Supervisors send two proactive BLA audits on public‑works delegations and conflicts of interest to full board

The Government Audit and Oversight Committee on Nov. 17 voted to send to the full Board of Supervisors a motion directing the Budget and Legislative Analyst (BLA) to conduct two new performance audits: a multipart review of departments’ delegated authority to award construction‑related contracts under Chapter 6 of the Administrative Code, and an audit of how conflicts of interest are managed citywide.

Chair Dean Preston introduced the motion as part of a broader effort to expand the BLA’s capacity for oversight after a recent budget increase. Dan Goncher of the BLA said the Chapter 6 review will examine departments that can approve construction and related professional‑services contracts without going to centralized city procurement, noting “we do believe that there is a heightened risk there.” He said the BLA expects to start with one of the larger departments and may issue multiple reports as it examines several departments’ practices.

On the second audit, Goncher said the office will examine how the city uses the Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700), what departmental‑level controls exist, and how other jurisdictions handle conflict management to identify possible best practices. “Most of the investigations conducted by the ethics commission are complaint driven,” he told the committee, and the BLA will assess whether current, largely self‑reported systems leave gaps in prevention and detection.

One member of the public, Eileen Bokin of the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods, urged the committee to expand the conflicts audit to include a review of the Citywide Affordable Housing Loan Committee, alleging the committee does not keep minutes and that one voting member — the director of MOHCD — can vote on projects the department advances. Bokin also cited project‑level concerns, including an item she said showed a cost per unit near $1,000,000 and high land‑acquisition costs; those claims were not substantively addressed on the record during the meeting.

The committee voted to forward the audits to the full board with a positive recommendation. The motion passed on a recorded roll call with three ayes.