For information: Jeffery Zumwalt, Acting Director of Enforcement (415) 252-3100
April 12, 2024
At its monthly public meeting on Friday, April 12, 2024, the San Francisco Ethics Commission unanimously approved a stipulated agreement fining David Wasserman, a Member of the Residential Rent Stabilization and Arbitration Board (“Rent Board”), $16,800. Mr. Wasserman had failed to report on his Form 700s multiple sources of income of $10,000 or more to his business entities with an interest in residential real property, in violation of San Francisco Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code (SF C&GCC) section 3.1-102(a). In the stipulation, Wasserman took responsibility for the violations, which were subsumed into one count.
As authorized by the City Charter, the resolution of violations through a stipulated agreement enables Respondents and the Ethics Commission to resolve enforcement matters without the need of a lengthier and costlier process involving a hearing on the merits. The Commission is authorized to assess a monetary penalty of up to $5,000 for each violation or three times the amount that was unlawfully received.
As detailed in the stipulation, Wasserman filed the required Form 700 annually between 2019 and 2022. On each of the Form 700, he reported receiving gross income in the amount of $10,000 or higher, including income from his investments in business entities that themselves owned or had an interest in City residential property. However, he failed to report the names of each source of income of $10,000 or more as required under the law. Therefore, Wasserman violated City ethics laws. After being contacted by investigators, Wasserman took responsibility for his mistake and amended his filings to comply with the law.
The Commission fined Wasserman $16,800 the failing to make the required disclosures.
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The San Francisco Ethics Commission was created directly by the City’s voters with the passage of Proposition K in November 1993 and is responsible for the independent and impartial administration and enforcement of laws related to campaign finance, public financing of candidates, governmental ethics, conflicts of interests, and registration and reporting by lobbyists, campaign consultants, permit consultants, and major developers.
Our mission is to practice and promote the highest standards of integrity in government. We achieve that by delivering impactful programs that promote fair, transparent, and accountable governmental decision making for the benefit of all San Franciscans. Public service is a public trust, and our aim is to ensure that San Franciscans can have confidence that the operations of the City and County and the decisions made by its officials and employees are fair, just, and made without any regard to private or personal gain.