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(a) Establishment of Oversight Board.
(1) The Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board (“SDOB”) is hereby established. The SDOB shall consist of seven members. The Board of Supervisors shall appoint four members (to Seats 1, 2, 3, and 4), and the Mayor shall appoint three members (to Seats 5, 6, and 7). Seat 4 shall be held by a person with experience in labor representation.
(2) Members shall serve four-year terms, beginning at noon on March 1, 2021; provided, however, the term of the initial appointees to Seats 1, 3, and 5 shall expire at noon on March 1, 2023, whereas the term of the initial appointees to Seats 2, 4, 6, and 7 shall expire at noon on March 1, 2025.
(3) No person may serve more than three successive terms as a member. No person having served three successive terms may serve as a member until at least four years after the expiration of the third successive term. Service for a part of a term that is more than half the period of the term shall count as a full term; further, this subsection (a)(3) makes no distinction between the two-year terms referenced in subsection (a)(2) and four-year terms.
(4) Members may be removed from office only for official misconduct under Article XV.
(5) All members shall complete a training and orientation on custodial law enforcement, constitutional policing, and Sheriff’s Department (“SFSD”) policies and procedures, within 90 days of assuming office for their first term. The Sheriff or the Sheriff’s designee shall prescribe the content of and shall administer the training and orientation regarding SFSD patrol and custodial law enforcement, policies and procedures. SFSD shall develop the training content based on guidelines recommended by the National Association of Civilian Oversight for Law Enforcement (“NACOLE”) or successor association, the Bar Association of San Francisco or successor association, and/or the American Civil Liberties Union, and SFSD shall consult with the Department of Police Accountability, Public Defender, and the District Attorney in developing the training content.
(b) SDOB Powers and Duties. The SDOB shall:
(1) Appoint, and may remove, the Sheriff’s Inspector General in the Office of Sheriff’s Inspector General (“OSIG”), established in subsection (d).
(2) Evaluate the work of the OSIG, and may review the Sheriff’s Inspector General’s individual work performance.
(3) Compile, evaluate, and recommend law enforcement custodial and patrol best practices.
(4) Conduct community outreach and receive community input regarding SFSD operations and jail conditions, by holding public meetings and soliciting input from persons incarcerated in the City and County.
(5) Prepare and submit a quarterly report to the Sheriff and Board of Supervisors regarding the SDOB evaluations and outreach, and OSIG reports submitted to SDOB.
(6) By March 1 of each year, prepare and present to the Board of Supervisors or a committee designated by the President of the Board, an annual report that includes a summary of SDOB evaluations and outreach, and OSIG reports submitted to SDOB, for the prior calendar year.
(c) In performing its duties, the SDOB may hold hearings, issue subpoenas to witnesses to appear and for the production of evidence, administer oaths, and take testimony.
(d) Establishment of Office of Sheriff’s Inspector General. There is hereby established the Office of Sheriff’s Inspector General (“OSIG”), which shall be a department under the SDOB, and separate from the Sheriff’s Department. The OSIG shall be headed by the Sheriff’s Inspector General, appointed by the SDOB as set forth in subsection (b)(1). The Sheriff’s Inspector General shall be exempt from civil service selection, appointment, and removal procedures.
(e) OSIG Powers and Duties. The OSIG shall:
(1) Receive, review, and investigate complaints against SFSD employees and SFSD contractors; provided, however, that the OSIG shall refer complaints alleging criminal misconduct to the District Attorney, and refer complaints alleging violations of ethics laws to the Ethics Commission.
(2) Investigate the death of any individual in the custody of the SFSD. The OSIG shall refer evidence of criminal misconduct regarding any death in custody to the District Attorney. Notwithstanding such a referral, the OSIG may continue to investigate a death in custody unless OSIG’s investigation will interfere with a criminal investigation conducted by the District Attorney, or any law enforcement agency to which the District Attorney may refer the evidence of criminal misconduct.
(3) Recommend disciplinary action to the Sheriff where, following an investigation pursuant to subsection (e)(1) or (e)(2), the OSIG determines that an employee’s actions or omissions violated law or SFSD policy; provide notice of and a copy of the recommendation, the reasons for the recommendation, and supporting records, to the extent permitted by State or federal law, to the employee; and make available to the public any records and information regarding OSIG’s disciplinary recommendations to the extent permitted by State or federal law.
(4) Develop and recommend to the Sheriff an SFSD use of force policy and a comprehensive internal review process for all use of force and critical incidents.
