Commission flags permit expediter settlement, Form 700 delinquencies and new audit/enforcement hires

Executive Director Pelham used the executive director's report to inform the commission about a recent City Attorney announcement: a settlement with permit expediter Walter Wong resolving allegations of violations of campaign and governmental conduct code provisions related to permit consulting.

Pelham said the settlement document is public and that it extracts the maximum administrative enforcement penalties for the alleged violations, totaling approximately $317,000. The settlement, Pelham said, will go to the Board of Supervisors for action. Pelham emphasized that the settlement and related reporting requirements are meant to improve transparency around who is paying permit consultants, what permits they seek, and related political contributions.

Pelham also announced staff additions to the Ethics Commission: Linda Fong has joined as audit and compliance review manager to lead the audit division, and Eamon Wilson joined the enforcement division as an investigator. Pelham said staff will resume focus on lobbying audits and develop post-filing compliance reviews of Form 700 filings, as recommended in the controller's report.

On Form 700 disclosures, Pelham reported about a 94 percent on-time filing rate for electronic filers and three named outstanding filers (Patrick Buskovich, Steven Cook and Tim Cronin). Commissioners discussed enforcement options, the state-based late-fee structure (typically $10/day to a statutory maximum), administrative enforcement penalties (up to $5,000 per violation), the "no-file, no-vote" rule, and the possibility of asking appointing authorities to remove noncompliant appointees. Staff said they would continue outreach and pursue enforcement where appropriate.

Next steps: Pelham and staff will monitor the Walter Wong settlement as it moves through the Board of Supervisors, continue onboarding and audit work with the new hires, and follow up on Form 700 delinquencies and possible enforcement or legislative remedies.