Civil Grand Jury report - Superior Court of California

City and County of San Francisco2012-2013 Civil Grand JuryMethodologyThe 2012-13 Civil Grand Jury interviewed almost 50 people (several twice), attendedpublic advisory committee meetings, Building Inspection Commission (BIC) meetings,Board of Appeal meetings, and the Accela Users meeting.We reviewed• Department of Building Inspection (DBI) budgets• DBI annual reports• DBI policies and procedures• 2007 DBI Business Process Reengineering Report• 2013 DBI progress report on the BPR Report• February 2012 DBI Performance Report• 2011-2013 performance statistics from the plan check, inspections, and housingdivisions• a recent lawsuit filed against DBI• the DBI Code of Professional Conduct• the DBI Statement of Incompatible Activities• Other ethics laws and regulations applying to DBI• About 15 building permits and their supporting files• BIC meeting minutes• Abatement Appeals Board (AAB) minutes• Various sections of the building and housing codesThe Jury interviewed current and former employees, officials at DBI, and customers whouse its services to learn the status of the Department’s ethics regulations and how itsprocesses had been modified to address ethical problems.We reviewed media accounts of some of the ethical lapses of particular DBI employeesand read opinion pieces in blogs, trade newsletters, and websites where customers statedtheir candid accounts of navigating DBI’s permit processing operation. The Jury obtainedinformation from City departments/agencies that receive, track, and investigateallegations and complaints about ethical behavior and other negative activity andbehavior in San Francisco government.The Jury reviewed the complaint and permit information on a number of properties with along-unresolved Notice of Violation. We attended or reviewed the minutes of a numberof AAB hearings. We also discussed the NOV process with DBI staff, other City officials,and members of the community.Building a Better Future at the Department of Building Inspection34