Civil Grand Jury reports

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SF

1976-77

CIVIL

GRAND JURY
REPORTS

FEB 8 1978

DOCUMENTS DEPT.
S.F, PUBLIC.LISRARy

CITY AND COUNTY OF
SAN FRANCISCO

CALIFORNIA

£~>J

FINAL 1976-77 CIVIL GRAND JURY REPORTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

V Foreman's Letter to the Presiding Judge

116 Adult Probation Department

54 Aging, Commission on the

64 Agriculture and Weights and Measures, Department of

19 Airports Commission

86 Animal Control Center
10 Art Commission

87 Asian Art Museum
100 Assessor

83 California Academy of Sciences

60 Chief Administrative Officer

91 City Attorney

48 City Planning, Department of

57 Civil Service Commission

14 Community College District

5 Controller

60 Coroner

66 County Clerk

89 District Attorney

62 Electricity, Department of

7 Electronic Data Processing

-I-

PL : ECONO JRS
18/02 38

1'AdLK OF CONTENTS (continued)

18 Emergency Services
oA Finance and Records, Department of
85 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
lo Fire Department
S? Health Service System
108 Juvenile Court - Youth Guidance Center
Law Library
1 Mayor
105 Municipal Court
k^ Parking Authority
24 Permit Appeals, Board of
L23 Personnel and Management
21 Police Department
2y Port Commission

68 Public Administrator - Public Guardian
92 Public Defender
7r Public Health, Department of
2? Public Library
33 Municipal Railway
'6 Public WorkSj Department of
?4 Purchasing Department

R^al Estate Department
67 Recorder
) Recreation and Park Department

LI-

TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

69 Registrar of Voters
58 Retirement System
95 Sheriff

5^ Social Services, Department of

103 Superior Court

82 Supervisors, Board of

70 Tax Collector
101 Treasurer

13 Unified School District

28 War Memorial

55 Women, Commission on the Status of

-III-

MEMBERS OF THE 1976-77

CIVIL GRAND JURY

IN AND FOR THE

CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO

Stelios M. Andrew
Miss Barbara A. Belling
Miss Kathleen M. Calkin
Mrs. Mary B. Donnelly
Lawrence M. DuVall
Earl L. Ellingson
Ms. Leslie Evans
Wolfgang Hellpap

George A. Kardum
Frank L. Markey
Mrs. Aileen McCarty
Mrs. Dagmar G. Meyer
Francis J. Murphy
Seizo F. Oka
Miss Irene G. O'Neill
Mrs. Edith Perlman

Carlos E. Xavier

Miss Suzanne E. Perry, Secretary

Robert E. Graham, Foreman

Impaneled, August 1, 1976

Discharged, July 7, 1977

-IV-

City and County of San Francisco

GRAN D JU RY

OFFICE

Room iss. City Hall
telephone: 558-5010

Honorable Henry R. Rolph
Presiding Judge , Superior Court
City and County of San Francisco
Room 465, City Hall
San Francisco, California 94102

Dear Judge Rolph:

I am honored to transmit herewith the investigatory grand jury
reports prepared by the 1976-77 Grand Jury for the City and County
of San Francisco.

You will, of course, note that despite our intentions one year
ago, not all of the departments of the City and County of San Francisco
have been investigated and reported upon. In part, this is because
of the time required for the preparation of the extensive reports on
other departments and, in part, it is because of the unique character
of a citizens' Grand Jury. I will not apologize for failure of the
group to produce a report on each department. It is not possible to
investigate thoroughly and competently the workings of a government
as complex as that of the City and County of San Francisco in the
short time of one year.

I feel it incumbent upon me to evaluate our term of office and
to assess our successes. This Grand Jury was the first to be chosen
by lot from the voter rolls; its make-up was widely diverse in income,
in ages, in ethnic origin, and in professional or occupational back-
ground. This diversity brought refreshing candor to our discussions
and deliberations and provided divergent viewpoints.

Nearly all of the members of this Grand Jury were employed; this
fact presented our first difficulty. Employers were not uniformly
understanding of the time required to competently and effectively
investigate and report on the functions of the various city depart-
ments. The time spent by some members of the Grand Jury during work-
ing hours caused a certain degree of difficulty in their employment.

Another problem was that the randomly selected Grand Jury was
not uniformly well-received by City department heads. Several man-
agers almost routinely made and cancelled meetings with us or even
failed to appear at those conferences scheduled. Some department
heads made rather blatant attempts to influence the opinions of the
stronger willed members of the committees investigating their depart-
ments. Some department heads clearly expected the Grand Jury to do
nothing more than carry their message of budgetary plight to the pub-
lic, the press, the Board of Supervisors, or whoever else they felt

-V-

could assist them. Despite this treatment by a small minority of
the leaders of our government, we have attempted to maintain an
objective attitude in our evaluation.

Those few problems notwithstanding, I do feel a Grand Jury
chosen at random can effectively perform within certain limitations.

First, it has become quite apparent to us that the enormous
commitment of time, energy, and interest on the part of each mem-
ber was not adequately stressed at the time we were chosen at random
to serve on the Grand Jury. I would recommend therefore that each
retiring foreman participate, by invitation of the Presiding Judge,
in a discussion with prospective Grand Jury members concerning the
duties and obligations of the Grand Jury with the view towards obtain-
ing truly dedicated individuals with ample time and a desire to serve
the city.

Secondly, because the investigatory Grand Jury is chosen at
random, there might not be an adequate experience level in business,
management, accounting, or personnel. Lacking this experience level
may result in a Grand Jury merely accepting the statements of those
in City government as gospel. I would recommend, therefore, that
selection areas of the city services or specific topics be investigat-
ed depending on the interests and background of each Grand Jury. The
present system of creating seventeen committees for the investigation
of specific departments becomes extremely repetitive especially where
no changes have occurred in the operations of some City departments.
The resulting reports have sometimes read like an introductory civics
lesson. Larger and more complex problems may be overlooked. A City
department should not expect an annual review by the Grand Jury.
Rather, the watchdog Grand Jury should turn its entire attention and
energy in limited areas where problems have been disclosed in their
investigations. The continued investigations should be thorough and
minutely detailed.

Lastly, I would also recommend further public participation be
actively solicited to assist the Grand Jury. This Grand Jury solic-
ited comments on the performance of City departments by means of a
questionnaire to many community and neighborhood groups. The responses
received from those neighborhood groups were generally derogatory
towards the functioning of the City, but they also lacked the specif-
icity needed to be meaningful in our investigation. Uniform praise
and enthusiasm was given, however, for being included in the process
of evaluating the City. Additionally, one committee had several
afternoon sessions with employees of a specific department on an
open-house basis. There was an unusually high level of participation
in this process. The anonymous comments presented to the department
head and discussed with him resulted in several improvements in the
operation of that department.

In conclusion, I would state that I sincerely appreciate the
guidance and wisdom you have provided me in my duties. I also wish

-VI-

to express the appreciation of the Grand Jury for the active assis-
tance and dedication of Michael Tamony and his staff.

I would also like to publicly thank the members of the first
randomly selected Grand Jury, individually, for their time, devotion,
sacrifice and dedication during this past year. Each person has
made a unique contribution to the final report.

Sincerely,

^w^y^yuJ!^^

iobert E. Graham, Foreman
1976-77 Civil Grand Jury

-VII-

THE MAYOR

George Moscone has been Mayor of the City and County of
San Francisco now for approximately 1-1/2 years. In that time he has
endeavored to create and endorse policy recommendations which would
help to alleviate some of the confusion established by a City Charter
written many years ago and based on the needs of that time.

In spite of his attempt to manage this City and County , he has
been subject to more verbal abuse and dissension from some members of
the Board of Supervisors than any Mayor of San Francisco in thirty
years. His low profile approach has undoubtedly done Mayor Moscone more
harm than good, and it seems wise that the Mayor present more of his
programs and endorsements to the people of San Francisco.

