DBI outlines reforms and anonymous reporting tool as public and commissioners press for answers on settlement and alleged retaliation

The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection on Wednesday detailed a package of operational reforms and a new anonymous intranet reporting tool intended to increase oversight and staff accountability, as commissioners and members of the public pressed staff for more information about a recent settlement and allegations of retaliation.

DBI Communications Director Patrick Hannon said the reforms, launched in May and augmented by controller recommendations, include appointing a senior building inspector to code enforcement, instituting additional quality‑control reviews for complex projects, adding pre‑inspections and correction details to online records, and improving staff training on customer service and racial equity. "We've also sent reminders to staff and posted notices about the city's whistleblower program and created a new online tool in our intranet that allows staff to report anonymously," Hannon said.

Hannon told commissioners the intranet form is designed to capture both workplace/process concerns and personnel issues and that reports routed to the director's office or human resources will be investigated. "We bifurcated these two different options... so that people know they have a way to safely and anonymously report concerns," he said. Hannon said no reports had been filed to date through the new tool, though a suggestion box created earlier generated immediate feedback.

Commissioners asked for more detail on how the tool works, how records are retained and whether aggregated complaint data will be available for oversight. Hannon said records from the intranet are routed to the director's office or HR and managed as individual records rather than in a centrally published log, citing personnel‑record protections that could convert a technology log into a public record.

Public commenters pressed DBI to go further. Dennis Richards, who has led public criticism of DBI, alleged in public comment that "corruption, nepotism and cronyism" remain and urged random audits and a duty to report corruption rather than optional reporting. "There's a culture of fear and a retaliation culture that persists at DBI," Richards said. Another frequent commenter, Jerry Drattler, urged the director to provide monthly updates on actions taken in response to the controller's September 2021 report and to publish the status of reviews of specific projects.

DBI officials said some reforms remain in progress, including hiring a compliance manager, modernizing permit tracking and issuing an RFP for enhanced public outreach. The department said it will return with another update in May.

The meeting record shows commissioners and the public seeking clearer means to track aggregate complaints, more transparency on the settlement referenced during the discussion and stronger, independent oversight mechanisms. Deputy Director Taris Madison and other staff said the department will continue developing the reporting processes and will provide additional details in future director reports.