To: Members of the Ethics Commission
From: LeeAnn Pelham, Executive Director
Subject: Agenda Item 9 – Executive Director’s Report for the September 21, 2018 Commission Meeting
Summary
This report provides various programmatic and operational highlights to date since the last monthly Executive Director’s Report.
Action Requested
No action is required by the Commission, as this item is for informational purposes only.
Hiring Updates
I am pleased to share news that we have made significant progress on our hiring plan since my last report to the Commission in late July.
Effective August 13, 2018, Jeffrey Pierce was appointed our new Director of Enforcement and Legal Affairs on a permanent basis. Jeff has been shepherding the work of our Enforcement Division on a temporary basis since his appointment as Acting Director of Enforcement and Legal Affairs in March. We are very fortunate to have the continuing benefit of Jeff’s investigative experience and insights and strong legal and organizational skills as we further focus and strengthen our enforcement work to build its capacity and improve its effectiveness across the range of laws in the Commission’s jurisdiction.
Jeff will provide strategic, operational, and staff leadership on all matters related to enforcement of laws within the Commission’s jurisdiction and will collaborate closely with our senior management team on overall priorities and operations. He will be responsible for directing the allocation of enforcement resources and managing the daily operations of the Commission’s enforcement activities. Working with our enforcement team of four investigators and our fines collection officer, Jeff will have overall responsibility for managing our administrative enforcement processes, including initiation and intake of complaints, the conduct of our investigations, and providing complex legal analysis necessary to ensure our approaches are strong, consistent, and well supported. Under Jeff’s management, the division also continues to be responsible for managing public records requests made under the CA Public Records Act and the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance.
Prior to his appointment as Acting Enforcement Director, Jeff served as a Senior Investigative Analyst in our enforcement division. In that capacity since May 2017, Jeff has had firsthand experience applying the laws in preliminary investigative reviews and full investigations, developing case strategies, gathering evidence and subpoenaing records, interviewing witnesses and respondents, and implementing case resolutions. He also has acted as a key liaison to other enforcement agencies and helped identify and implement leading practices for our operations. Jeff’s prior experience also includes acting as Litigation Attorney and serving as Legislative Counsel for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, where he conducted complex legal analysis and performed litigation responsibilities in cases before state and federal trial courts and in the federal Circuit Courts of Appeals and supervised the work of other attorneys. He also has worked in private practice, served as a Judicial Clerk with the International Court of Justice at The Hague, and was a Fulbright Fellow with the US Department of State, where he conducted complex investigation into the impact of commercial forestry on rural communities in southern Swaziland. Jeff is a Graduate of Stanford Law School and is a member of the California Bar. He also holds a Master’s degree from the Yale Divinity School and earned his undergraduate degree in Biology from Duke University.
I am also happy to announce that on August 27 Maron Calderon joined the Commission as our new Information Systems Senior Business Analyst. Arnoldo joined us from San Francisco’s Department of Public Health, where he served as an IS Business Analyst for the past three years. In that role, he led and coordinated a team of analysts, developers and others to implement projects related to Portfolio Management and Support, including oversight of contractors and vendors. As part of his project management work, he developed and managed IT performance management data and dashboards and developed procedures and training plans to support and expand users’ knowledge base. His experience also includes working with end users to develop and clarify project proposals, researching and preparing project specifications, and responsibility for business-oriented deliverables. He also served as the department’s internship program manager. Prior to joining DPH, Arnoldo was with AT&T as a Requirements Engineer, SharePoint Developer and IT Business Analyst, where helped build business and technical requirements and application interface design documents. He is a native of the South Bay and earned his undergraduate degree in Information Systems from San Jose State and an IS Master’s degree from Northwestern University.
Job announcements for five other positions with our office were posted August 23 on the City’s job website. Applications for each position are being accepted through 5:00 pm on Friday, September 21, 2018. The positions are shown below in Table 1, along with a direct link for each to detailed job information and the application process.
Table 1 -Status of Ethics Commission Positions in Recruitment
| Position Working Title | Division | Status | Type | Job Class Title/No |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principal Program Manager | Engagement & Compliance | Applications being accepted through 9/21 at 5pm. | Vacancy/non-exempt position | Principal Administrative Analyst (1824) |
| Principal Program Manager | Audits | Applications being accepted through 9/21 at 5pm. | Reclass of vacant position/non-exempt position | Principal Administrative Analyst (1824) |
| Senior Program Administrator | Engagement & Compliance | Applications being accepted through 9/21 at 5pm. | New/non-exempt position | Senior Administrative Analyst (1823) |
| Policy Analyst | Policy | Applications being accepted through 9/21 at 5pm. | Vacancy/non-exempt position | Administrative Analyst (1822) |
| Senior Investigative Analyst | Enforcement & Legal Affairs | Applications being accepted through 9/21 at 5pm. | Vacancy/non-exempt position | Senior Administrative Analyst (1823) |
Office Renovation Update
Since late June, Ethics Commission’s office at 25 Van Ness has been undergoing an update to ensure existing space can accommodate current staff levels and provide work areas better suited for more cross-functional collaboration across staff teams. The updating work began on June 22 and is currently expected to be completed by early October. During this period, our front office operations have been temporarily relocated to City Hall Room 316 in the Controller’s Office to provide uninterrupted service to the public and other stake holders.
We continue to work closely with our City partners in the Controller’s Office, Department of Real Estate, Department of Public Works, and the Department of Technology as the work on this project begins to near a conclusion. We greatly appreciate the invaluable support and assistance of our City partners to help ensure this process provides a seamless transition of our operations.
This week, we expect to be able to identify a confirmed date to move our operations back from City Hall to our permanent location a 25 Van Ness. Once we do, we will send out communications broadly to notify the public and other stakeholders regarding our upcoming move back into our permanent space. We apologize for any inconvenience that our temporary relocation may have caused and appreciate the continued patience and understanding of the public and other stakeholders during this period of transition.
Revenues Report
Table 2 shows the revenues received by the Commission during the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2018, as of September 14, 2018.
Table 2- Summary of FY 2018-19 Revenues
| Source | FY 18-19 Budgeted Amount | FY 18-19 Receipts as of Sept. 14, 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| Lobbyist Registration Fees | $85,000 | $9,550 |
| Lobbyists Fines | $2000 | $600 |
| Campaign Consultants Fees | $7,000 | $2,850 |
| Contact Lobbyist and Other e.g., copies made by public | $2,450 | $0 |
| Statement of Economic Interests Filings-Late Fees | $1,250 | $100 |
| Campaign Consultant Fines | $2,000 | $0 |
| Campaign Finance Fines (includes late fees and forfeitures) | $50,000 | $19,466 |
| Ethics, Other/ Administrative Fines Levied by the Commission | $7,500 | $20,220 |
| Major Developer Fee | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $157,200 | $52,786 |
I look forward to answering any questions about this report at your upcoming meeting.