Tax Relief: The budget submitted to the Board of Supervisors by the
Mayor for the 1976-77 fiscal year, included such property tax relief
proposals as a parking tax increase and extension of the gross receipts/
payroll tax (both originally cut, but returned to the tax rolls on the
third reading), a property transfer tax, and the request that legisla-
tion be instituted to increase the Municipal Railway fare. On the third
reading of the budget, the gross receipts and payroll tax increases were
adopted, as well as the parking tax increase, but the other relief
measures were disregarded, rendering the people of San Francisco the
most staggering property tax rate this City has ever seen. The Muni
fare increase alone would have been helpful, but an Environmental Im-
pact Report (EIR) is now required before such an increase can be
considered, and the Board has advised that a study has not even been
requested, as an increase is not 'timely'.

It is firmly believed, however, that when San Francisco can
have one of the lowest transportation fares throughout the country,
and still have such a poor transit budget and a failing system, then
'timely' or not, an increase should be adopted. We do not necessarily
recommend that fares for senior citizens or students be increased,
however, we do feel that general fares are disporportionate to services
received. It is most commendable that there is a desire to continue
to provide the people so much for so little, but when they must con-
tinue to pay for a falling service, a change is clearly Indicated.

Political timing is not what the citizens of San Francisco
vote for, and this Grand Jury would hope that an environmental impact
report be requested regarding an increase in the Muni fares; and
further, that the gross receipts/payroll tax and parking tax increases
be extended, as partial resolutions to a heavy property tax rate.

CETA: The individuals of San Francisco who have comprised
the 1976-77 Grand Jury have indeed seen what leaves much to be desired
In the Joint effort of managing this City.

-1-

TKl MAYOR (continued)

There was a continuous flow of innuendo emmanating from the
Board of Supervisors earlier this year with regard to the CETA Arts
Program. when inadequate supervision was suggested by the 3oard,
rather than requesting a review by the Director of the Budget, coor-
dination with the Department involved could have been more expedient
and inexpensive method of obtaining the same results. In this specific
situation, no consultation with the coordinator of the CETA Arts Pro-
gram was requested or made prior to the evaluation by the Bureau of
the Budget.

It is agreed without reservation that a check on Executive
and Legislative powers is necessary, but definitely not at the expense
of the people before all alternative measures have been exhausted.

Personnel :

Due to number of outdated Charter Laws pertaining to
Civil Service, many City Departments lack effective training; evalua-
tion of performance; standard setting, and priority listing of objec-
tives and goals. It is clearly up to the individual departments to
set the standards of performance, but Department Managers alone have
the sole responsibility of setting priorities and the subsequent
accomplishment of same, as mandated by the City Charter.

As San Francisco is also reputed for its training programs,
once again it should also have the benefit of full evaluation and
selection, and as salaries and full benefits total approximately 80-
90% of the City's budget every year, perhaps a look at ways of saving
in this area should be taken. In many departments, a training period
of 6-12 months is sometimes necessary, as in the Electronic Data
Processing Department or the Assessor's Office, and this obviously
leaves no time to properly evaluate an employees' knowledge and skill
before probation is over.

Further, as San Francisco is required to pay its employees
in certain job classifications on a scale comparable to private in-
dustry, then the City should have the same perogative of selection
on the same basis. Promotion on qualification rather than seniority
is a basic fact in business all over the nation, and San Francisco
should be no exception.

Mayo rial Endorsements and Recommendations ;

Mayor Moscone has reviewed and endorsed many suggestions
presented in various audits performed during this fiscal year. He
has acknowledged the need of providing managers with more flexibility
in recruiting, promoting and terminating, and he has requested the
Civil Service Commission to propose programs to provide incentives
for good performance. Charter Amendment recommendations to support

-2-

TH" :-iAYOR (continued)

this need and endorsed by the T^ayor are:

1. To extend the probationary period of all employees to
12 months;

2. To combine the entrance and promotive examinations to
create a list of all qualified personnel available for open positions.

However, during the past year, this Jury has found serious
hardships in many departments resulting from accumulated sick-leave
be ins taken at retirement. This situation is more fully amplified in
other reports of this Jury, (The Controller, Police Department, Adult
Probation). It is strongly recommended by this Jury that a serious
review of this situation be undertaken and Charter revision be proposed
to shorten this accumulation to a more realistic figure for new City
employees .

Program Management :

A major innovation of the Moscone Administration is in the
Mayor's Department of Program Management.

This department, being so aptly named, has the goal of
providing services to the people of San Francisco by way of inter-
departmental coordination.

For example, complaints may be registered on the danger of
embarking on a bus in a heavily trafficked downtown area, due to the
bus stopping In the middle of the street because the bus zone is full
of parked cars. Through the efforts of the Transportation Division
of the Program Management Department, it is determined that the right
lane of a 3-lane, one-way street in the downtown area, should be used
for Muni service, and right-turn only for all vehicular traffic.

The following departments must be consulted and coordinated:

1. City Planning Department - for transit planning and
coordination of all other one-way streets along the chosen route,

2. Parking Authority - to aid in advising and regulating
commercial vehicle parking and use of designated areas,

3. Police Department/Traffic - to regulate and enforce the
rules and flow of traffic,

JJ . Public Works - to paint the streets accordingly, or post
signs for turns.

If the response from these individual City Departments Is
inadequate and does not provide the necessary information sought , then

-3-

THE MAYOR (continued)

the staff of Program Management will respond and try to assist. How-
ever, with a small staff of 11, each having responsibility of one of
the divisions listed below, to advise and render individual assistance
to each personal complaint is recognized as a rather monumental and
sometimes non-productive task. It should be remembered that the sole
function of this Department is inter-departmental coordination through-
out the City and County Departments.

The following is a list of the departments and areas of ser-
vice coordinated by the Program Management Department:

Division

Departments Coordinated

Education

Transportation

Recreation & Park
Public Safety
Housing/Comm. Dev.
Human Care Services

Cultural Activity
Future Planning

S.F. Unified School District & SFCCD

PUC (Muni), DPW (Traffic), Police
(Traffic), Parking Authority, Planning
Dept. (Transp. Planning), All Private
Transit Carriers (Airporter, Taxis,
Jitneys, Etc.)

All Recreation & Park Functions EXCEPT
Prop. J Planning (which is in 'planning'
section)

Police, Fire, Adult Probation, Juvenile
Court, District Attorney, P/D, MCJC,
Sheriff

OCD, City Planning (Housing Section),
SFRDA, SFHA, DPW (B3I) , Real Estate
Dept. (REHAB) Model Cities

Commission on Aging, Department of
Social Services, All Department of
Health Functions EXCEPT Environmental
Health (this is in City environment
cluster)

Art Commission, Library, Museums, War
Memorial, Academy of Sciences, Opera,
Symphony & Ballet Association

Energy/Land Use, PUC (Water & Hetch
Hetchy, Planning) Planning Dept. (EIR
Process), Real Estate Department (Zoning),
Board of Permit Appeals (Planning issues),
Environ. Man. Task Force, Prop J - Open
Space Planning.

-4-

THE MAYOR (continued)
Jobs & Econ. Dev.

City Environment:

Other City Services:

OED, MOET, City Planning (Commerce &
Industry Element), Tourist & Hotel &
Chamber Groups.

DPW: (Sewer Repair, Street Cleaning,
Tree Planting, Solid Waste
Disposal, Street Repair,
Bureau of Architecture,
Building Repair)

HEALTH: (Rats, Garbage, Environment)

PUC: Hetch Hetchy/Water Department
(day to day maintenance &
repair problems)

OTHER: Noise Abatement, Litter Com-
mittee, Parapet Law, Seismic
Safety, Landmarks, Historic
Preservation, High Rise Safety.

Port, Airport, (Except Transportation
to & from; Human Rights Commission,
Civil Service & Affirmative Action,
Registrar of Voters, Purchaser of
Supplies.

Conclusion:

Politics is a way of life, and like taxes, will remain with
us. To be opposed to a policy is accepted as the way of politics.
However, by and large, this has not been the case in San Francisco
since the election of George Moscone. The continuous clash between
the Mayor and some members of the Board of Supervisors has not restricted
itself to policy issues.

We commend Mayor Mo scone for his efforts in endorsing some
necessary changes needed to promote more efficient management of City
Departments, and hope that he will more publicly present future proposals
and endorsements to the people of San Francisco.

