2023–2024 San Francisco Civil Grand Jury Report Recommends
Oversight by New Public Works Commission
SAN
FRANCISCO, June 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- San
Francisco's Department of Public Works is not publicly transparent
in how it builds and maintains city assets worth nearly
$19 billion and does not know the
true costs of restoring degraded assets to working condition, a new
Civil Grand Jury report has found. A new body, the Public Works
Commission, has been tasked with oversight, but its powers are not
yet defined.
"The Jury identified several instances of recently constructed
buildings that appear to have defects. We also discovered a lack of
clear accounting for assets that have not been properly
maintained," said Will McCaa,
investigation committee head. "In tight budgetary times,
transparency and accountability are more important than ever."
The Jury investigation, "Building San Francisco," identified
recently constructed buildings that appear to have design and/or
construction defects, or that were built in locations ill-suited
for the building's purpose. Impacts included water intrusion,
broken mechanical equipment, and flooding that negatively affected
facility operations. To address these issues, the report recommends
an analysis by the City Services Auditor of recent projects from
initial design through construction to identify potential problems
with how Public Works conducts large capital projects.
The Jury report additionally recommends an assessment by the San
Francisco City Controller to quantify the current cost and function
of so-called "degraded assets," including the costs of restoring
these assets to proper condition. The recommendation calls for
ongoing reporting of these assets in the city's 10-Year Capital
Plan.
San Francisco voters recently
created a new Public Works Commission that could oversee the
Department of Public Works, but Jurors learned that this
commission's oversight powers are mostly undefined. "We call for
the Commission to receive detailed reporting from Public Works to
give the public a more comprehensive view of how hundreds of
millions of dollars are spent," McCaa said.
Additional recommendations include calling for a Controller's
analysis of the city's Capital Planning Fund, including evaluating
the benefits to the city of increasing this fund.
To read the full report, please visit
https://www.sf.gov/resource/2024/civil-grand-jury-reports-2023-2024.
About the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury
The Superior Court selects 19 San Franciscans to serve year-long
terms as Civil Grand Jurors. The Jury has the authority to
investigate City and County government by reviewing documents and
interviewing public officials and private individuals. At the end
of its inquiries, the Jury issues reports of its findings and
recommendations. Agencies identified in the report must respond to
these findings and recommendations within either 60 or 90 days, and
the Board of Supervisors conducts a public hearing on each Civil
Grand Jury report after those responses are submitted. For more
information, visit the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury website:
https://www.sf.gov/departments/civil-grand-jury.
Contacts: sfcgj2024@gmail.com
Michael Carboy, Foreperson, +1 415 551-3635
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SOURCE San Francisco Civil Grand Jury