San Francisco Supervisor David Campos this afternoon called for a hearing regarding the city’s Housing Authority and introduced legislation to improve transparency for the commission that runs the public housing system.
At this afternoon’s board of supervisors meeting at City Hall, Campos called for the board’s government audit and oversight committee to hold a hearing on June 13.
The hearing will review findings from the city’s recent budget and legislative analyst audit that found apparent mismanagement of the commission’s $210 million budget.
In April, the San Francisco Housing Authority commission voted unanimously to fire Executive Director Henry Alvarez.
Barbara Smith is acting as executive director and will be asked at the hearing to detail how the commission plans to deal with issues surfaced in the audit.
Residents will also testify at the hearing about their experiences working with the authority.
According to Campos, the audit revealed that residents are living in squalor and unsafe conditions because of delayed repairs and maintenance.
He highlighted a backlog of some 2,853 repair requests.
He also noted that with more than 26,000 families on a waiting list there are 276 vacant public housing units, according to the audit.
“This is not how you want to see an agency run,” Campos said this afternoon.
Additionally, Campos suggested the board implement new practices for the commission, such as videotaped and publicly accessible meetings that are held at City Hall.
He also called for improved financial management with a chief financial officer appointed or a long-term financial plan that will appropriately handle federal funding and other resources.
The hearing will be held at on June 13 at 9 a.m. in Room 263 at City Hall.
Sasha Lekach, Bay City News