THE CONTROLLER

The purpose of the Department of the Controller is to
FINANCIALLY plan, control and manage the City and County of San Francisco.

In October, 1976, the Controller's Department employed approxi-
mately 126 persons in the following six divisions:

-5-

THb CONTROLLER (continued)

Accounts &. Reports General Audits
Budget Utility Audits

General Office Payroll

By fiscal year end, there will have been several changes in
this department, starting with the General Office Division.

Organization:

The implementation of a new Vendor Payment System is currently
underway. This new system will make each individual desk in the
General Office Division responsible for the transactions of individual
departments. This new system will provide more timely processing and
work flow of documents.

Due to the more efficient work flow of documents from the
General Office Division, the Accounts and Reports Division will be in
a better position to provide more timely reporting schedules.

Also being developed is a separate Grants Division, to be
solely responsible for handling the more than $300 million in grants
procured by the City through various programs.

With the separation of the grants responsibility, this has
opened the door to combining the General Audits and Utility Audits
Divisions, leaving them free to conduct and report on a more timely
basis the annual and monthly audits required by City Charter.

Personnel:

Turnover in personnel in the Controller's Department is quite
high. Out of 47 employees in the General Office Division in 10/76,
only 4 had been there for one year. A number of reasons exist for
this high rate.

Salary levels for most clerical workers in this department
are somewhat below private industry, and this has left this department
open as a training ground only.

In turn, as the process of obtaining replacement personnel
can take as long as 2-4 months, Supervisors must perform the day to
day accounting functions, ■ lowering their morale, as they then are not
effectively evaluating the personnel in their departments, and this
is sorely needed.

The accumulation of sick leave being taken at retirement,
as a virtual additional vacation, and thus carrying a person on the pay-
roll and not having the benefit of work out-put for a period of some-
times up to six months, is also a low moral factor, not to mention
economically unsound.

-6-

THE CONTROLLER (continued)

Recommendations :

This Jury would recommend that a Charter change he proposed
and endorsed to extend the probationary period of new employees to
that of 12 months, for two basic reasons:

1. To induce an attitude of more permanence;

2. To allow for a more reasonable period of evaluation,
as many departments require more than 6 months of
training.

This Jury endorses the recommendation of a combined entrance/
promotive examination and subsequent list of all qualified personnel,
as recommended in other reports of this Jury (i.e., The Mayor).

The sick leave accumulation problem can be most detrimental
in this department, when combined with the high turnover problem,
and a serious study and review is suggested at once to bring this
accumulation down to a more realistic figure.

Conclusion:

Mr. John Farrell, Controller, is doing a commendable job in
carrying out those functions directed by the City Charter which he
has been charged with, considering the problem of high turnover, and
lack of proper training that exist.

The yearly audit of his department was thoroughly reviewed
by the Controller and his staff, and some valuable suggestions presented
which might be utilized were adopted.

We laud his management of a department with such critical
problems in personnel, and hope that those suggestions presented by
this Jury will be seriously reviewed in an effort to create more effic-
ciency in this, and other City Departments.

ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING

The Electronic Data Processing Department (EDP) has a central
complex at City Hall, currently running at 98-100% use capacity. The
request for budget funds, to be subsidized by a request for federal
funds, in the 1977-78 budget, was denied, and for at least the next
fiscal year, EDP will have to make do.

The invaluable systems being run and designed for the various
City Departments through EDP are most impressive.

-7-

E LECTRONI C DATA PROCESSING (continued)

The Health Care System, installed approximately 1-1/2 years
ago, at San Francisco General Hospital, has recovered at least
$'"4,000,000 in bill collections so far, and has enabled the hospital
to double its billings.

The purpose of computer aids is to obtain a full, true and
total picture of a situation. When all of the problems have been
acknowledged, a revision of departmental procedures and system design
can then be made. However, there are still many problems existing in
the admission, registration and accounting functions of the hospital,
all of which require EDP assistance, and this assistance cannot be
forthcoming until the current system capacity is enlarged.

This Jury recommends that prompt attention and financial
aid be rendered to EDP to help establish a system to generate more
revenue from our health services departments.

With the data currently in the computers , the EDP Department
would appear to be in a most equitable position to assist in quantita-
tive evaluations of department performance, and thereby aid in deter-
mining the necessary procedural revisions. Hence, this could be deemed
another reason to enlarge our computer capacity, with possible opti-
mization of systems and operational procedures.

As an example, EDP has set up, and is in the process of con-
ducting a series of workshops with and for the Controller's Accounting
Staff. These workshops are established to train the users of the
computer system. The purpose of the program is three-fold:

1. To familiarize the Controller Management Staff with
current applications performed for the Controller's office;

2. To promote a better understanding of mutual requirements
and an appreciation of the problems of both the Controller's Accounting
and Data Processing Divisions;

3. To plan toward improving the effective use of EDP capa-
bilities in the Controller's Office.

This is but one instance of training programs for one depart-
ment that all departments require.

Also, an alleviation of particular training is sometimes
necessary, as is shown in the new system that went into effect in the
Fire Department, in November, 1976. SAFER (System for Assignment of
Fire Equipment and Resources) is a system which supplants the old peg-
board and bell system. There are terminals in every station house,
and when an alarm is turned in, a voice will transmit information to
the fire house that is to respond, and a print-out will come through
indicating the date, time, location of incident, equipment required,

-8-

ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING ( continued )

etc. The terminals also retain which other houses and equipment are
in use, and will automatically alert the next house to respond or
standby .

The most long sought after system coming into operation this
year, however, is the FAMIS System, (Financial and Accounting Manage-
ment Information System), a budget program system.

The contract for system design has been signed with Peat,
Warwick and Mitchell, and is to be completed in 3 phases:

I. Determination or identification of Budget Program,
this to be completed in 1978;

II. Budget and Performance System, partial implementation
is due in July, 1979;

III. Standard Setting of Performance Evaluation due in
approximately April, 1982.

This entire system will cost approximately $4,000,000 and
it is expected, within 6 years of use, to save some $6,000,000, and
will be far more helpful in determining departmental and project budgets.
The potential of helping save the taxpayer from the ever rising tax
rate is astronomical.

Recommendations :

Investigation by this Jury has determined three areas of
concern in EDP. The first, as previously mentioned, is the lack of
computer capacity. The second area is training and evaluation.

EDP is reputed for its high standards of training, and this
is most commendable. However, it is recommended that the probationary
period of new employees be extended to 12 months, as training in this
department is often more than 6 months in duration and the need for
adequate evaluation is most necessary.

Thirdly, there is a lack of firm policy in determining secu-
rity on the release of information. Pending further Federal and State
law on the security of computer information, the City should have def-
inite written policy to insure against the arbitrary release of infor-
mation.

Currently pending review and approval are procedures for
obtaining and releasing data. The new policy would require approval
of release of information from the following:

1. The owner of the material stored in the computer, (the

department, bureau, agency or commission whose information

-9-

l^LECTHONIC DATA PROCESSING (continued)

is on the Controller's computer)

2. Approval of legal counsel to the Controller;

5. Approval of the Director of EDP; (all information would
have to be obtained from the Controller's EDP department,
and with such authorized EDP personnel in attendance.)

4. No such release of information shall be given on an on-
going basis, but must be renewed via appropriate channels,
at regular intervals.

The potential of Electronic Data Processing is most impressive,
and the management and direction under Henry Nanjo, is most efficient.
It is only hoped that future budget requests of EDP for expanding the
capacity of the computer system will be granted, to benefit many City
Departments.

ART COMMISSION

The Art Commission is an association of architectural,
theatrical, musical and literary professionals, whose primary concern
is in the review of design to enhance public buildings to add to the
beauty of the City.

The other areas of concern would be in the various activities
or performances the Commission endorses and sponsors.

The Pops Concert has been in existence for over twenty-five years and
generates much interest, draws one of the largest crowds, and is always
filled to capacity. However, the concert revenue is not as large as
it could be, due to the fact that many organizations receive discount
tickets, and some even free tickets. The purpose behind this activity
however, is to bring the arts to the people and not keep it out of
reach of those unable to afford it.

