Date: January 13, 2025
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
Recruitment has been a top priority for the department. Since the approval of the Commission’s FY25 budget in August, the department has successfully completed thirteen recruitments. This is the most efficient recruitment activity in recent Commission history, and it has resulted in zero vacancies in funded positions. Because of the City’s budget and recruitment processes, the Commission has at almost all times had unfilled funded positions, and the current absence of any funded vacancies reflects an enormous effort by Deputy Director Gayathri Thaikkendiyil, our DHR analyst Nikki Chew, and all of the Commission’s managers, who devoted significant time to conducting interviews.
Multiple recruitments have been successfully completed in the last month, and I am excited to announce eight additional positions have been filled.
Senior Investigators – Enforcement Division:
Bertha Cheung was recruited to the 1823 position, following the vacancy that occurred after the promotion of former Senior Investigator Olabisi Matthews to the position of Director of Enforcement. Bertha began work with the Commission on November 25, 2024. Prior to joining the Commission, Bertha worked as a Senior Associate with the Hong Kong based law firm, Mayer Brown, where she managed and advised on regulatory investigations involving a wide range of legal and compliance issues related to financial crimes and anti-money laundering. Bertha, who is soon to become licensed to practice law in California, holds a BA in Law from London School of Economics and Political Science and a Postgraduate Certificate in Law from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Daniel Feng was also recruited to the 1823 position that became vacant after the promotion of former Senior Investigator Eamonn Wilson to Audit Manager, with a start date of January 14, 2025. Daniel is a former law enforcement officer with over two decades of experience, including with the Richmond Police Department as a Police Detective and the Oakland Police Department as an Internal Affairs Investigator. Prior to joining the Commission, Daniel worked as a Police Special Agent with the Union Police Pacific Railroad Police Department, where he, amongst other things, investigated state and federal criminal acts occurring on Union Pacific Railroad property within the United States, as well as conducted audits and investigations to ensure compliance with Federal Railroad Administration and other US Department of Transportation rules, regulations and protocols. Daniel holds a BA in Business Management from St. Mary’s College of California.
Client Support Specialist – Engagement and Compliance Division:
Kyle Hazell was recruited to the Client Support Specialist position (1840), following the vacancy that occurred after the promotion of Kevin Kincaid to the position of Engagement & Compliance Officer. Kyle joined the Commission on December 9, 2024. In this role, Kyle will provide technical assistance to internal and external stakeholders for the various systems used by the Engagement & Compliance Division, including NetFile. Prior to joining the Commission, Kyle worked as a Design Trainee at the SF Department of Public Works and as a Data Engineering Analyst at Tesla. In these roles, Kyle was involved in projects related to data automation, digitization of records, and technical documentation to ensure information was easily accessible. Kyle holds a BS in Computer Science with a Minor in Mathematics from California State University, Sacramento.
Auditor – Audit Division:
Eva Lopez Molina joined the Commission as an Auditor (1684) on December 16, 2024. In this role, Eva will conduct mandatory and discretionary campaign committee audits and lobbyist audits and help to administer the Commission’s public financing program. Eva most recently worked as an auditor in KPMG’s San Francisco office, where she performed audits for a variety of clients ranging in size and stage of establishment. Through a KPMG rotational program, Eva gained experience in data analytics, focused on increasing the use of technology in the audit process. Eva has also worked in KPMG’s Madrid and Barcelona offices, and she had Audit Internships at the European Court of Auditors and the Spanish Court of Auditors. Eva has a Master’s in Auditing and Financial Management from the UPF Barcelona School of Management, and degrees in Public Management and in Business from the University of Granada.
Budget and Operations Analyst – Operations Division:
Manuel Mandapat began work with the Commission on January 6, 2025, as the Budget & Operations Analyst (1824). In this role, he will assist with a variety of functions such as budgeting, financial management, procurement, contracting, recruitment, and other departmental operations. Manuel most recently worked as a Fiscal Services Manager at Diablo Valley College. He has previously worked in the San Francisco City Assessor-Recorder’s Office as an Operations Supervisor. His prior work experience also includes roles such as Fiscal Operations Specialist at the Contra Costa Community College District, Fiscal Analyst at the Judicial Council of California, Departmental Admin Analyst at the Santa Cruz County, and Business & Budget Analyst at the California State University. Manuel holds an M.S. in Administration from the California State University, Bakersfield, and a B.S. in Public Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Policy Research Specialist – Policy Division:
Trishia Lim earned her Master’s in Public Policy in 2024, from the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy. Trishia recently served as a policy consultant at the City of Oakland’s Public Ethics Commission (PEC), where she helped advance local efforts to democratize campaign finance, upgrade elections-based participation, and grow civic engagement through the implementation of Oakland’s Democracy Dollars program. Trishia also interned with the Office of Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin, where she collaborated with executive leadership to develop strategies and messaging around several housing and infrastructure initiatives. At the Goldman School, she was the editor-in-chief of the Berkeley Public Policy Journal. As the Commission’s Policy Research Specialist, Trishia will support the work of the Policy Division and the Commission by engaging in research projects, conducting analysis, and supporting stakeholder engagement.