(5) Prepare and submit a quarterly report to the Sheriff and the SDOB regarding OSIG investigations that includes the number and type of complaints under subsection (e)(1) filed; trend analysis; the outcome of the complaints; any determination that the acts or omissions of an employee or contractor, in connection with the subject matter of a complaint under subsection (e)(1), or a death in custody under subsection (e)(2), violated law or SFSD policy; the OSIG’s recommendations, if any, for discipline; the outcome of any discipline recommendations; and the OSIG’s policy recommendations under subsection (e)(4).
(6) Monitor SFSD operations, including the provision of services to incarcerated individuals, through audits and investigations, to ensure compliance with applicable laws and policies.
(f) In performing its duties, the OSIG may hold hearings, issue subpoenas to witnesses to appear and for the production of evidence, administer oaths, and take testimony. The OSIG also may request and the Sheriff shall require the testimony or attendance of any employee of the SFSD.
(g) Cooperation and Assistance from City Departments. In carrying out their duties, the SDOB and OSIG shall receive prompt and full cooperation and assistance from all City departments, officers, and employees, including the Sheriff and SFSD and its employees, which shall, unless prohibited by State or federal law, promptly produce all records and information requested by the SDOB or OSIG, including but not limited to (1) personnel and disciplinary records of SFSD employees, (2) SFSD criminal investigative files, (3) health information pertaining to incarcerated individuals, and (4) all records and databases to which the SFSD has access, regardless of whether those records pertain to a particular complaint or incident. The Sheriff also shall, unless prohibited by State or federal law, allow the OSIG unrestricted and unescorted access to all facilities, including the jails. The SDOB and OSIG shall maintain the confidentiality of any records and information it receives or accesses to the extent required by local, State, or federal law governing such records or information.
In carrying out their duties, the SDOB and OSIG shall cooperate and collaborate with organizations that contract with SFSD to provide legal services to incarcerated individuals.
(h) Budget and Staffing. Subject to the fiscal, budgetary, and civil service provisions of the Charter, the OSIG staff shall include no fewer than one investigator for every 100 sworn SFSD employees. No SDOB or OSIG staff, including the Sheriff’s Inspector General, shall have been employed previously by a law enforcement agency or a labor organization representing law enforcement employees.
(i) Nothing in this Section 4.137 shall prohibit, limit, or otherwise restrict the Sheriff or the Sheriff’s designee from investigating the conduct of an employee or contractor of the SFSD, or taking disciplinary or corrective action permitted by City or State law.
(j) Nothing in this Section 4.137, including but not limited to subsections (f) and (g), is intended to or shall be interpreted to abrogate, interfere with, or obstruct the independent and constitutionally and statutorily designated duties of the Sheriff, including the Sheriff’s duty to investigate citizens’ complaints against SFSD personnel and the duty to operate and manage the jails, the California Attorney General’s constitutional and statutory responsibility to oversee the Sheriff, or other applicable State law. In carrying out their duties, the SDOB and OSIG shall cooperate and coordinate with the Sheriff so that the Sheriff, the SDOB, and the OSIG may properly discharge their respective responsibilities.
(Added by Proposition D, Approved 11/3/2020; amended by Proposition C, Approved 11/5/2024)
(Added by Proposition B, Approved 11/3/2020; repealed by Proposition B, Approved 11/8/2022)
(a) Purpose. There is hereby established a Sanitation and Streets Commission.
(b) Membership and Terms of Office.
(1) The Commission shall consist of five members, appointed as follows: Seats 1 and 2 shall be appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Seat 3 shall be appointed by the Controller subject to confirmation by the Board of Supervisors. Seats 4 and 5 shall be appointed by the Mayor subject to confirmation by the Board of Supervisors.
Each nomination of the Mayor and the Controller shall be subject to approval by the Board of Supervisors, and shall be the subject of a public hearing and vote within 60 days of the date the Clerk of the Board receives notice of the nomination from the Mayor or Controller. If the Board fails to act on the nomination within those 60 days, the nominee shall be deemed approved. The appointment shall become effective on the date the Board adopts a motion approving the nomination or on the 61st day after the Clerk of the Board receives notice of the nomination, whichever is earlier.
Qualifications for commissioners that are desirable, but not required, include a background or experience in cleaning and maintaining public spaces, urban forestry, urban design, construction, skilled crafts and trades, finance and audits, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, or performance measurement and management.
(2) Members of the Commission shall serve four-year terms; provided, however, the term of the initial appointees in Seats 1 and 4 shall be two years.
