Date: November 4, 2024
To: Members of the Ethics Commission
From: Patrick Ford, Executive Director
Subject: Agenda Item 4 – Executive Director’s Report
Summary and Action Requested
This report provides various programmatic and operational highlights since the last report.
No action is required by the Commission, as this item is for informational purposes only.
Hiring Updates
Staff is continuing to focus on recruitment as a top priority for the department. As discussed in the August report, the FY25 budget that was approved for the Ethics Commission provides for a number of reclassifications and hirings. Additionally, the Commission needs to backfill vacancies. Current information about job openings with the Commission can be accessed on the Ethics Commission’s Jobs page.
Multiple recruitments have been successfully completed in the last month, and I am excited to announce four positions have been filled.
Audit Manager: Eamonn Wilson will begin work as the Commission’s 1686 Audit Manager on November 12. Eamonn has served in the Commission’s Enforcement Division as an Investigator and then as a Senior Investigator since April 2021. Eamonn has played a key role in designing and implementing new systems and processes for conducting investigations. Eamonn partnered with the EDDA Division to develop the Enforcement Division’s new case management system. This system has allowed for more advanced tracking of cases, improving coordination and reducing the average time to resolve cases. Eamonn has also developed new techniques for conducting proactive investigations. Using these new methods, Eamonn was responsible for the development of multiple major cases that were later successfully resolved with significant penalties issued by the Commission.
Prior to joining the Commission, Eamonn served as an auditor with the California State Auditor in Sacramento. In this capacity, he was responsible for auditing large government programs in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS). Eamonn holds a Master of Public Policy degree from UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy and a BA in Political Science from UCLA.
With this transition in the Audit Division, I also want to share that November 8th will be Cesar Delgado’s last day with the Ethics Commission. Cesar joined the Commission in November 2021 as an Auditor and has served as the Audit Manager since May 2024. We appreciate Cesar’s service to the Commission and the support he has provided to the audit program. We wish him all the best in his next professional chapter.
Senior IS Engineer: Tyler Field was recruited to a permanent civil service (PCS) position with the Electronic Disclosure and Data Analysis (EDDA) Division in the 1043 Senior IS Engineer class. Tyler has served successively as a Senior IS Engineer, Senior IS Business Analyst, and IS Business Analyst for the EDDA Division since January 2018. Each of Tyler’s roles has been funded through temporary project authority that has required regular budget reauthorization. Through the FY24 budget process, the Commission received permanent funding for this position to recruit this key role as a PCS position. During his time with the Commission, Tyler has greatly advanced the Commission’s digital infrastructure and been a leader on many major initiatives, including overhauling the campaign finance dashboards.
Prior to joining the Commission in 2018, Tyler’s previous experience includes roles as an Informatics Engineer and in designing and building in both brick-and-mortar and digital environments. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
Compliance Counsel: The Commission repurposed a vacant 1823 Training and Outreach Specialist position to serve as an 1823 Compliance Counsel. The position, which will remain within the Engagement and Compliance Division, will specialize in developing timely and accurate responses to incoming advice questions and ensuring that the educational materials produced by the Division accurately reflect the laws administered by the Commission. This work is particularly important following Proposition D becoming operative on October 12. The Commission anticipates a continued increase in ethics advice questions and a continued need for expertise in ethics law now that all 5,000 Form 700 filers are required to take annual ethics training provided by the Commission.
Laura Mandler was recruited into this role and will begin work on November 12. Laura comes from the Fair Political Practices Commission, where she served as a Staff Services Analyst and then as a Political Reform Consultant. Laura holds a JD from UC College of the Law (formerly UC Hastings) and a BA in Political Science from Seattle University.
Executive Secretary: Charles Machado-Morrow was recruited as 1454 Executive Secretary and will begin work on November 18. As Executive Secretary, Charlie will be a part of the Finance and Operations Division headed by Deputy Director Gayathri Thaikkendiyil. Charlie will facilitate the Commission’s monthly meetings, serve as primary point of contact for members of the public, and support many other key operational functions in the department. Prior to joining the Commission, Charlie served as Executive Administrative Assistant to the City Manager of Daly City. Prior to his work in Daly City, Charlie worked as Customer Service Representative for the City of Lodi and in banking for several years.
