commissions that were created by the original Prop B. They both have officially formed and will be holding a total of three public meetings each month, creating a new, unprecedented level of transparency and scrutiny for Public Works. Creating another department is not a safeguard against corruption and the two oversight bodies will remain to provide transparency and accountability.
The 2020 corruption scandal made clear the need to root out misconduct no matter where it’s found in local government. These two commissions will serve as a safeguard against corruption by overseeing contract approvals and developing a rigorous process to hire a new director, These reforms will lead to meaningful, strategic reform.
This is the wrong time/Too Soon - We should Proceed with Splitting the Department and then Reverse it Later If It doesn’t Work
This is actually the only time. Once you proceed farther down the path, it will be too late to reverse course, especially when you think of positions that will have already been filled.
This measure eliminates the control the controllers cost and waste analysis.
It is inefficient to force the Controller’s Office to conduct an annual cost and waste analysis, as it takes away from the Controller’s Office’s ability to investigate other departments which may have a higher need in a given year. The Controller's office develops an annual work plan where they determine which departments need to be audited.
Requiring the Controller's office to conduct annual audits also takes away its ability to provide other forms of assistance like risk-based audits, technical assistance, performance measurement, and process improvement.
The original intent of the annual cost and waste analysis was only needed to oversee the department's split and shared administrative services. As the charter amendment repeals the split, the mandatory audit is no longer needed.
Removing Director Qualifications for Management
As with many other city departments, a commission develops a position description, reviews applications, and presents the top applicants for the Mayor to appoint. This was the case most recently with SF Planning, Municipal Transportation Authority, and the Department of Public Health.
Executive-level recruitments are thorough, multi-page affairs and will certainly have more specific and exacting requirements than the original Prop B charter language.
The City is Failing to implement Prop. B
False. Implementing Prop B is already well-underway. Both commissions have been meeting regularly since July. Meeting agendas and materials are available on the Public Works Commission website (https://sfpublicworks.org/about/commissions) and the Sanitation and Streets Commission website (https://sf.gov/public-body/sanitation-and-streets-commission). The commissions introduce new levels of oversight and transparency, and this charter amendment doesn’t reduce that. The charter amendment only reverts back to the original department structure.
SAS Department was supposed to form July 1st.
False. The SAS commission was supposed to – and did – form on July 1st. Per 2020 Prop B, the SAS department forms three months after the commission. Legally, the department could not form sooner than 10/1/2022.
Removing Commissioner Seat Requirements?
Commissioner seat requirements are not safeguards against making appointments less political. Filling the commission seats was reportedly difficult given the strict seat requirements. It took six months to fill nine of the ten seats. As of August 2022, there is still one vacant seat.
Removing Commission Mandates?
The commission mandates were removed from the City charter for consistency with other City commissions. The annual program calendars reviewed with the DPW and SAS commissions in August 2022 included all of the original Prop B mandates.
TWO COMMISSIONS?
This is similar to the Planning Department, which is overseen by both the Planning Commission as well as the Historic Preservation Commission.