(3) Members may be removed at will by their respective appointing officer.
(c) Duties. The Commission shall hold public hearings and set policies for the Department of Public Works (the “Department”) regarding sanitation standards and protocols, and maintenance of the public right of way. In addition, the Commission shall:
(1) review and evaluate data regarding the condition of the public right of way, including but not limited to data collected by the Department and annual reports generated by the Controller; and
(2) establish minimum standards of cleanliness for the public right of way, and set baselines for services to be administered by the Department to maintain cleanliness of the public right of way.
Notwithstanding Sections 4.102, 4.103, and 4.104 of this Charter, the Commission shall exercise only the powers set forth in this subsection (c), and the Public Works Commission shall exercise the oversight authority described in those sections over the Department of Public Works, as set forth in Section 4.141.
(d) Transition following November 8, 2022 election. The tenures and terms of members of the Commission on November 8, 2022 shall continue as provided in this Section 4.139.
(Added by Proposition B, Approved 11/3/2020; amended by Proposition B, Approved 11/8/2022)
(a) Responsibilities of Department. There shall be a Department of Public Works (the “Department”). On January 1, 2023, the Department shall assume the responsibilities of the Department of Sanitation and Streets as they existed on December 31, 2022, and shall retain the existing responsibilities of the Department of Public Works. The Department shall be headed by a Director of Public Works appointed by the Mayor as provided in Sections 3.100(19) and 4.102(5).
Except as otherwise provided in the Charter or pursuant to Section 4.132, in addition to any other duties assigned by ordinance, the Department shall have the following duties: the design, building, repair, and improvement of the City’s infrastructure, including City-owned buildings and facilities and the public right of way; maintenance of the public right of way, including street sweeping, and litter abatement; the provision and maintenance of City trash receptacles and removal of illegal dumping and graffiti in the public right of way; and planting and maintenance of street trees pursuant to Section 16.129.
(b) Nothing in this Section 4.140 shall relieve property owners of their legal responsibilities set by City or State law, including as those laws may be amended in the future.
(c) Transition.
(1) Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Director of Public Works or person serving in an acting capacity as Director of Public Works on December 31, 2022, shall continue to serve in that capacity beginning on January 1, 2023. If at that time there is a person in an acting capacity serving as the Director of Public Works, or if at any time the position of Director of Public Works is vacant for any reason, the position shall be filled in accordance with the Charter provisions governing appointment of a department head. This subsection (c)(1) does not modify the powers vested in the Public Works Commission to remove the Director of Public Works in accordance with Section 4.102(6).
(Formerly Sec. 4.130; Renumbered and amended by Proposition B, Approved 11/3/2020; amended by Proposition B, Approved 11/8/2022)
(a) Purpose. There is hereby established a Public Works Commission.
(b) Membership and Terms of Office.
(1) The Commission shall consist of five members, appointed as follows:
Seats 1 and 5 shall be appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Seats 2 and 4 shall be appointed by the Mayor subject to confirmation by the Board of Supervisors. Seat 3 shall be appointed by the Controller subject to confirmation by the Board of Supervisors.
Each nomination of the Mayor and the Controller shall be subject to approval by the Board of Supervisors, and shall be the subject of a public hearing and vote within 60 days of the date the Clerk of the Board receives notice of the nomination from the Mayor or Controller. If the Board fails to act on the nomination within those 60 days, the nominee shall be deemed approved. The appointment shall become effective on the date the Board adopts a motion approving the nomination or on the 61st day after the Clerk of the Board receives notice of the nomination, whichever is earlier.
Qualifications for commissioners that are desirable, but not required, include a background or experience in cleaning and maintaining public spaces, urban forestry, urban design, construction, skilled crafts and trades, finance and audits, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, or performance measurement and management.
(2) Members of the Commission shall serve four-year terms; provided, however, the term of the initial appointees in Seats 1, 3, and 5 shall be two years.
(3) Commissioners may be removed from office at will by their respective appointing authority.
(c) Powers and Duties. With regard to the Department of Public Works, the Commission shall exercise all the powers and duties of boards and commissions set forth in Sections 4.102, 4.103, and 4.104, except for the authority conferred on the Sanitation and Streets Commission in Section 4.139, and may take other actions as prescribed by ordinance.
(d) Transition following November 8, 2022 election. The tenures and terms of members of the Commission on November 8, 2022 shall continue as provided in this Section 4.141.
(Added by Proposition B, Approved 11/3/2020; amended by Proposition B, Approved 11/8/2022)