The Neighborhood Arts Programs (NAP) are community organizations formed
and advised 'aj the Art Commission to organize those interested communi-
ties into theater, dance, music and poetry groups to advance an interest
and participation in the arts, and to utilize the ethnic backgrounds
which exist and bring these to others.

The l??C-77 NAP budget was approximately ill 4, 000, and received
£100,000 in private donations and approximately $150,000 ;.n grants and
discretionary fund support. More and more neighborhood:-- are becoming
interested in advancing this culturally beneficial program in their
own communities, and through the efforts of the CETa program, and the

-10-

ART COMMISSION (continued)

aid that the CETA artists provide, these communities are able to con-
tinue to bring such cultural benefits to their neighborhoods.

The CETA Arts Program currently has 102 employees working in variou
capacities throughout the City.

The rules by which these CETA people are governed are much
less stringent than those imposed on an office worker. Their purpose
is, "to test and satisfy the growing public demand for art services....
to relieve recessionary pressures on non-profit art organizations and
agencies, and broaden significantly the services to San Franciscans
offered by art institutions, community centers and other agencies."
This is done by contacting communities, neighborhoods, and those inter-
ested in developing a more basic grasp of everyday application art.

Better than ^0% of those employed through the CETA Arts
Program are currently supplementing many art programs in our City
School system. As monetary support for art, music and dance are cu1
from the educational curriculum, these CETA artists are requested by
the schools to supplement these educational programs and help to keep
them alive. This is not meant to imply that these workers are teachers,
they are artists advancing the arts. However, due to their unusual
scope of employment, working hours and locations, it is recommended
that an on-going procedure of job-site checking by individuals in a
supervisory capacity be more fully complied with.

As a tremendous backlog of requests for CETA Artists currently
exist, further solicitation has been restricted.

This had become necessary due both to the lack of sufficient
personnel to accomplish the requests and in view of the fact that fed-
eral funds will soon be exhausted.

Street Merchant Licensing is another responsibility of the Art Commis-
sion. A major concern in this area is with the issuing of licenses to
the Street Merchants. The rules of "hand crafted", and "original design
of materials" are many times not adhered to by the merchants, and the
recommendation of this Jury is directed at the Art Commission to more
carefully review both the new applications and the existing permits of
the merchants and be assured that these rules have been complied with
or refuse to issue a new license, and/or withdraw existing permits.

It is also the duty of the Art Commission to disperse the
Street Merchants within those areas allowed and provided (for the
Streets Merchants). There has been some problem in this regard, and
the Art Commission should more firmly seek assistance of other City
Departments in an attempt to alleviate this problem area.

In summary, the Art Commission is performing its primary
function of bringing the arts to the citizens of San Francisco, and

-11-

Aim COMMISSION (continued)

assisting the educational institutions and the neighborhoods in the
continuing programs of art, and we hope that the CETA Arts Program
will be supported and future funds obtained to continue to assist the
various departments and people of San Francisco.

Aileen McC arty-
Edith Pearlman
Leslie Evans

Kathleen Calkin, Chairman

-12-

SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

There have been a number of major changes in the San
Francisco Unified School District this year; it is difficult to evalu-
ate some of these as the programs have not been in effect long enough
to produce results. We recognize that there are no immediate, easy
solutions to the complex problems that face the District.

The San Francisco Federation of Teachers became the exclusive
representative for the District's 5000 teachers. It is hoped that this
will simplify bargaining procedures and allow for more reasonable
negotiations that will result in a satisfactory agreement for both
teachers and the District.

The Board of Education adopted a Board Policy outlining a
new administrative organization, and describing the offices and their
functions. The Office of the Superintendent of Schools is responsible
for the development and operation of programs of instruction so that
San Francisco schools may offer quality education. ^he Superintendent
is the chief executive of the District and is responsible for the
administration of the business functions. The Office of Management is
responsible for all non-instructional services, including the office of
Secretary of the Board, Data Processing, Internal Audit, Budget and
Finance, and Management Services. The Office of Instruction is
responsible for coordinating all instructional activities including the
Children's Centers, Planning and Evaluation, Instructional Support and
supervision of the Area Superintendents.

As part of Superintendent Robert Alioto's redesign, the
Unified School District opened four school district area offices in
an effort to decentralize the administration. Each office is headed
by an area superintendent who will be responsible for the educational
programs of the approximately thirty-four schools in his area. This
decentralization is intended to bring services closer to the schools
and to make the administration more accessible to the public.

The Unified School District is on a program budget, which
has been found helpful in the few years since it has been implemented.
Two financial reports have been introduced this year. The Quarterly
Budget Review gives the current status of the General Fund, Children's
Centers Fund, Development Centers Fund, County General Education and
School Services Fund, Cafeteria Fund and Federal/State Aid with
projections of year-end balances. The Three-Year Projection on
Revenues and Expenditures, to be revised annually, is an effort to
provide a basis for long-term planning. It lists projections on
revenues, expenditures, salaries, local school tax rates, student
enrollment and any other factors that might affect the budget.

-13-

SAL' FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (continued)

A new early retirement plan for teachers was adopted by the
school board in April. Employees who have worked for the district at
least ten years, and are between fifty and sixty years old may retire
and work on a consulting basis for up to five years. Under this plan,
teachers would receive roughly forty percent of their salary from
the State Retirement Fund as well as State Health Benefits. VJhen
called upon to perform consulting services they would be paid $150
per day for assistance in solving specific problems. The school
district will save over $14,000 per teacher yearly with this plan.
Besides the substantial savings, allowing teachers to retire earlier
will give the district greater flexibility in working with declining
enrollment. Six hundred teachers are currently eligible and 1000 will
be eligible to retire in the next three years.

Superintendent Alioto and the Board of Education have
finally faced up to the fact that with declining enrollments, the
Unified Schools need fewer school buildings. At the end of May, it
was voted to close five schools: Geary, Frederic Burke, Pacific
Heights and Parkside Elementary Schools, and Portola Junior High. This
Jury recognizes that it was a hard, unpopular decision, and commends
the Board for making the necessary first move. It is estimated that
these school closings will save the district $525,000 annually in
administrative costs and Oil million in building construction costs
since these buildings will not have to be earthquake proofed.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

The major goal of the Community College District is to give

all adults living in San Francisco the opportunity to continue their

education, to provide an atmosphere conducive to growth and learning.

Their success at this is shown by the fact that about 80,000 people of

all ages and backgrounds are taking advantage of these programs.

In order to further this goal, the Community College District
is divided into two separate systems, each with its own president:
City College and Community College Centers.

City College provides courses with credit for students who
wish to take their first two years there, then transfer to a four-year
college. There are also many two-year programs for those who wish to
prepare for a career. Besides its large campus, City College offers
credit courses at several of the Community College Centers and is part
of the Bay Area TV-Consortium, which offers college-via-TV. City
College is the largest two-year college in the State, with an enroll-
ment of over P5,noo students.

The Community College Centers offer non-credit courses

COM'^'ITY COLLEGE DISTRICT (continued)

through seven centers; they offer classes at about 180 branch locatio:
spread throughout the City. Their emphasis is on variety so that
everyone might benefit. meachinr English as a second language, taking
about 20'* of the Centers' budget, is an important part of education in
San Francisco . The Centers also offer special classes for senior citi-
zens, the handicapped, people working for elementary and high school
diplomas and other special Interests.

Dr. Louis 7. Batmale, Chancellor of the District since its
beginning: in ln70, retired at the end of June, ln77- We would like to
commend him for the excellent job he has done; he will be missed. After
a thorough search, the Governing Board has named Herbert Sussraan,
president of the '!ew York City Community College in Brooklyn, to replace
»r. Batmale.

As lack of classroom space continues to be a problem for
the College Centers, we recommend that the Unified School District
cooperate in allowing its vacant facilities to be utilized as much
as possible by the College District.

