and Park.. The Parks Alliance non-profit said in a statement that it has cooperated and turned over all documents sought by the citys subpoena, but Chan and Peskin are skeptical that the city has all the documents. Flower Moon, a lunar eclipse and a meteor shower unfold this week. Explosion of joy in Warriors' world comes with newfound respect for Kings, Political chaos has erupted in this Peninsula city over one issue: Housing, Beneath Michelin-starred restaurants success, landlord dispute is boiling. The development of the tennis courts went over $400,000 which the City has to pick up. But that leaves some of their methodologies in the dark, the Budget and Legislative Analyst's report found. City report details alleged Mohammed Nuru "pay-to-play" schemes non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and It often pays to have friends in high places. and Park, the expenses and transactions with those subaccounts dating back five fiscal years and identifying the funding sources for the subaccounts. City contract scrutiny draws attention to Golden Gate Park Ferris wheel While City Administrator Naomi Kelly has not yet been named in any of the subpoenas, her husband, SF Public Utilities Commission General Manager Harlan Kelly, has, per the Chronicle. But recent revelations have demonstrated that the opaque nature of several organizations, including the SF Parks Alliance, has aided and abetted corruption within San Francisco government.". We did not dive deeper with Rec. The nonprofit could then disburse those funds to be used for city staff appreciation parties in ways that would have otherwise violated city law if done transparently or on pet projects of that department head. Feb. 23, 2021 SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) As a discussion by city officials around whether to keep a 150-foot tall Ferris wheel at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park continues to go in circles, two. The San Francisco Parks Alliance was subpoenaed by the City Attorney's Office last year as part of the city's corruption probe. This S.F. Jay C. Barmann is a fiction writer and web editor who's lived in San Francisco for 20+ years. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for A bulk of the report focused on the Parks Alliance agreement to fund the Golden Gate Park 150th anniversary celebration and get some revenue from the Ferris wheel, which came under fire this spring from Chan. However, all of this occurred outside of the Citys established financial and procurement systems. and Park. Previously, the board needed a majority to issue a subpoena, but since March 2020, the three-supervisor Government Audit and Oversight Committee has the power to issue its own. It's unclear what, if any, cooperation has been ongoing between Naomi Kelly and the feds but the Chronicle reveals that it was Kelly herself who called and alerted the FBI when Nuru contacted her in January to tip her off about the federal probe. They have very similar names, but the SF Recreation and Parks Department and the SF Parks Alliance are two different entities. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, the Crab Fest had been a major affair in the city, drawing top city officials, community leaders and contractors, raising more than $100,000 annually for parks scholarships.. "Instead of going directly to our city's general fund, the revenue generated from SkyStar is going to a non-profit that is still under FBI and public corruption investigations," said Chan, whose supervisorial district includes Golden Gate Park. Stay in touch. An auditor with the City Controllers Office, Amanda Sobrepena, told the Committee that from 2015 through 2020, the SF Parks Alliance received $11.9 million from multiple city departments and serves in this role for both SF Public Works and Rec. City officials cannot work behind the scenes with City contractors to benefit their departments and use other entities to cloak those efforts.". wine startup leaves customers with thousands of Steph Curry adds to his Warriors legend by lighting up Kings for 50. "These so-called 'friends' groups don't have an entirely friendly history. "Along with many other nonprofit groups, we continue to work with city departments to meet or exceed these good government controls.". Here are five key structures that need to bounce back to help the city recover. The SF Parks Alliance is a Friends of-type outside nonprofit that raises money or provides philanthropic services on park-related matters, donating money back to the city's Parks and Public Works departments for various projects. The BLAs Director of Policy Analysis Fred Brousseau told the Committee that the Parks Alliance has had a relationship with Rec. City Attorney Dennis Herrera on Wednesday announced. SF Supes call for investigation into SF Parks Alliance contracts The Parks Alliance said in a statement Monday that it appreciates the citys work to strengthen transparency and accountability between nonprofit organizations and the City of San Francisco. Along with many other nonprofit groups, we continue to work with city departments to meet or exceed these good government controls, the Alliance said. Every year, millions of dollars flow into the San Francisco Parks Alliance. The park departments memo said, For the most part we welcome the recommendations in the report and many of them are generally in place through the (memorandum of understanding) or existing policy.. The nonprofit San Francisco Parks Alliance directed $66,000 to entities whose figureheads were arrested by the FBI in connection with disgraced former Public Works director Mohammed Nuru's corruption scandal, a new report has found. And that wheel, apparently, is still going round and round. and Park since 2003, starting with the Conservatory of Flowers. