Ethics office reports Form 700 filing progress, seeks more resources and posts five new hires

At the April 8 meeting the San Francisco Ethics Commission received its executive director's update on the office's operations, filings and staffing.

Executive Director Pelham told commissioners the office has been managing the annual Form 700 financial-disclosure process and moving toward broader electronic filing. Pelham said the commission has more than 500 people who file electronically with the office and over 3,000 additional filers who still file through departments. Pelham reported that, as of the snapshot provided to commissioners, 26 board and commission members had not filed one or more required statements: about 12 had not filed Form 700 and about 20 had not filed the annual ethics training certification. Pelham said the office has posted a landing page on its website listing late filers and will follow up with appointing authorities and department heads.

On budget matters, Pelham said the office submitted a fiscal-year 2022 request seeking a 28% increase in operating funds aimed at retaining staff, strengthening enforcement, expanding practical ethics training for city employees and contractors, and adding performance-reporting capacity. Pelham also highlighted that the mayor had announced roughly $630 million in federal stimulus funds that will factor into the citywide budget context.

Pelham introduced five recent hires: Elaine Bozanellos (client support specialist, engagement compliance), Michael Canning (policy division, government ethics policy project), Jean-Pierre "Alvin" (systems analyst, electronic disclosure and data analysis), Eamon Wilson (investigator), and Linda Fong (audit and compliance review manager). Pelham said the new staff will help with electronic filing conversions, enforcement and performance reporting.

Commissioners followed with detailed questions about the non-filer list, whether individuals who had not filed had participated in deliberations improperly, and the timeline for implementing performance benchmarks recommended by the Board Legislative Analyst. Pelham said the office would provide further updates and aims to present benchmarks by June 30; commissioners asked staff to ensure public-facing enforcement records and the non-filer list are clear and accessible.

No callers were in the public comment queue for this item. Pelham said staff will continue outreach to bring remaining filers into compliance and will post updates on the commission's website.