Aside from these positions that have now been filled, recruitments remain underway for several positions. These are:
Finance and Operations Division: The job posting for the 1824 Budget and Operations Analyst position has been reposted to the Commission’s jobs page, and applications are being accepted until November 12.
Enforcement Division: Recruitment for one 1823 Senior Investigator is in the final stages. Additionally, with Eamonn Wilson leaving the Enforcement Division effective November 9 to become the Commission’s Audits Manager, Eamonn’s position as 1823 Senior Investigator will be backfilled. This job opportunity is now posted to the Commission’s jobs page, and applications will be accepted until November 15.
Audits Division: Currently, the recruitment process for three 1684 Auditor II positions is underway, and interviews are in progress.
Engagement and Compliance Division: Recruitment is in progress to backfill the 1840 Client Support Specialist position that became vacant with Kevin Kincaid’s appointment to the vacant 1844 position. The recruitment is in the final stages.
Policy Division: Recruitment is in progress to fill the vacant 1840 Policy Research Specialist position. The recruitment is in the final stages.
I anticipate announcing successful completion of several of these recruitments in the December report.
Policy Updates
Mayor’s Executive Directive on Conflicts of Interest in Grant Selection Panels
Following the Mayor’s Executive Directive regarding certain aspects of how the City administers nonprofit grants, Michael Canning worked closely with leadership in the City Administrator’s Office, Mayor’s Office, and City Attorney’s Office to craft a new model policy for City departments. This policy, which is entitled Recusal and Confidentiality Policy for Public Grantmaking, was shared with departments on November 1. It serves as a model for City departments, and further work is planned to create a single, Citywide policy. The model policy is attached to this report.
The collaboration between departments on this policy was very productive, and we are grateful for the partnership of the Mayor’s, City Administrator’s, and City Attorney’s offices. Staff will continue to seek opportunities in the future to collaborate with other departments to develop policies that promote sound ethical practices.
New State Law Affecting Form 700 Filing (AB 1170)
The California Legislature recently passed a bill, AB 1170, that will change how certain Form 700 filers are required to file the form. The new law, which goes into effect January 1, 2025, requires that certain top local government officers begin filing the Form 700 with the FPPC through that agency’s online filing system. In San Francisco, this will apply to 23 City officers (Mayor, members of the Board of Supervisors [11], District Attorney, City Administrator, City Attorney, Treasurer, and members of the Planning Commission [7]).
Importantly, this new state filing requirement is in addition to, and does not replace, San Francisco’s local requirement that those same officers file the Form 700 with the Ethics Commission using the NetFile system. This is important because the FPPC’s filing system is basic and lacks most of the features of the Commission’s system that allow the public to easily review and search within Form 700 filings. For about half of the filers in question, the filings will not be available online from the FPPC at all: members of the public will need to file a public records request to obtain those Form 700s. For the other filers, the public will only be able to view a basic PDF image of those filings, and there will be no functionality to search within the filings or access the disclosures in data format. These features have been available through the Commission’s system for years, and they are key features of the Commission’s work to make Form 700 information readily available to the public and the press. The Commission has received much feedback over the years that this level of access to Form 700 disclosures is necessary in order for the disclosures to be useful, and it is widely used.
Staff are engaged with the FPPC to encourage the agency to develop a process to import the data from local filing systems, rather than forcing the filers in question to file an additional Form 700 with the FPPC. The FPPC is holding an interested persons meeting on November 12, and Commission staff will participate.
Annual Report
The Commission’s FY24 Annual Report has now been published. It is available on the Annual Report page of the Commission’s website. Staff will distribute the report to the interested persons list and share it with key stakeholders to spread awareness of the Commission’s major achievements and ongoing work.
2024 COGEL Conference
The Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) will hold its annual conference in Los Angeles December 8–11. Commission staff have participated in this conference for many years, and it is an important way for the agency to learn about emerging trends and to form ties with colleague agencies throughout California and the US. This year, five staff members and I will be attending the conference. Four of us will be participating in conference sessions as panelists and moderators.