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) It often pays to have friends in high places. and Park Department and Parks Alliance, it seems to me that General Manager, Phil Ginsburg, had decided to double down.. SF corruption probe: PG&E, major construction firms, nonprofits hit Chan said she was worried the influence of money could determine exactly who gets to have parks built in the city, and where, citing equitable access as a key priority. Federal investigators say the alliance maintained a $1 million off-the-books fund that then Public Works director Mohammed Nuru frequently tapped to pay for employee parties, events and swag. Just who has influence in renovating parks, and where, is a chief concern, said Supervisor Connie Chan, the lawmaker who requested the subpoena during a hearing of the board's Government Audit and Oversight Committee. In San Francisco, that goes double for nonprofits that call themselves "friends.". The Department of Public Health has been dragged into this apparently in connection with a facility that was built at 2401 Ingalls Street, just north of Candlestick Point, by Kong's construction-waste management firm SFR Recovery. The audit says those contracts need to adhere to basic city contract standards to prevent conflicts of interest. Construction companies subpoenaed by San Francisco City It was a sole-source selection, there's no competitive bidding by the department," Brousseau said. "It raises the question of whether this is a good government practice and whether such practices contribute to the 'pay-to-play' culture among city agencies. Despite the progress, the audit found there remains a lack of adequate controls on the contracts the Alliance makes to provide services for the city. This arrangement ultimately created the opportunity for unethical steering of purchases to occur.. A city controller report last year called out the connection between the Parks Alliance and the park department after discovering Nurus $1 million slush fund. As approved in 2000 by the public, $150,000 is allocated annually for a period of thirty years toward community gardens. is the city's financial engine and it is sputtering. Looking to get in touch with our Near the end of the hearing, Chan said the driving force behind her line of questioning was to ensure that anyone, regardless of the amount of money they can donate to a nonprofit, gets their say in how parks across San Francisco are shaped. We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts! The Parks Alliance, a major non-profit dedicated to bettering the citys parks, became ensnared in the citys ongoing corruption scandal involving Public Works. SAN FRANCISCO - As a discussion by city officials around whether to keep a 150-foot tall Ferris wheel at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park continues to go in circles, two city supervisors on Tuesday called for an investigation into the San Francisco Parks Alliance -- the nonprofit group that oversees the Ferris wheel's contract. They report on how this privatization is taking place and the threat this is to public access and the need to stop the transfer of the park into a commercial profit center for developers with non-union workers and a lack of health and safety protection. I also wanted to say that, throughout this whole process, we are committed to being transparent. As a result, they were not subject to the same review and control that would otherwise exist to comply with the Citys accounting and procurement policies and procedures, Sobrepena said. The nonprofit San Francisco Parks Alliance is being scrutinized again in the wake of the city's corruption investigation, and a supervisor who's criticized the group in the past now wants to look more closely at its operations. SF Audit Critical of Non-Profit in Public Corruption Scandal Peskin worries that the Crab Fest event could allow for an end run around city ethics rules that otherwise restrict direct contributions to city officials by firms doing business with the city. That corrupt slush fund really just a minor piece of the wider public corruption scandal put a dark cloud over the Golden Gate Park's SkyStar Ferris wheel, because the Parks Alliance gets. Supes call for investigation of Ferris Wheel money - 48 hills Explore: The Mission's gardens - Mission Local The Historic Preservation Commission is expected to vote on whether to extend the contract through 2025 at its next meeting on March 3. The probe stems from federal. Parks Alliance spokesperson Juliana Bunim said in a statement Thursday that the group appreciates "all ongoing efforts to strengthen transparency and collaboration between nonprofit. These purchases would then be reimbursed through Public Works accounts held by the Parks Alliance "outside of city purchasing rules." Garbage time: Recology was the major donor to Mohammed Nuru's nonprofit They have long operated in a largely unregulated behind-the-scenes capacity as power brokers controlling the purse strings to the pet projects of their donors," Peskin said. It was one of more than 20 firms. It will be interesting to see what information is uncovered. The subpoenas request information related to any