Davis Resigns at Mayor Breed’s Request
Sheryl Davis, the former executive director of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and a USF adjunct professor in the sociology and African American studies departments, resigned from her position in city hall at Mayor London Breed’s request on Sept. 13.
The San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Standard conducted investigations into Davis’ behavior while working on the HRC, and “identified a litany of problems with spending by the Human Rights Commission,” said the Chronicle.
These alleged issues with spending were identified through a city audit which the Chronicle obtained. They include, “not properly monitoring nonprofits, overpaying people by tens of thousands of dollars, approving expenses without documentation and formally approving invoices months after they were paid.”
One example that the Chronicle addressed was the splitting of an invoice for a house rental in Martha’s Vineyard that cost just over $10,000 between June and July, which reportedly is in violation of an invoice-splitting ban.
At the time, Proposition Q restricted spending over $10,000, meaning that any purchase over that amount would have had to go through the Office of Contract Administration. This invoice split would have allowed Davis to pay for the rental in installments less than $10,000 and “without signing a formal contract or undergoing a competitive bidding process,” according to the Chronicle. The proposition has been updated as of July 1 to restrict spending over $20,000.
The SF Standard investigation reported that Davis had allegedly “signed off on multiple six-figure contracts directed to a nonprofit led by a man with whom she shared a home address and car.”
Davis did not formally disclose their relationship, violating “rules that require such a disclosure,” according to the Standard.
The Chronicle reported that, in a “recent public meeting,” Davis said, “We are forced and required to follow bureaucratic norms that don’t make sense to people who are trying to literally save lives. If somebody is dying, I don’t want you to tell me to ‘fill out 10 forms and come back in two weeks.’”
Kellie Samson, USF’s spokesperson, told the Foghorn, “We’re unable to discuss employment status. Ms. Davis’s work at USF is independent of her work with the Human Rights Commission, and we have no comment on the investigation.”
The Foghorn reached out to Davis for comment on Sept. 18, but she did not respond to the request by the time of publication.
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, News Editor: Phebe Bridges. Opinion Sports: Editor John Lindroos