In addition, the two remaining auditor positions have been filled and will be announced in the February report.
Policy Division Staffing Update:
On January 6, 2025, Ryan Abusaa moved to the Policy Division as the new Senior Policy Research Analyst. Ryan has been with the Commission’s Engagement and Compliance Division since November of 2023, where he has served as an Engagement & Compliance Officer. This position has been moved from Engagement and Compliance to the Policy Division and repurposed as Senior Policy Research Analyst. Over the last year, Ryan has been an integral part of the Engagement and Compliance Division, where he provided compliance guidance, filing assistance, technical support, training, and day-to-day administration for the Commission’s Campaign Finance program and other programs. Prior to joining the Commission, Ryan worked for the Sutton Law Firm as a Senior Political Compliance Specialist. In that role, he prepared disclosure reports for a variety of clients including lobbyists, candidates, ballot measures, PACs, and non-profit organizations involved in the political and legislative process on the local, state, and federal levels. Prior to that, Ryan worked as a Political Organizer for SEIU Local 2015, a Business Associate at New Deal Advisers, and an Account Manager at Wilson Public Affairs. Ryan holds a BA in Economics from UC Davis. As Senior Policy Research Analyst, Ryan will support operations across the Commission’s divisions, evaluate the Commission’s various policies and programs, identify areas for improvements, monitor developments in peer jurisdictions, and prepare reports and recommendations for the Commission’s consideration.
Policy Updates
Non-Substantive Changes Made Ethics Commission Regulations
During the Commission’s November meeting, the Commission gave the Executive Director the authority to make non-substantive updates to the Commission’s regulations and asked to be notified when such changes were made.
- Regulation 1.108-4: This regulation was improperly labeled as “-4” despite there being no “1.108-2” or “1.108-3.” In order to be consistent and avoid confusion, Regulation 1.108-4 has been redesignated as 1.108-2.
- Regulation 3.205(a)-1: This regulation specifies that officers and employees must complete their annual ethics training no later than April 1, but then subsequently referenced the process for officers or employees who assumed office between October 1 and March 30. It is clear from the rest of the regulation that this was a typo, and March 31 should have been used instead of March 30. The date has been updated to reflect March 31.
- Regulation 15.102-1: A similar error to the one referenced above in Regulation 3.205(a)-1 was also corrected. March 30 has been referenced in this regulation, but it is clear from the rest of the regulation that March 31 should have been used. The date has been updated to reflect March 31.
Audit Updates
In December 2024, the Audits Division finished administering San Francisco’s public campaign financing program for the November 5, 2024, election cycle. Under the program, mayoral and supervisorial candidates who meet established criteria may qualify to receive public funds for their campaigns. The Commission’s auditors determine the eligibility of each candidate who applies for public funds, the eligibility of each submitted contribution, and the amount of public funds each candidate is qualified to receive. The 2024 election was a record election for the public financing program, in terms of both the number of participating candidates and total funds disbursed: the Audits Division approved the disbursement of $8.48 million in public funds distributed across 27 candidates. Additional information about the 2024 public financing program will be presented in a post-election report at a later meeting.
The Audits Division is in the process of beginning the mandatory audit cycle for the 2024 election. The Commission is statutorily required to audit the committees of all candidates who receive public funds, and the Audits Division will initiate audits of all 27 candidates who received public funds in 2024. Audit staff are updating the Commission’s audit processes with the principal objectives being the timely and effective completion of audits. Staff are reassessing audit criteria and streamlining audit procedures, including revising testing protocols and developing a more efficient process for auditees to submit audit documentation electronically.
The Audits Division also completed onboarding for the first Auditor II position, who started in December 2024, and finalized recruitments for the two other Auditor II positions, who will begin in early 2025. The Division is the process of onboarding and training the new auditors.
E-Filing Updates
Gifts to City Departments
Following the passage of Proposition D on March 5, 2024, a new requirement was established for City departments to disclose any gifts received by departments to the Ethics Commission on a monthly basis. On December 1st, staff deployed a new electronic filing process for departments to satisfy the gift disclosure requirement, simplifying compliance and ensuring timely reporting. Departments are required to report any gifts received starting from the month of November 2024, and the first monthly report was due December 15, 2024. The gifts data are published in real-time on the City’s open data platform (DataSF) and are also accessible from the Commission’s Departmental Gifts Disclosure page.
Campaign Consultant Disclosures
Following the Commission’s amendments to the Campaign Consultant Regulations approved at the Commission’s August 9, 2024, meeting, staff deployed a new electronic filing system for filers to comply with the Campaign Consultant Ordinance. The system, launched on December 9, 2024, streamlines the filing process by reducing six paper forms into two electronic forms. As of last week, 78 campaign consultant reports and client authorization/termination statements have been successfully filed using the new electronic system. Filing data are published in real-time on the City’s open data platform (DataSF) and are accessible from the Commission’s Campaign Consultant Disclosure page. The new system represents a significant step forward in improving efficiency and accessibility for campaign consultants and the public. This is also the Commission’s final disclosure program to be fully converted to electronic filing, marking the culmination of a multi-year effort led by Director of Technology Steven Massey to fully implement universal electronic filing.