George Kardum
Dagmar "eyer

Barbara Belling, Chairman

-15-

FIRE DEPARTMENT

The 1976-77 Grand Jury has undertaken to evaluate further
the effect of decreased salaries, cut benefits and the change in
working hours on the fire fighters of San Francisco,

The original budget of the Fire Department for the 1976-77
fiscal year allowed 1,632 uniformed Firemen to comprise the protec-
tive fire force in San Francisco. In October, 1976, there were 82
positions deleted due to cuts in the budget; 70 retirements and
approximately 50 sick leave/disability vacancies, leaving the true
number of active personnel at approximately 1,430. In March, 1977*
the vacancies had climbed to 231, leaving only l,28l uniformed Firemen
to protect 49 square miles of homes and property.

San Francisco is a very unique City, with its winding hills,
woodi-framed buildings, the crosswind factor between the Bay and the
ocean, not to mention our current drought situation, all creating
great fire hazards. To attempt to place San Francisco on a comparable
scale with any other City in California is an error by virtue of the
fact that no other City in California has these same characteristics.

The startling drop in the uniformed fire fighters from the
originally budgeted 1,632 to our current l,28l, leaves San Francisco
in a very precarious position, because there has been a dramatic rise
in the number of 3rd, 4th, and 5th alarm fires. Between 1975 and 1976,
the number of major alarms has doubled. After granting the Fire
Department a 1976-77 budget to provide the City with these 1,632 fire
fighters, the Board of Supervisors advised Fire Chief Andrew Casper
that he must come up with $3,000,000 in savings by fiscal year end.
To adhere to this directive, Chief Casper had to put a freeze on
all new hires.

Chief Casper has done a commendable job in attempting to
compensate for this low level force, and he has requested the present
staff to work overtime. Another result of the low level staff is
that the Chief is required to send smaller contingents to respond to
fires, this resulting in longer periods of time to contain the blaze,
accounting for the increase in multiple alarm fires.

Morale is one of the major problems in the Fire Department
at present, and as Firemen do not receive time and a half for double
shifts, in the alternative they do receive compensatory time off.
However, in actuality, this is not possible, as they are understaffed
to begin with and cannot take it. On the other hand, when the men
agree to work the extra shift at regular pay, rather than take
compensatory time, the costs to the City could be great. An overworked
staff is not the most efficient in either attitude or physical capa-
bilities. Further, the men in the Fire Department are dedicated to

-16-

FIRE DEPARTMENT (continued)

their job of saving lives and property, and believe that when their
own City will not provide funds for an adequate staff, they must wonder
if they are working with and for people who do not care as much as
they. Another results of the low morale problem is with the eligible
retirees taking advantage of their situation and retiring from the
force, reducing the force to its present l,28l level.

Turning to the problem of hours in the Fire Department,
when the voters passed the initiative on the 10-14 system (10 hours
on and 14 off/14 hours on and 10 off), they were actually returning
the department to a situation they left over 20 years ago, primarily
because the 10/14 system created serious problems in family life for
the Firemen. The fighting force of the Fire Department will not
necessarily be subject to increase, save for the number of retirement
positions now open, and the need of filling these. However, the
administrative staff will now have to coordinate and report on all of
the activities created by the change in shifts every 10/l4 hours, and
will inevitably have to be increased.

Equipment in the Fire Department is also of paramount impor-
tance. It is recommended, therefore, that a more realistic look be
taken at the age and condition of the Departments ' s first line
vehicular equipment. To maintain safety in vehicles, engines are
used for 15 years, and trucks for 20 years, then retired to a relief
status for 5 years. In the 1976-77 budget, 4 engines and 3 trucks
were due to be placed in relief status; 21 vehicles were requested
for replacement — none were granted. It should not be necessary that
the City wait to replace necessary equipment until after serious
damage has been done, (as with the repair of the cable car depression
beams made only after numerous injuries had been sustained).

The 1976-77 Grand Jury would like to extend its appreciation
and gratitude to the fire fighting force of San Francisco for their
dedication and valor; and to Fire Chief Casper for his leadership
and continuing efforts in his difficult job, but one well done.

-17-

EMERGENCY SERVICES

The City and County of San Francisco Emergency Services
organization will plan, prepare for and conduct operations in order
to accomplish the following objectives in the event of a major
disaster or City emergency:

1. Save lives and protect property.

2. Repair and restore essential systems and services.

3. Provide a basis for direction and control of emergency
operations .

l\. Provide for the protection, use and distribution of
remaining resources.

5. Provide for protection and continuity of government.

6. Coordinate operations with the emergency service
organizations of other Jurisdictions.

The position of this Jury, as well as with past Grand Juries,
in the matter of an Emergency Coordination Center, and the need of the
9-1-1 communications system, is that it should be funded or proposed
as a bond issue. Some of the advantages of building a coordination
headquarters are:

1. Fifty percent of the funds required would be Federally
subsidized, because the City government is required to
be prepared for any nuclear disaster which could occur;

2. To provide one secured location to house all communi-
cations, i.e., Fire Department, Police Department,
Ambulance Services, would also provide one solution
to some of the overcrowded departments;

3. A single location for emergency communications provides
for better coordination and control of all departments
involved with handling the emergency.

San Francisco is fortunate to have several prime locations
for such a communication center, and Emergency Services feels that
this center is most necessary. The present cost is estimated to be
$3 million but this figure will escalate in the future due to
spiraling inflation.

We commend Mr. Edward Joyce, Director of Emergency Services,
for his efforts in maintaining this important department for the

-18-

EMERGENCY SERVICES (continued)

protection of the people of San Francisco and for the fine rapport
he has established with the other Bay Area counties in a Joint effort
for the safety of all.

AIRPORTS COMMISSION

The investigation of the San Francisco Airport facilities
and managing staff, under the direction of William J. Dwyer, revealed
a very dedicated, responsive and progressive management.

The forecast of services to patrons at San Francisco Airport,
after the completion of the expansion of the present facilities, will
provide accomodations for 18 to 30 million passengers. Just over
18,000,000 passengers were assisted at San Francisco Airport in
1976-77, and an estimated 19,600,000 patrons are anticipated in 1977-78.

The new North Terminal building, currently under construc-
tion, is scheduled for opening in the 1978-79 fiscal year, and the
total completion of the expansion program is due in 198*1. It is
anticipated that this will be the last expansion program at the
Airport in view of the fact that there is no room for further
growth. It is believed that, with facilities capable of accomodating
approximately 30,000,000 passengers , the need of further growth will
not be necessary.

Through the various rental charges, landing fees, conces-
sions, etc., the Airport has been able to become a self-sustaining
entity, and has in fact started repaying the general fund for the
bond indebtedness incurred in 1957, at the rate of $1,000,000 per year.

The Airport medical facilities are most impressive and
unique in the sense that these facilities are within the Main Terminal
building of the Airport, as opposed to most other airports which have
small first aid stations outside the main terminal areas.

These facilities, under the direction of Dr. Lawrence A.
Smookler, are most complete, well managed and staffed 2k hours a day.
Emergency vaccinations, which might be required for overseas travel,
can be provided at a moment's notice; a fully equipped mobile cardiac
and respiratory vehicle, capable of responding to an emergency within
approximately 3 minutes is maintained; provisions of first aid to
workmen, employees, and passengers are also available. Highly endorsed
by this Jury is the purchase of one more mobile unit, which will be
accomplished once the expansion of the Airport facilities has been
completed.

-19-

AIRPORTS COMMISSION (continued)

We would like to take this opportunity to commend the
Airports Commission and Mr. Dwyer, Director of the Airport, for their
fine and conscientious efforts in maintaining and improving the
San Francisco Airport.

Kathleen M. Calkin,
Earl L. Ellingson,
Lawrence M. DuVall, Chairman

-20-

POLICE DEPARTMENT

During the fiscal year in which this Grand Jury served,
it was found that the Police Department was constantly in a state
of flux. The trend of numerous retirements, which began during
the previous year, continued at an alarming rate; there was a
constant re-assignment of Officers and there was noticeable
dissension within the ranks.

