Commission creates search committee to support recruitment of new Department of the Environment director

The Commission took action on July 26 to form a search committee to support a recruitment for the Department of the Environment's executive director.

Commissioner Wald moved to create a committee composed of up to three commissioners, one required department staff member, and up to two advisory members; the committee was empowered to select an executive recruitment firm and vet candidate pools. The motion specified that the committee should be constituted within approximately three weeks and that the chair would appoint members; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Bermejo and passed on roll‑call vote.

Kate Howard of the Department of Human Resources described a prequalified executive recruiting firm that proposed a 14–16 week recruitment process and a fixed cost of $25,000 (plus up to $5,000 travel reimbursement), but commissioners requested additional information about the firm's references and past work before selecting a vendor. Deputy City Attorney Sarah Crowley explained Brown Act notice requirements for the committee and that closed‑session personnel exemptions could be used for candidate deliberations.

Public comment urged speed and transparency in appointing the committee and selecting final candidates. Staff said the committee will return recommended candidates to the full Commission for final action and that the Commission remains the body to make recommendations to the Mayor.

Next steps: President Ahn will appoint the committee membership within the requested timeframe; staff will share the recruiting firm's materials and comparable examples for Commission review.