No on Proposition C
Inspector General
What is it?
Proposition C is a Charter Amendment introduced by Aaron Peskin that would create the position of Inspector General in the Controller's Office, who would be nominated by the Controller subject to approval by the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor. The Inspector General would investigate cases of fraud, waste, or abuse with anyone who does business with the city.
Purportedly designed to enhance efficiency and centralize investigations, Prop C instead adds bureaucracy. This role would duplicate existing authority already held by the Ethics Commission, District Attorney, City Attorney, City Services Auditor, and the Sheriff's Office of Inspector General. In effect, it makes no substantial changes to the structure of government or its investigatory authority.
Click to show fiscal impacts and more details
Why vote No?
We support sensible and effective oversight, but Prop C is not that.
San Francisco already has at least 4 departments that handle fraud, waste, or abuse – and each has dedicated procedures for doing so:
| Ethics Commission | District Attorney | City Attorney | City Services Auditor | (Proposed) Inspector General |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Created by Prop K in 1993 | Established in the City Charter | Established in the City Charter | Created by Prop F in 2003 | On the ballot as Prop C in 2024 |
| Oversee campaign finance, governmental ethics, and conflicts of interests. | Investigate, prosecute, and litigate criminal cases. | Represent the city in legal proceedings. | Performance audits, fraud, waste, and abuse, whistleblower program, actionable advice. | Investigate fraud, waste, or abuse. |
| 33 people across Administration, Compliance, Policy, Data Analysis, Audits, and Enforcement. | Approximately 250-500 lawyers, and staff, a subset of which would address cases of fraud, waste, or abuse. | Over 300 employees work for the City Attorney's office, across multiple teams. | 76 full time positions, across auditors, analysts, managers, and operations staff. | 1 Inspector General, with support staff at the discretion of the Controller's Office. |
| Issues fines, and refers to the City or District Attorney. | Pursues criminal legal cases. | Pursues civil legal cases. | Refers to the City or District Attorney. | Can refer to another department. |
This ballot prop adds another layer of bureaucracy.