While the Parks Alliance raises money to build park infrastructure across the city in a private-public partnership, it's usually primarily interested in one type of green planting trees, for instance. Haney called Public Works actions "inappropriate behavior" and said the department "is clearly out of control." Since then, multiple department heads and other figures have been embroiled in this, including Nuru's girlfriend, Sandra Zuniga, who serves as director of the Mayors Office of Neighborhood Services; and Tom Hui, the former head of the Department of Building Inspection who went on leave in March. Supervisor Connie Chan is not done snooping into the finances of the San Francisco Parks Alliance, with an audit she ordered finding millions in anonymous donations, but no smoking gun. San Francisco Parks Alliance - Better Public Spaces "We receive so much donations and so much money to renovate and improve our parks, and we can see those results. Peskin worries that the Crab Fest event could allow for an end run around city ethics rules that otherwise restrict direct contributions to city officials by firms doing business with the city. 9 of the 13 playgrounds are now completed, and the last 4 will be transformed by the end "What we found is that the [memorandum of understanding] had a high-level preliminary budget but no detail as to what the costs were going to be for the design contractor, for example, that was being paid for by the Parks Alliance," he told the supervisors at Thursday's hearing. Supervisors delayed voting Thursday on three city agreements to accept and spend more than $7 million from the Parks Alliance until Chans questions are answered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDZ81rocak0, https://48hills.org/2021/03/more-parks-privatization-the-horses-of-golden-gate-park/, https://48hills.org/2021/06/walton-calls-out-breed-for-her-attacks-on-the-board-of-supes/?fbclid=IwAR1fqYoEFKiLQR8oErNMlVic0SUey_THzGSkPAptYeA35jG-pqiBreqavDk, https://48hills.org/2021/06/supes-clash-with-parks-director-over-role-in-private-organizations-threats/?fbclid=IwAR0GYRhvV1WhjAvyzFEk1EHZZ9vJKLLCTiXUTQKdEOWAjnE7glS9RFKq74E, https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/opposition-forces-postponement-of-vote-on-skystar-wheel/, https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/SF-supervisor-subpoenas-parks-nonprofit-in-wake-16635626.php. SF Board of Supervisors' Audit Committee to Subpoena Financial This corruption of these officials is being covered up by the SF City Attorney and other officials. Required fields are marked *. Chan asked her if she had any information that Rec. "In this case, are we now setting ourselves up for a two-tier parks system for those who can pay to play, literally, and for those who cannot afford access to our public space?". Supervisor Chan has a point about potential conflicts of interest. In an aerial view, the SkyStar Wheel in the Music Concourse carries riders at Golden Gate Park on June 14, 2021, in San Francisco. So, knowing that it actually does have a close relationship with the Rec. Here are five key structures that need to bounce back to help the city recover. The San Francisco city attorney's office issued subpoenas for eight companies and nonprofit organizations Wednesday as part of the ongoing government corruption scandal launched in the wake. Now after nearly a year, the wheel is scheduled to be removed at the end of March, but a proposal seeking to extend the wheel's stay for four more years in order to help SkyStar "offset financial hardship" has yet to be decided by the city's Historic Preservation Commission. The Planning Department, Department of Public Health, and the City Administrator's Office have all been hit with subpoenas stemming from the sprawling federal investigation into corruption in San Francisco government. and Park has a similar practice with subaccounts involving the SF Parks Alliance. and Park. At a hearing last year, Lisa Bransten, director of partnerships for the parks department, said Parks Alliance backing certainly played a part in boosting job satisfaction to 86% among the staff. This program looks at the "non-profits" that are being used to facilitate the transfer of public lands at the park to privatizers. "These so-called 'friends' groups don't have an entirely friendly history. Ongoing FBI Corruption Probe Hits Three More SF City - SFist It was Chan who called for the city supervisors budget analysts audit amid lingering questions about the Alliances management of the $1 million account that federal prosecutors said served as a slush fund for Public Works director Mohammed Nuru. That's the problem we are talking about here.". And Parks Alliance Board Chair Liz Farrell said, "I want to also just to be clear on the record, and say that the Parks Alliance has not been accused or found to be involved in any wrongdoing as part of the investigation into the government corruption.". These subaccounts really operated like a city account, she said, because invoices were directed and approved by Public Works employees and tracked by both Public Works and the Parks Alliance. Our track record is clear. A city controller report last year called out the connection between the Parks Alliance and the park department after discovering Nurus $1 million slush fund. The Bay Area will have some live sports to look at for the first time in four months starting next Monday, July 20! Federal investigators say the alliance maintained a $1 million off-the-books fund that then Public Works director Mohammed Nuru frequently tapped to pay for employee parties, events and swag. A Recreation and Parks Department spokesperson told the supervisors that the agency follows all codes and laws. This corruption is part and parcel of the sell off of Golden Gate Park. and Park since 2003, starting with the Conservatory of Flowers. Under the terms of its contract with Ferris wheel operator. Fallout from the arrest of former SF Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru on allegations leading to a federal charge of wire fraud after he was caught up in a wide criminal corruption investigation by the FBI has put the SF Parks Alliance in the spotlight after revelations that it was among the friends of type of non-profits involved in moving money around for Nurus department. City officials cannot work behind the scenes with City contractors to benefit their departments and use other entities to cloak those efforts.". The idea is to avoid arrangements like the one Nuru and other Public Works employees had with the nonprofit San Francisco Parks Alliance and Recology, the trash-hauling giant that holds a monopoly on garbage collection in San Francisco. But recent revelations have demonstrated that the opaque nature of several organizations, including the SF Parks Alliance, has aided and abetted corruption within San Francisco government.". What are the names of their anonymous donors? How does the group use city funding it's granted? Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@mallorymoench. The nonprofit San Francisco Parks Alliance is being scrutinized again in the wake of the citys corruption investigation, and a supervisor whos criticized the group in the past now wants to look more closely at its operations. Your email address will not be published. The Alliance has not been accused of wrongdoing in the city corruption scandal and did not get paid for its account management. "When it comes to equity in our public parks, San Francisco doesn't even rank top ten. As a result, they were not subject to the same review and control that would otherwise exist to comply with the Citys accounting and procurement policies and procedures, Sobrepena said. City department heads will now be required to reveal when they solicit donations to nonprofits like the "friends of" organizations and for city departments to formalize their relationships with these nonprofits, which would legally require those groups to boast greater transparency. Supes Call For Investigation Into Sf Park Alliance Contracts - SFGATE That corrupt slush fund really just a minor piece of the wider public corruption scandal put a dark cloud over the Golden Gate Parks SkyStar Ferris wheel, because the Parks Alliance gets and manages the proceeds from all of those $18 ferris wheel rides. The park departments memo said, For the most part we welcome the recommendations in the report and many of them are generally in place through the (memorandum of understanding) or existing policy.. The San Francisco Parks Alliance has threatened to pull just over $2 million in funding for a playground in the city's Richmond District if the district's supervisor, Connie Chan, doesn . Parks Alliance threatens to pull funding for Richmond District playground, S.F.s deal for the Golden Gate Park Ferris wheel may be investigated amid neighborhood fight, Downtown S.F. She ordered a budget analysts office audit into the organization, which NBC Bay Area reports found $3.5 million in anonymous donations to the group, which is not proof of wrongdoing, but raises questions about potential conflicts of interest, according to the audit. Nuru was arrested by the FBI in January and accused of attempting to bribe an airport official. The Historic Preservation Commission is expected to vote on whether to extend the contract through 2025 at its next meeting on March 3. The supervisor and the organization have clashed before. A memorandum of understanding between the city and the Parks Alliance lays down some requirements for how they operate, and was retooled to strengthen some reporting requirements in 2020 in the wake of the citywide corruption scandal, but the Budget and Legislative Analyst still recommended it be strengthened. Parks Alliance Pushes Back On Accusations, Tells Supervisor - SFist The Parks Alliance has said it didnt know it was being used unscrupulously by city officials. Downtown S.F. It's the breakdown of the sources of the money siphoned into the funds Nuru controlled at the Parks Alliance. A bicyclist passes the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. Big shift in weather is headed to California. "We will implement any additional common-sense policies that provide greater transparency and allow us to continue to support and improve San Franciscos parks and public spaces," the organization said in a statement. SF public corruption scandal: 8 organizations subpoenaed by - KRON4 To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. SF Restaurateur Nick Bovis Admits Corruption Charges No Parks Alliance officials have been implicated in the probe. Another issue was anonymous donations, with up to $3 million from unnamed sources going to the Parks Alliance during the same time period the organization gave $1.9 million to the park department. Much of that spending from the subaccounts were related to staff appreciation, including department initiatives with volunteers and merchandise, generally at Public Works direction. We will implement any additional common-sense policies that provide greater transparency and allow us to continue to support and improve San Franciscos parks and public spaces., Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. How long has it been since May started off this cold in Bay Area? Recent revelations have demonstrated that the opaque nature of several organizations, including the SF Parks Alliance, has aided and abetted corruption within San Francisco government." Argue all you want about how much fun the Ferris Wheel can be. It's unclear what, if any, cooperation has been ongoing between Naomi Kelly and the feds but the Chronicle reveals that it was Kelly herself who called and alerted the FBI when Nuru contacted her in January to tip her off about the federal probe. The Parks Alliance was subpoenaed last year alongside a host of other firms as part of the City Hall probe. That is why I am calling for an investigation focusing on this agreement and SF Parks Alliance practices," she said. But the board says more transparency is necessary to ensure another type of green money isn't changing hands improperly. She joined The San Francisco Chronicle in 2019 to report on business and has also written about wildfires, transportation and the coronavirus pandemic. SAN FRANCISCO - As a discussion by city officials around whether to keep a 150-foot tall Ferris wheel at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park continues to go in circles, two city supervisors on Tuesday called for an investigation into the San Francisco Parks Alliance -- the nonprofit group that oversees the Ferris wheel's contract. The recent report recommended the park department establish a new conservatory agreement, report the budget for the anniversary celebration, and require the Parks Alliance to competitively select contractors and prohibit picking those who have a personal relationship or who have donated to the department or the organization. SF Parks Alliance is the only city-wide parks nonprofit in San Francisco. Some of the concerns have already been addressed after the two entities created a memorandum of understanding earlier this year to safeguard against potential corruption, but that agreement needs to be strengthened, the report said. San Francisco's Parks Alliance and Recreation and Park Department are both facing scrutiny from District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan about their use of donations, after subpoenaed records were made public in an NBC Bay Area news report. Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for "Certainly, some of these groups are operating above board. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) It often pays to have friends in high places. "We have issue with the way the vendor was selected. Thats great, said Chan. SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) - City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced on Wednesday that several subpoenas were issued as part of a joint public corruption investigation.