The first important point noticed by this Grand Jury
was the low morale factor among the Police Officers from the
lower echelon to middle staff. This morale factor was reflected
in the high retirement rate of 8*1 during fiscal year 1976-77
through the month of April 1977; for fiscal year 1975-76, there
were 191 retirements, while in 197^-75, only 31 persons retired.
The Grand Jury feels that some of the possible causes for the
large number of retirees during the past several years are: 1)
the attainment of retirement age of a large number of Officers;
2) the disillusionment of the Officers after the adverse reactions
of the voters on the recent ballot initiatives; 3) lack of coopera-
tion and respect within the ranks.

The large number of retirements in the Police Department,
we feel, is a cause for some concern. This Grand Jury recommends
that persons who become disabled in the line of duty and therefore,
cannot perform in their original functions, should be referred to
light duty as is done in Los Angeles County, if that be physically
suitable to the individual. At present, the City and County of
San Francisco has no such program and the Retirement Board has no
alternative but to retire a partially disabled person. At this
writing, the Board of Supervisors is considering the retention of
an independent hearing officer to hear disability retirement
applications. Having an independent referee, totally separate
from the Department should prevent the possible abuse of disability
retirements. .

Turning to the problem of space within the Police
Department as noted by the Grand Juries of prior years, the Crime
Lab is definitely in need of additional working area. Some of
the space consuming materials held as evidence have to be kept for
long periods of time in the working office space of the Lab
because of the requirements of the laws of evidence. This, of
course, contributes greatly to the cluttered and crowded conditions
in the Crime Lab. During the investigation of this Grand Jury, it
has been revealed that some of the space under the Jurisdiction of
the Coroner's Office, currently remaining unused, might be utilized
by the Police Department by relocating the Crime Lab to the ground
floor adjacent to the Coroner's Office, or in the alternative,

-21-

POLICE DEPARTMENT (continued)

transferring some of the stored items to the unused space. Thi3
matter has been pointed out by this Grand Jury to the Police Chief
and his Deputies, particularly from the advantageous standpoint of
the nature of the work of both the Crime Lab and the Coroner's
Office. It is recommended that the Mayor's Office and the Board of
Supervisors look into this matter as one of the solutions to
improve the over-crowded conditions of the Crime Lab.

The space problem in the Criminal Investigation Bureau
will be eliminated when that Bureau gets all its records on
microfilm. Microfilming is now underway at a good pace. Rows upon
rows of file cabinets occupied much needed space at the time of the
Grand Jury's visit.

The partial installation of the much publicized 9-1-1
system of the Bureau of Communications has taken place, however,
it still lacks certain hardware and personnel. The Board of
Supervisors has thus far not allocated monies needed to complete
the project. Also, further delays have occurred because
feasibility studies have been requested by the State Legislature,
since the State is providing some of the funds for installation
of the system.

The SAFE (Safety Awareness for Everyone) program was
initiated in the Fall of 1976 for the purpose of citizen awareness
of crime prevention at the neighborhood level. Meetings have been
held between various neighborhood leaders and the Police Depart-
ment. Local leaders concur in this idea of neighborhood involve-
ment. Lt. Mullen and Lt. Jordan of the Police Department staff
are bringing this program to the attention of the man on the beat,
mostly through information given at the area watch meetings.

Training and retraining of Officers is an important
factor in the Police Department. Certain courses in police
psychology and other police subjects are being offered the
Officers in the Department as well as "on the job" training.
Important in this respect is the comment from the Coroner's Office
about the apparent mishandling or inadvertent destruction of
evidence by Police personnel at the scenes of crimes. The
Coroner's Office has expressed concern over important evidence
having been mishandled on several occasions. The Police Chief,
upon being questioned by this Grand Jury on the subject, stated
that Police Officers are receiving training in laws of evidence
to avoid the occurrence of such incidents. We recommend that the
Coroner be invited to conduct sessions at the Police Academy with
regard to the handling of evidence.

In conclusion, this Grand Jury feels that morale is
the underlying cause of certain dissension within the ranks and

-22-

POLICE DEPARTMENT (continued)

also that morale Is an important factor in the numerous "early"
retirements. The crux of the matter lies in the plain and simple
fact that communications appear to have broken down between the
upper and lower echelon. The Grand Jury feels that those few
Police Officers involved must rise above "petty politics" and
remind themselves of their sworn duty to protect the Citizens of
this City. We need the highest quality service they can, and for
the most part, do, provide.

Aileen McCarty
Seizo F. Oka

Francis J. Murphy, Chairman

-23-

BOARD OF PERMIT APPEALS

The Board of Permit Appeals is an appointed body of
citizens which hears cases resulting from granting or denying
permits through the administrative process of other City departments
such as Police, Fire, Health, Public Works and City Planning.

This Grand Jury finds that many of the problems previously
encountered by this Board with these City departments appear to be
evaporating for several reasons. The Board appears to be more
business-like in its meetings, or hearings, lacking the "frivolous
atmosphere" and "insensitivity" that were apparent to a previous
Grand Jury. Meetings of the Board are orderly. They are usually
somewhat lengthy - perhaps more so than they should be. This results
from the Board's attempt to give all applicants and protestants
an adequate and equitable opportunity to present their case at the
public hearing. The Board members appear well informed on cases
being presented to them. Changes in department-head level of other
City departments may also have contributed to the reduction in
inter-department problems in that this Board is not regarded in as
much an adversary role as it once was. Further, the present Board
appears to be extremely concerned with public input and with the
rights of "ordinary citizens" rather than with more influential
applicants.

We commend Philip Siggins, Executive Director of the Board,
for his services both to appellants and to the Board. Mr. Siggins
meets with appellants, outlines the appeals process and gives the
advice necessary to permit the process to work smoothly. We
understand that he has often been accused of being an advocate of
the appellant because of his very obvious attempt to assist the
citizenry with their problems. This Grand Jury submits that this
should be the function of the public servant.

The administrative process of permit denial and appeal is
confusing to most citizens and should be clarified or modified.
Applicants denied permits or licenses are supposedly given notice
that they have a right to appeal within a short 10 days of the
denial, although the processing period prior to that denial may have
taken several months. In many cases, the appellant is unaware of
his rights to appeal. It should be mandatory that with each denial
of license or permit an applicant should be informed Immediately in
writing, in easily understood terms, of his rights to appeal and of
the required timetable. He should have the counseling of a staff
member of the Board at that time if necessary. The 10 day period
for filing an appeal should be extended to permit adequate time for
preparation and processing of the appeal.

-24-

BOARD OF PERMIT APPEALS (continued)

The need for an attorney (or attorneys) on the staff of
this Board has often been the subject of discussion. The Executive
Director has found it necessary to attend Law School to prepare
himself for the service he must perform. It is the recommendation
of this Grand Jury, as it has been from previous Grand Juries, that
no such staff counsel position be established nor that the Director
be required to be an attorney. We recommend that legal consultation
be obtained from the City Attorney's office as and when required
by this Board. There appears to be a concern on the part of the
City Attorney that, by providing this consultation to the Board by
his staff, he may create a conflict of interest situation. It
appears to us that, by careful assignment of responsibility, the
problem of alternately designating an attorney to work with this
Board and with other "adversary" City departments can be eliminated.

This Board may hear over iJOO cases in a year. With this
as a consideration, it appears to be understaffed with only an
Executive Director, one Secretary and one CETA employee, with
academic training in the law, available to process all appeals and
to offer the required services to appellants and to the Board.
Budgetary problems appear to be extremely critical. It has been
brought to our attention that for a period of several months in the
last fiscal year, no funds were available for a court reporter to
provide the required hearing transcripts and no funds were available
for stamps and mailing of necessary documents. We are concerned of
legal responsibilities if a situation develops in which a court
hearing is required at a later date and no transcript is available
from a Board hearing. It would suggest and we recommend that this
Board be provided adequate funds to provide the services necessary
to the public — including court reporters and personnel for counselling.

Our immediate impression of the office facilities of
Mr. Siggins certainly was unfavorable. It appeared to be one of the
shabbiest of all City offices. We recognize that physical facilities
are not as important as a staff that performs its duties well, it
nevertheless strikes us that this office should not give to the
public the impression of total poverty and neglect.

