Minutes of the Special Meeting of
The San Francisco Ethics Commission
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Hybrid meeting conducted in-person in City Hall Room 400, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, and also held online as a Remote Meeting via WebEx and aired live on SFGovTV
(Approved February 9, 2024)
Note: SFGovTV provides a continuous archive of audio, video, and Caption Notes recordings of Ethics Commission meetings that allows viewers to watch those meetings online in full at the viewer’s convenience. These archives of Ethics Commission meetings may be accessed at SFGovTV at http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=142.
(Note: A complete recording of this meeting can be found on SFGovTv.)
COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: With Chair Yvonne Lee, Vice Chair Theis Finlev, Commissioner Yaman Salahi, and Commissioner David Tsai participating, a quorum was present. Commissioner Argemira Flórez Feng had an excused absence.
STAFF PRESENTING: Kevin Kincaid, Online Meeting Moderator; Patrick Ford, Director of Enforcement; Steven Massey, Acting Deputy Director & Chief Operating Officer; Gayathri Thaikkendiyil, Acting Executive Director; Michael Canning, Policy & Legislative Affairs Manager.
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Bradley Russi, Deputy City Attorney.
MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED:
- Draft Minutes for November 30, 2023, Special Meeting
- Draft Minutes for December 8, 2023, Regular Meeting
- Acting Executive Director’s Report dated January 19, 2024
- Fiscal Year 2024-25 and 2025-26 Staff Memo and Presentation dated January 19, 2024
- March 2024 Ballot Measure Update Staff Memo dated January 19, 2024
- Outgoing Commission Chair Staff Memo dated January 19, 2024
Item 1. Call to order and roll call.
Chair Lee convened the meeting at 10:05am and stated that members of the public may participate in-person or remotely.
Meeting Moderator Kevin Kincaid summarized the procedures for participation by members of the public for the meeting.
Item 2. Public comment on matters not appearing on the agenda.
Under Item 2, the Commission provided the opportunity for general public comment on matters not appearing on the agenda but within the Ethics Commission’s subject matter jurisdiction.
Public Comment:
No public comment was received and public comment on the item was closed.
CONSENT CALENDAR Items 3 and 4
The Commission took up its Consent Calendar, provided the opportunity for public comment on all Consent Calendar items, and voted 4-0 to adopt a motion by Commissioner Finlev and seconded by Commissioner Salahi to approve the following Consent Calendar items that required by the Commission:
- Item 3. Draft Minutes of the Ethics Commission November 30, 2023, Special Meeting
- Item 4. Draft Minutes of the Ethics Commission December 8, 2023, Regular Meeting
Commissioner Salahi asked to move Item 5 to the regular.
Public Comment:
No public comment was received and public comment on the item was closed.
Motion 240124-01 (Finlev / Salahi): Moved, seconded, and approved unanimously (4-0) to approve consent calendar items requiring action by the Commission.
REGULAR CALENDAR
Item 5. Acting Director’s Report
Commissioner Salahi stated that he wanted to give the Acting Director the opportunity to speak to recent media coverage of the Commission and its work regarding the Audit Division.
Acting Director Gayathri Thaikkendiyil corrected inaccurate information related to assistance offered by the Controller’s Office. She provided a brief update in the recent audit report.
Chair Lee thanked Thaikkendiyil and Commissioner Salahi.
Public Comment:
No public comment was received and public comment on the item was closed.
Chair Lee confirmed that this item was informational and required no action by the Commission.
Item 6. POTENTIAL CLOSED SESSION ITEM: Public Employee Appointment/Hiring, Executive Director
- Public comment on all matters pertaining to Item 6(c), including whether to meet in closed session.
Deputy City Attorney Brad Russi confirmed that the Commission needs to first take public comment before voting on whether to meet in closed session or not.
Public Comment:
No public comment was received and public comment on the item was closed.
- Vote on whether to meet in closed session to consider Item 6(c) under California Government Code Section 54957(b)(1) and Administrative Code Section 67.10(b). (Action.)
Motion 240124-02 (Finlev / Tsai): Moved, seconded, and approved unanimously (4-0) to meet in closed session.
- Executive Director Recruitment. (Discussion and possible action.)
Closed session began at 10:14am.
- If closed session is held, reconvene in open session.
Open session resumed at 10:44am.
- Disclosure of action taken, if any, that must be disclosed pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.1 and Administrative Code Section 67.12(b).
Russi stated that in closed session, the Commission voted to approve Patrick Ford as the next Executive Director of the Ethics Commission.
Ford addressed and thanked the Commission.
- If appropriate: Discussion and vote pursuant to Administrative Code Section 67.12(a) whether to disclose closed session discussion of Item 4(c). (Discussion and possible action.)
Motion 240124-03 (Finlev / Salahi): Moved, seconded, and approved unanimously (4-0) to not disclose closed session discussion.
Item 7. Presentation, public hearing, and possible action on Ethics Commission budget priorities for the Fiscal Year 2024-25 and Fiscal Year 2025-26.
Thaikkendiyil introduced the item and provided the presentation.
Vice Chair Finlev thanked Thaikkendiyil for the presentation.
Public Comment:
No public comment was received and public comment on the item was closed.
Chair Lee asked about the impact on the Policy Division of the Commission given that it’s always been small and recently understaffed. She also expressed concern around losing the Form 700 position.
Thaikkendiyil stated that would be taken into consideration.
Item 8. Update and discussion regarding March 2024 Ethics Commission Ballot Measure focused on gifts, training, and other City ethics laws
Michael Canning overviewed the background and set of regulations.
Vice Chair Finlev asked about next steps.
Canning confirmed that making changes to training to reflect the new regulations would be the place to start.
Chair Lee suggested that an action plan is put together more concretely prior to the election. Chair Lee also suggested that diverse communities be reached out to if these changes take effect.
Public Comment:
A caller stated that they appreciate the changes made to some of these regulations, but that some remain too broad. The caller congratulated Chair Lee on completing her service with the Commission.
No further public comment was received and public comment on the item was closed.
Item 9. Presentation to acknowledge outgoing Commission Chair Yvonne Lee, whose full six-year term of service on the Ethics Commission is concluding.
Thaikkendiyil commended Chair Lee on completing her term of service and thanked her for her work.
Vice Chair Finlev thanked Chair Lee for her work as well.
Chair Lee stated that today is bittersweet and thanked Commission staff.
Thaikkendiyil presented Chair Lee with a plaque.
Public Comment:
A caller congratulated Chair Lee and Acting Director Thaikkendiyil for their work over the past year.
No further public comment was received and public comment on the item was closed.
Item 10. Items for Future Meetings (Discussion and Possible Action)
Public Comment:
No public comment was received and public comment on the item was closed.
Item 11. Additional opportunity for public comment on matters not appearing on the agenda pursuant to Ethics Commission Bylaws Article VII Section 2.
Public Comment:
No public comment was received and public comment on the item was closed.
Item 12. Adjournment. The Commission adjourned at 11:40am.