donations or payments the companies made to charities affiliated with Bovis, to the San Francisco Parks Alliance or the San Francisco Clean City . The Parks Alliance is a major philanthropic backer for the parks and other city departments. It's the breakdown of the sources of the money siphoned into the funds Nuru controlled at the Parks Alliance. A new report from the San Francisco City Controller's Office, in conjunction with the City Attorney's Office, skewers a system where city departments like Public Works form relationships with nonprofit organizations that raise philanthropic dollars for issues related to that department, saying it's rife with opportunity for corruption. The Bay Area will have some live sports to look at for the first time in four months starting next Monday, July 20! Joe Kukura is an SFist staff asst. The San Francisco city attorney's office issued subpoenas for eight companies and nonprofit organizations Wednesday as part of the ongoing government corruption scandal launched in the wake. The organizations employees havent been charged with any crimes, and the recent report found no evidence of wrongdoing, although the report author said the purpose wasnt to investigate corruption but the processes in place to minimize its possibility. "We have issue with the way the vendor was selected. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not . Fallout from the arrest of former SF Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru on allegations leading to a federal charge of wire fraud after he was caught up in a wide criminal corruption investigation by the FBI has put the SF Parks Alliance in the spotlight after revelations that it was among the friends of type of non-profits involved in moving money around for Nurus department. Haney argued this also showed a clear need for his ballot measure Proposition B in San Francisco, which would create an oversight body for Public Works, and place some of its street maintenance duties with a new Department of Sanitation and Streets. The SkyStar Observation Wheel was installed last year as part of the park's 150th anniversary just as the COVID-19 pandemic began. 2023 FOX Television Stations, High Stakes: Sports Betting in California, American children missing in Mexico: State Department 'aware of reports of 2 missing US citizens', TikTok CEO to tell Congress video-sharing app is safe, urge against ban, Man survives shark attack off Hawaiis Big Island, officials say, Woman lucky to be alive after 2 trees fall on her Oakland home, America's first-ever tornado forecast issued 75 years ago at Oklahoma's Tinker Air Force Base. but even at the lower levels it can lead to more of a culture of corruption where contractors have cozy . At a hearing last year, Lisa Bransten, director of partnerships for the parks department, said Parks Alliance backing certainly played a part in boosting job satisfaction to 86% among the staff. To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. Nuru was arrested by the FBI in January and accused of attempting to bribe an airport official. DPH was tasked with signing off on the health and safety of the facility, as its permits moved through the city. Haney called Public Works actions "inappropriate behavior" and said the department "is clearly out of control." Without more detailed oversight, the audit found, this benefit of philanthropic support risks being overshadowed by the possibility of corruption.. Supes Call For Investigation Into Sf Park Alliance Contracts - SFGATE Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@mallorymoench. City officials studied the nonprofit last year after it came to light that former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru, now charged with fraud, funneled donations from would-be city contractors into an account at the organization that he used to pay for staff perks. Parks Alliance Pushes Back On Accusations, Tells Supervisor - SFist Nuru would solicit those funds from contractors whose city contracts Nuru oversaw. Speakers who discuss this are David Romano, Harry Parisner and Steve Hill. The report further alleged the San Francisco Parks Alliance accepted some $1 million in donations from contractors under investigation by the City Attorney's Office and the money was then funneled back to DPW to pay for lavish parties. Yes, we can go back and look into it, talk to the controller about adding it to our Public Integrity Reviews, Sobrepena responded. As the Chronicle reports, Bovis's foundation is named along with Recology and the San Francisco Parks Alliance as entities the feds are seeking mentions of in all meeting notes, minutes, and communications from these city departments. Community gardens in San Francisco For 40 community gardens run by the city, the city's park department has developed detailed guidelines for the size of plots, waste removal and organization structure. No trains were going in or out of BART's SFO Station for about an hour Wednesday morning due to an unspecified "police matter" that has yet to be made public. During a hearing Thursday, Supervisor Connie Chan issued a subpoena to the Parks Alliance to find out how many, if any, similar accounts the Recreation and Park Department has. Since the FBI arrested and charged Nuru for allegedly attempting to bribe an airport commissioner in January 2020, the investigation has also indicted the former director of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, two heads of trash company Recology, a former senior