PUBLIC LIBRARY

San Franciscans should be and can be pleased with the
appointment of their new City Librarian. John Frantz comes to our
City with vast experience, innovative ideas, and motivation to
rebuild the library system. Following the controversy that surrounded
a previous City Librarian, Kevin Starr, this Grand Jury Committee
was impressed with both Mr. Frantz and with his predecessor, the
interim caretaker of the system, Edwin Castagna.

-25-

PUBLIC LIBRARY (continued)

The Librarian has had little time since his arrival in
February to effect substantial change in either organization or
operation. His beginning by development of a master plan for the
Library is laudable. We feel that, in its final form, this master
plan should include not only program objectives but also detailed
employee performance standards, not only recommendations for new
facilities but also plans for better, more efficient use of existing
facilities, not only appeals for or plans for additional staff and
financial support but also plans for additional services resulting
from streamlining the existing operation.

It now appears that the City Librarian is competent to
deal with the administrative problems that have plagued the system
for some time.

We are pleased that the budget for the next fiscal year
includes provision for the Automated Circulation System to replace
an out-dated "Self-Charge System". The new system, which has been
recommended for many years, has been tried and has proven successful
in other public libraries. It should be considerably more efficient
and should reduce losses and overdue accounts. Although three new
positions have been approved in the new budget, that of Assistant
City Librarian has not. This is one of the major requirements
of the Library as we perceive it. The position had been approved
by the Mayor but was again cut by the Board of Supervisors. It is
imperative that this position be approved in the future. The City
Librarian must be responsible for administration and management of
the library system but he must also interface appropriately with
City government and, particularly in San Francisco, with civic and
social groups. Without the services of an Assistant City Librarian
to manage the budgetary and routine administrative functions of the
system, priorities and time constraints would dictate that little
effort could be allocated by the Librarian to important civic and
social interaction. We understand that San Francisco is the only
City of its size in the United States that does not have a similar
library position funded at the present time. Some believe that
management of the system can, and should, be left entirely to the
City Librarian as his sole responsibility. The effort required of
a new City Librarian to solve the current problems of a complex
system will require more than routine management, however.

A recent research report compared eight major city library
systems for U. S. cities with population of approximately 600,000
to 900,000. Although San Francisco ranked sixth in population within
the library system service area in that study, it ranked first in
total system bookstock and third in total system circulation. It had
the largest staff per capita and the largest number of branch
libraries. It appears, then, that the personnel and facilities are
there to provide substantial and adequate service given the proper

-26-

PUBLIC LIBRARY (continued)

motivation and innovation by the new City Librarian and the
cooperation of the City Administration.

The challenge to the Library system is its re-orientation
from white middle class to a multi-national, multi-racial, multi-
interest system. The administrative staff is beginning to recognize
the needs and the branch libraries are being tailored to meet the
needs of the communities they serve.

It is beginning to become evident that it is difficult to
staff the library adequately within the civil service system. The
system hinders the selection of appropriate employment candidates
for very specialized assignments. It dictates promotion from within,
thereby fostering inbreeding within an existing staff. And, it does
not provide adequately for rewarding excellent employee performance
of the kind expected at the professional level in a service organiza-
tion such as the library. One of the City Librarian's major tasks
must be the review of the selection process for new employees and
for promotion of his existing personnel. Position descriptions must
be modified to reflect the current requirements of the system and
care must be taken by the Library and by Civil Service to recruit,
employ and promote only those job candidates that meet the vigorous
standards required by the system.

Previous Grand Jury reports have proposed a reduction in
the number of branch libraries to effect increased service levels
without increasing staff. This Grand Jury recommends that all existing
branches remain open to serve the neighborhoods. It further recommends
that consideration be given in the Library's master plan to opening
certain branch libraries on Sunday afternoons, as is being considered
for the main library, even if this requires modification of hours
during the balance of the week. In fact, given a choice, it appears
very clear that certain branch libraries would get wider use per
employee during Sunday opening than would the main library.

For many years the issue of a new Main Library building
has been discussed in San Francisco. It is generally agreed that a
new, more functional building is a requirement for efficient operation.
This Grand Jury heartily agrees that the existing building, although
an architectural Jewel in the Civic Center setting, is functionally a
misfit for modern library operation. We recognize equally, however,
the current economic realities of city government and recommend
therefore, that consideration of a new Main Library building be
deferred. It is inconceivable that a bond issue of the magnitude
required for construction of the new facility could gain voter
approval. It is further recommended that the existing building be
reviewed within the master plan not only with the idea of making it
more functional within some reasonable capital cost, but also with the
idea of improving the physical condition of the parts that have fallen
to woeful disrepair.

-27-

WAR MEMORIAL

The War Memorial Board is entrusted with operation o?
two J*5 year old buildings, the Opera House and the Veterans'
Building. The Opera House is a 3250-seat multi-purpose performing
arts building. The Veterans' Building contains administrative
offices, meeting rooms for Veterans* groups, an auditorium with a
seating capacity of approximately 1000, and the San Francisco Museum
of Art.

Past Grand Juries, in their reports, have been critical of
the physical condition of the property. We are pleased to note a
change in direction from those deplorable conditions. These
facilities now appear to be in a much better physical condition than
many other City-owned or City-maintained properties.

The Opera House is used substantially all year although it
is not always revenue producing. It generates revenues only when
performances are open to the public but not during rehearsals. The
complex operates on an annual budget of about $900,000. Current
revenue is less than $200,000 leaving an annual deficit of almost
three quarters of a million dollars to be made up from the general
fund. Any attempt to make these facilities self-supporting would
require substantial increases in rent to the performing companies.
These companies, in turn, would find it necessary to raise ticket
prices or would require some form of tax support if they were to
continue their cultural activities. Ticket price increases would be
unpopular and may reduce attendance. The transfer of tax subsidy
from the Opera House to the performing companies is unnecessary and
cannot be recommended by this Grand Jury.

The Feasibility Study of a Proposed San Francisco
Performing Arts Center (PAC) prepared by the Stanford Research
Institute was studied in detail. The building, as proposed, would
provide substantial flexibility in the scheduling of cultural events
in the several auditorium facilities that would then be available.
The proposed PAC would increase exposure to cultural events for the
Bay Area public - approximately 50? of whom would come from outside
San Francisco - since it would provide space for many more activities
such as traveling road shows and musicals for which there is no
space now available.

This Grand Jury heartily endorses the PAC proposal and
recommends that, since the Center is a cultural arts facility, it
be put under the management of the War Memorial Board and its
Managing Director Donald Michalske when completed. Only in that way
will the City benefit fully from the aforementioned flexibility in
scheduling. We see little reason for the added expense of indepen-
dent management. We are unequivocally opposed to its management by
the Real Estate Department which manages the Civic Auditorium and
other City buildings because of the lack of similarity of the

-28-

WAR MEMORIAL (continued)

functions of other City properties with those of the new PAC. In
order to accomplish the merger of management responsibility, action
will be required by the Board of Supervisors to expand the property
limits of the War Memorial to include the proposed site on the block
bounded by Van Ness, Hayes, Franklin and Grove. We further urge
that the War Memorial Director be involved in the planning and
construction phases of the PAC from its inception.

PORT COMMISSION

The management of the Port of San Francisco has found itself
naively caught in the cross fire of opposing political interests. It
has also found itself overburdened with financial problems not of its
own making but mostly inherited when the City voted to take over its
operation in 1968 from the State.

Members of this Grand Jury found Port Director Thomas T.
Soules to be a thoroughly professional and knowledgeable maritime
administrator with much experience in the shipping industry and many
worldwide contacts. He must, however, be freed of the politial
shenanigans with which he is saddled so that he may function properly
to reestablish the Port of San Francisco as a viable financial entity
and as an asset to the City. It appears, for example, that the filing
by the City of the recent suit against Triple A Machine Shop, the
Department of the Navy, et al., at a time when arrangements had been
made for negotiations to resume between Triple A and the Port for
lease of the Hunters Point Shipyard property was either inordinately
poor timing or an attempt at political embarrassment.

