Draft Minutes – September 11, 2026 – San Francisco Ethics Commission

Draft Minutes of the Regular Meeting of
The San Francisco Ethics Commission
Friday, September 11, 2026

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

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: Chair Argemira Flórez Feng, Vice Chair Yaman Salahi and Commissioners David Tsai, Karen Bell Francois, and Kevin Yeh participating, a quorum was present.

STAFF PRESENTING: Executive Secretary & Commission Clerk, Charlie Machado-Morrow; Executive Director, Patrick Ford; Policy and Legislative Affairs Manager, Michael Canning; Senior Investigator, Eric Willett.

REPRESENTATIVES OF THE OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Michael Gerchow, Deputy City Attorney.

MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED:

Item 1. Call to Order and Roll Call

Chair Argemira Flórez Feng called the meeting to order at 10:02am and stated that members of the public may participate in-person or remotely.

Commission Clerk Charlie Machado-Morrow summarized the procedures for participation by members of the public for the meeting.

Item 2. Public Comment on Matters not Appearing on the Agenda.

No public comment was received on this item.

CONSENT CALENDAR: Items 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7

Under its Consent Calendar, it provided the opportunity for public comment on all Consent Calendar items and voted 5-0 to adopt a motion by Vice Chair Salahi and seconded by Commissioner Tsai to approve the following consent calendar item that required action by the Commission:

Item 3, Draft Minutes for August 14, 2026, Regular Meeting.

The following Consent Calendar items were informational and required no action by the Commission, but the opportunity for public comment was provided.

Item 4, Executive Director’s Report
Item 5, Quarterly Enforcement Report
Item 6, Quarterly Audits Division Report
Item 7, Quarterly Engagement and Compliance Report

Public Comment:

No public comment was received on this item.

Motion 260911-01 (Salahi / Yeh): Moved, seconded, and approved (5-0) to adopt the August 14, 2026, meeting minutes in the Consent Calendar.

REGULAR CALENDAR

Item 8. Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Proposed SARP Stipulation, Decision and Order In the Matter of Dena Aslanian-Williams SFEC Case No. 26-1031

Senior Investigator Eric Willett presented a proposed stipulated settlement agreement between the Commission and respondent Dena Aslanian Williams under the Commission’s Administrative Resolution Program (CERT), which is intended to resolve lower-complexity and lower-harm violations. The matter arose from the Enforcement Division’s assessment of 2025 Form 700 filings.

Staff determined that Williams, a former Commissioner of the Homelessness Oversight Commission and current Elections Commissioner, failed to fulfill annual Form 700 filing and training requirements, did not fully disclose reportable interests, and acted while disqualified while her filings remained outstanding. Williams completed the required corrective actions within the prescribed timeline and entered into the stipulated agreement. Staff found no aggravating factors and applied the first-tier penalty structure, resulting in a total penalty of $2,300 across four counts. Willett stated that he was available to answer questions from the Commissioners.

Chair Flórez Feng asked about the respondent’s explanation for the filing deficiencies. Willet explained that the respondent was unfamiliar with the disclosure requirements related to her contract employment with a real estate entity and the reporting of individual sources of $10,000 or more annually. Staff and the Engagement and Compliance Division assisted her in completing the necessary amendments to fully disclose the reportable interests.

Vice Chair Salahi also asked how older violations are identified and whether compliance procedures have changed. Willett explained that annual assessments review current filings and, when respondents are identified, their filing histories are also reviewed for additional disclosure and compliance issues. Willett noted that these assessments have been conducted for approximately three years, along with increased outreach and assistance to filers, resulting in higher levels of first-round compliance. Willett confirmed that the respondent joined the Elections Commission in January of the current year. No further questions were raised.

Public Comment:

No public comment was received on this item.

Motion 260911-02 (Salahi / Yeh): Moved, seconded, and approved (5-0) to approve the Proposed SARP Stipulation, Decision and Order In the Matter of Dena Aslanian-Williams SFEC Case No. 26-1031

Item 9. Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Proposed SARP Stipulation, Decision and Order In the Matter of Janetta Johnson SFEC Case No. 26-1037

Senior Investigator Eric Willett presented a proposed stipulated settlement agreement under the Commission’s SERP program concerning a matter arising from the Enforcement Division’s assessment of 2025, Form 700 and training requirements. Staff determined that respondent Johnson, a member of the Selma Community Stabilization Fund Advisory Committee, failed to complete the annual Form 700 and training requirements and acted while disqualified while her filings were outstanding.

