Gov’t nonprofit partners: Taxpayers, keep your eyes off (y)our money
Analyzing several well-subsidized SF nonprofits, Josh Koehn explains in the SF Standard that many residents are urging for transparency in how NP partners address objectives and use taxpayer funds. Even SF Mayor Breed acknowledges difficulties in working with NPs, but local nonprofit lobbyists strongly request no additional stipulations be enforced—lest the paperwork adds up.
San Francisco nonprofits receive more than a billion dollars in taxpayer money every year, but the level of scrutiny they face varies greatly by department—and, in some cases, oversight of operations has been left to the honor system since the pandemic started.
City records show that two nonprofits—Baker Places and the United Council of Human Services (UCHS)—received mostly glowing marks from city agencies last year, not long before they were accused of mismanaging public funds. City officials are in the process of pulling some of Baker Places’ contracts and flagged UCHS for criminal investigations….
Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who oversaw a Government Audit and Oversight Committee hearing last month looking into how well city nonprofits are performing, said the discrepancies in reporting by city departments should serve as a wake-up call.
“This is exactly why San Franciscans are skeptical about how we are spending taxpayer dollars,” Stefani said in a statement. “Last year, we spent $1.4 billion on city contracts. And yet, the checks that are supposed to prevent and identify mismanagement failed.”
This article originally appeared in the San Francisco Standard. Read the whole thing here.
This article is part of an exclusive Opp Now series on hazy, shady, and all-out criminal relationships between local nonprofits/gov't:
Jonathan Fleming, founder and director of SVPAF, speaks to what's going on with SJ's nonprofit community.
Joel Kotin at Philanthropy Daily analyzes the worrisome dynamic of local left-wing nonprofits advocating for extremist policies while at the same time benefiting from taxpayer and ultra-rich funder largesse.
Nonprofit attorney Scott Hartley of Hartley Law clarifies the parameters that apply to nonprofits when it comes to political activity.
SFStandard.com reports on how nonprofits in San Francisco can leverage huge sums of taxpayer dollars for political activity while neglecting their core mission.
Planning Commissioner chair Pierluigi Oliverio offers a compromise in the ongoing dispute over whether local progressive nonprofits break regulations with their aggressive lobbying of City staff /politicians: treat all advocacy activity the same.
Josh Koehn explains in the SF Standard that many residents are urging for transparency in how NP partners address objectives and use taxpayer funds. However, local nonprofit lobbyists strongly request no additional stipulations be enforced—lest the paperwork adds up.
The HJTA's Susan Shelley untangles LA's recently-passed Measure ULA. Residents making high-value real estate transactions must fork over some big coin, but none of it will go to emergency shelters or transitional housing—just unaccountable nonprofits peddling the discredited Housing First mantra.
David Eisbach points out the consequences of COPA's underlying idea: that unhoused people must rely on larger entities to advance in life. Putting nonprofit orgs in a tremendous position of power over lower-income SJ residents/officials will compound conflict-of-interest problems.
Gov't misconduct expert Josh Koehn reports on a new lawsuit against SF nonprofit org the United Council of Human Services, which alleges that CEO Gwendolyn Westbrook has inappropriately used funds for personal benefit.
Local nonprofits act just like lobbyists (but retain their tax exempt status) and brazenly invite conflict of interest concerns. Joel Kotkin provides the backstory in Philanthropy Daily.
Local neighborhood coalition Families & Homes SJ wonders how it's okay that the city's Housing Director can sit on the board of a local housing nonprofit.
SF org Clean City Coalition is alleged to have engaged in highly illegal, dangerous money laundering behaviors.
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