"When elected officials or department heads can ask companies that do business with the city to donate to favored projects, there's immense potential for corruption. It's happened numerous times. Officials can still call up their rich pals and big corporations and ask for donations-if they get a waiver from the Board of Supes. By law, those officials have to explain who they intent to solicit, and why that might create a conflict of interest."
"Crezia Tano, chief operating officer (when did that private-sector title became a city position?) of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, could explain almost nothing about who the mayor might call, what other interests they might have, or how their participation in a downtown development fund might create a conflict."
"So to see an eye-popping number like $6.2 million being raised for downtown while we also are standing up a small business fund to support any displacement with respect to the family zoning plan that yet has to be funded, I'm just wondering what support is being garnered for other neighborhoods outside downtown."
San Francisco supervisors and voters approved limits on fundraising appeals to reduce corruption risks when city officials solicit donations from city vendors. Officials can still solicit donations if the Board of Supervisors grants a waiver, provided they disclose who they intend to solicit and potential conflicts. The Mayor’s Office requested a blanket waiver for fundraising for downtown revitalization but the city representative could not identify potential donors, conflicts, or how funds would be allocated. Two conservative supervisors approved the waiver despite unanswered questions about equity and how downtown fundraising relates to unfunded neighborhood small-business supports.
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