Johnson completed the required corrective actions and entered into the stipulated agreement within the prescribed timeline. Staff found no aggravating factors and applied the first-tier penalty range, resulting in a total penalty of $600 across three counts.

Public Comment:

An unidentified caller stated that a technical issue with the public comment queue prevented members of the public from providing comments and requested that the agenda items already considered be redone to allow for public comment.

NOTE: Phone system was working correctly and confirmed by SFGOVTV. Other callers were on the line and able to access the meeting by calling in. The unidentified caller had a bad connection before hanging up and calling back in.

Motion 260911-03 (Salahi /Yeh): Moved, seconded, and approved (5 -0) to approve the Proposed SARP Stipulation, Decision and Order In the Matter of Janetta Johnson SFEC Case No. 26-1037

Item 10, Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Request for Waiver of Post-Employment Restrictions for Nancy Byun Riedel

Senior Policy Research Specialist Ryan Abusaa presented a waiver request from former City employee Nancy Riddle regarding the one-year post-employment restriction on communications with her former department. Riddle left the San Francisco Airport’s Integrated Operations Center in August 2026 to join United Airlines and requested a waiver to allow necessary communications with her former department.

Staff noted that while many communications would involve exempt routine matters, some operational matters could constitute attempts to influence governmental decisions. Staff recommended approval of a limited waiver consistent with the request and accompanying memorandum. Riddle and the current Acting Director of the Airport’s Integrated Operations Center were available to answer questions.

Nancy Byun Reidel, former Director of the Airport Integrated Operations Center, spoke and requested a limited waiver of the one-year post-employment communication restriction to allow routine operational and safety coordination with her former department in her new role as United Airlines’ Managing Director of the Station Operations Center at SFO. She stated that her duties require daily coordination with the Airport, but she would not engage in matters involving contracts, leases, procurement, or other matters in which United has a financial or competitive interest. She would route such matters to other United representatives and limit her communications to routine operational, administrative, and safety matters. Reidel requested approval of the waiver as outlined in her written request.

Acting Director Chris De Prima spoke on behalf of the SFO Airport Integrated Operations Center regarding Nancy Reidel’s waiver request. He stated that the requested limited waiver is reasonable and beneficial to airport operations, allowing routine operational coordination, safety, and emergency incident management with United Airlines. He noted that the waiver would not cover contracting, procurement, leasing, or related matters, and that operational knowledge is shared with the airport and airline community by design and would not provide an unfair advantage.

Public Comment:

No public comment was received on this item

Motion 260911-04 (Flórez-Feng / Salahi): Moved, seconded, and approved (5 -0) to approve the Request for Waiver of Post-Employment Restrictions for Nancy Byun Riedel

Item 11, Discussion and Possible Action on Legislation Updating the Website Address on Campaign Disclaimer Requirements

Policy Research Specialist Trishia Lim presented proposed legislation to update campaign disclaimer requirements in the Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code. The amendment would replace the specific reference to the Commission’s current website with a reference to the website address designated by the Commission, ensuring campaign disclaimers remain accurate following the Commission’s planned domain transition.

Staff emphasized that the proposal would not change the substance of the disclaimer requirements. Staff recommended approval, noting that the ordinance would require supermajority approval by both the Ethics Commission and Board of Supervisors.

Chair Flórez Feng expressed support for the proposal and staff’s timely action, while seeking confirmation that approval would not create obstacles for pending matters. Policy and Legislative Affairs Manager, Michael Canning stated that the proposal would not create complications with the existing campaign finance ordinance, which had already been amended by the Government Audit and Oversight Committee and would need to return to the Commission. He noted that this provides an opportunity to remove duplicative language if the proposal moves forward.

Public Comment:

No public comment was received on this item.

Motion 260911-03 (Salahi /Tsai): Moved, seconded, and approved (5 -0) to approve the Legislation Updating the Website Address on Campaign Disclaimer Requirements