building inspector and a city building commissioner. Supervisors Connie Chan and Aaron Peskin Call for Investigation on SF Parks Alliance . All rights reserved. The audit tracked the money going in and out of the Alliance over a five year period. The Parks Alliance, a major non-profit dedicated to bettering the city's parks, became ensnared in the city's ongoing corruption scandal involving Public Works. Chan explained that she thought it worthwhile to get this information in the hope of avoiding the possibility of continuing practices with the potential to encourage corruption. "We receive so much donations and so much money to renovate and improve our parks, and we can see those results. elsewhere. That is why I am calling for an investigation focusing on this agreement and SF Parks Alliance practices," she said. Chan, who commissioned the report, said the results demanded reform. After Nuru Scandal, SF Anti-Corruption Proposal Seeks to Prevent Bribes The City Attorney's Office's simultaneous investigation has already revealed a relationship between former Public Works director Mohammed Nuru and local entrepreneur Nick Bovis, in which Bovis appears to have taken donations from his charity (Lefty O'Doul's Foundation for Kids), given by city contractors, and funneled them to cover DPW holiday parties. Those scholarships pay the fees or other costs for low-income youth and seniors to enjoy summer programs and other activities at city parks. But recent revelations have demonstrated that the opaque nature of several organizations, including the SF Parks Alliance, has aided and abetted corruption within San Francisco government.". "When gifts are solicited from those that do business with the City, it creates a risk to fair and transparent public processes. "When it comes to equity in our public parks, San Francisco doesn't even rank top ten. While the Parks Alliance raises money to build park infrastructure across the city in a private-public partnership, it's usually primarily interested in one type of green planting trees, for instance. Stay up to date! "Certainly, some of these groups are operating above board. Ongoing FBI Corruption Probe Hits Three More SF City - SFist March 10, 2020 / 5:11 PM / CBS San Francisco SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The Director of San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection, Tom Hui, has been placed on leave amid a. The sell off and privatization of Golden Gate Park is escalating at the same time of a massive corruption scandal of top officials of the City and County of San Francisco. The nonprofit San Francisco Parks Alliance directed $66,000 to entities whose figureheads were arrested by the FBI in connection with disgraced former Public Works director Mohammed Nuru's corruption scandal, a new report has found. The idea is to avoid arrangements like the one Nuru and other Public Works employees had with the nonprofit San Francisco Parks Alliance and Recology, the trash-hauling giant that holds a monopoly on garbage collection in San Francisco. During a hearing Thursday, Supervisor Connie Chan with the support of two other supervisors issued a subpoena to the Parks Alliance to find out how many, if any, similar accounts the Recreation and Park Department has, and to report expenses and transactions dating back five years. Supervisor Chan has a point about potential conflicts of interest. Chan blasted the agreement, saying it perpetuates inequity by creating another paid attraction in a public park. The move followed a city report last week that investigated the relationship between the park department and the nonprofit. During the Thursday hearing, Farrell from the Parks Alliance said they have already apologized for that spat. A new audit calls for greater controls over the San Francisco Parks Alliance, the major non-profit group named by federal prosecutors last year as helping to foster the citys public corruption scandal by managing an off-the-books contractor fund that Public Works officials tapped to pay for employee parties and swag for city workers. We are a trusted partner to many community groups and city departments and welcome any and all actions that bring more transparency and oversight to ensure the publics trust.. "Instead of going directly to our city's general fund, the revenue generated from SkyStar is going to a non-profit that is still under FBI and public corruption investigations," said Chan, whose supervisorial district includes Golden Gate Park. Ongoing FBI Corruption Probe Hits Three More SF City Departments With Subpoenas The Planning Department, Department of Public Health, and the City Administrator's Office have all been hit with. Newly disclosed documents sought under subpoena by city supervisors critical of the Alliance -- detail transactions involving a different fund related to the Parks Alliances annual Crab Fest event. Some of the concerns have already been addressed after the two entities created a memorandum of understanding earlier this year to safeguard against potential corruption, but that agreement needs to be strengthened, the report said. Big shift in weather is headed to California. City Attorney subpoenas 8 organizations in widening public corruption I think that is a critical piece of information, dont you think, for us to obtain? said Chan. SF Board of Supervisors' Audit Committee to Subpoena Financial That is why I am calling for an investigation focusing on this agreement and SF Parks Alliance practices," she said.