In order to survive, the Port must undergo radical physical
changes as well as some obvious organizational and political changes.
The San Francisco Port is faced with the problems typical of facil-
ities worldwide that have not kept pace with technological advances
in the maritime industry. The proposed plan to establish the required
facilities, under the Port's direction, at Hunters Point appears
mired in political controversy. Much of the traffic appears to be
lost, for the time being, not only to Oakland, Redwood City, and the
river ports, but also to Seattle, Portland and Southern California.

A major question that must be answered is the need for
port activity in San Francisco itself, not in San Francisco Bay and
adjacent river areas such as Stockton. This Grand Jury believes that
Port activities contribute substantially to the economic life of the
City. It is also our belief that maritime activity can and should be
subsidized. It appears that the direct cost of Port operations can-
not be borne entirely from maritime income. Commercial Port develop-
ment, which must be actively pursued, could substantially defray the
losses from Port operation.

-29-

PORT COMMISSION (continued)

Further, the Port must be absolved of the responsibility of
paying the cost of operation of the fireboat "Phoenix". This total
annual cost approximates $1 million per year. It is our understand-
ing that, through the efforts of Mayor Moscone, an agreement has
been reached between the Fire Department and the Port Director to
share this cost of operation Jointly between these two entities on
a 51^/^9? basis, respectively, for the fiscal year 1977-78. Granted,
the fireboat, is operated for the safety of the Port. However, fire-
fighting and the equipment with which to fight fires are the respon-
sibility of the Fire Department. This Grand Jury recommends,
therefore, that the total cost of operation of the "Phoenix" be borne
by the Fire Department and that the Board of Supervisors adequately
fund the budget of that department to provide for this increased
cost in the future. A study, now being completed by the Fire
Department, indicates that a new fireboat, costing some $600,000
had the potential of saving the City almost that much each year,
primarily in labor costs. We agree that, since the "Phoenix" is
approximately 20 years old and nearing the end of its economic life,
it could and should be replaced if the indicated savings - whether to
the Port budget or to the Fire Department budget - can be realized.

Approximately $86 million worth of bonded debt was absorbed
by the City when it took over operation of the Port. Over ^0% of the
annual Port budget goes to pay interest on this debt. Recently the
Port Commission took a major step toward developing the strategy
with which to approach the State in an attempt to gain "forgiveness"
for at least to reduce that portion, $36.5 million, owed to the State.
It is imperative that this Commission convince Mayor Moscone to use
his persuasive powers and influence on the State legislators, with
whom he worked so well for many years, to develop a sound and reason-
able package for reduction of this obligation.

Perhaps 10,000 Jobs in San Francisco are directly related
to cargo handling and other maritime activities, such as ship
chandlery, repair, insurance, etc. The economic multiplier effect on
other peripheral Jobs created by this direct employment could be two
or three to one, creating some 25,000 Jobs in the City and the Bay
Area. In addition, San Francisco remains the center of port-related
functions - even for many shipping companies whose cargo handling has
been transferred to Oakland and other Bay Area ports -and the hub of
import/export firms. The Port produces Jobs, income to the local
populace and, indirectly, tax revenues to the City. It is therefore,
necessary to the City economy that the Port not only continue
operation but also expand its activity in a logical, planned,
businesslike manner.

San Francisco has one of the traditional, technologically
obsolete ports. Its finger pier construction is grossly inadequate
to handle large modern vessels and container cargo carriers. As

-30-

PORT COMMISSION (continued)

constituted, it cannot easily be converted to a terminal for handling
bulk cargo such as coal. The major positive factor of the Port is
the excellent, natural deep-water channel that now exists to Piers 80
through 98 and to the Hunters Point area.

The Army Street Terminal, Pier 80, was reconstructed
several years ago at a cost of $8 million. It has eight berths and
two container cranes. It is, however, barely adequate and because
of subsidence is only slightly above water level at high tide. This
reconstruction was done despite the known risk of settlement,
recognized at that time by the engineers working on the project. The
decision was made to proceed then with construction on a less costly
basis and face the consequences at a later date - now. The only
technically viable solution at present is to place a layer of paving
on the existing pier at a cost of $150,000 to $250,000, an expenditure
the Port can ill afford at this time but one that must be done at
some time soon if this pier is to remain as a usable facility. There
appears to be no legal recourse available to recover any of the costs
of reconstruction resulting from the now-obvious poor decision of
ten years ago. Piers 91 and 96 were recently completed at a cost of
$15 million and are as modern as their competitors across the Bay
in Oakland.

Several major projects are in the planning stage that will
take economic advantage of both the deep-water channels available and
the real estate potential of the water's edge. Maximum effort must
be made by the Port Commission and the City Administration to spear-
head a drive to develop the waterfront properties. Necessary permits
must be obtained and the way cleared for construction of the proposed
$40 to $60 million bulk coal terminal at Pier 91, the slurry terminal
at Pier 98 and the $29 million North Point Pier plan at Piers 37, 39
and 11.

Mr. Soules has already made contact with international
receivers to assure, in advance, that markets are available for moving
bulk coal through the Port. The investment in the bulk coal terminal
will be made by private developers with relatively minor expenditures
required of the City. It is estimated that the Port will benefit by
almost $1.5 million annually from this project when it reaches full
operation of 10 million tons of coal each year. The Port would be
required to dredge the harbor at a cost of about $1 million to
accomodate the large vessels used but this investment would be
returned many times over in the future.

The recent resignation of Port Commissioner Byron Arnold
gives Mayor Moscone an opportunity to appoint a third person to the
five member Commission and, in effect, gain control of the waterfront
through his appointees. Rumors that the future of Port Director
Soules may be at stake in this appointment cannot do other than hurt
the already troubled Port. Although Mr. Soules may have difficulty

-31-

PORT COMMISSION (continued)

dealing with the political problems of San Francisco's Port, he has
nevertheless attracted several major developers. This Grand Jury
believes that he warrants a vote of confidence from the Port
Commission and the Mayor and an opportunity to continue to revive
what had been a dying San Francisco entity.

Several interesting and innovative concepts were advanced
and discussed during the investigation by this Grand Jury. At least
one of these - the "independent" Port Authority - is worthy of
comment. Without substantial further study, however, we cannot
recommend the Implementation of such a proposal at this time. We do
recommend that the Mayor appoint a task force to study the legality ,
feasibility and acceptability of such an arrangement. As an example,
under one scheme proposed, the Port would be directed by an elected
board, be independent of the City and County government, and be
subsidized by funds from a revenue producing source such as the
Airport. Although such an agency, which apparently has worked well
in other geographic areas , can and does have appeal to the Port
Director, who has had difficulty disengaging the problems of the Port
from those of the political arena, it does require substantial
reorientation and restructuring of the City and County government.
It must be studied very carefully.

Although not yet financially healthy, the Port appears to
be improving its general fiscal condition. Back, unpaid rent is
being pursued vigorously. A recent financial report may be somewhat
deceptive, however, since it shows a substantial positive net income
position. This in fact results from approximately $2.95 million in
insurance, payments received after the Pier 37 fire less some $600,000
required to clear the site. Even in this transaction the present
management has shown its resourcefulness. We understand that Mr.
Soules had been advised to accept $1 million for the loss but because
of his tenacity and knowledgeability the Port's position has been
improved by almost $2 million. Approximately $2.3 million of the
settlement is now in escrow and can only be used for revenue producing
capital improvements dedicated to maritime use.

This Grand Jury recognizes many problems still to be dealt
with. We also note that there are improvements resulting from the
current management. We strongly urge that City government improve its
relationship and its attitude toward the Port and that a project plan
be prepared and promoted for major development of the area. Unless
this is done, the Port will remain mired in financial difficulty.

Wolfgang Hellpap,

Frank L . Markey ,

Stelios M. Andrew, Chairman
-32-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY

The Municipal Railway has a greater impact on the residents
of San Francisco than any other City service. It is not an emergency
service; it is not geared to one interest group; it is not an indirect
service. The Municipal Railway provides vitally needed transportation
to 250,000 passengers daily. All residents are eligible to use public
transit, and a greater percentage do so than in any other city in the
country, save New York.

In scope of proposed service, Muni is a first-class transit
system. Over 80% of the City's residents live within two blocks of a
Muni line. Muni operates more than 1000 vehicles over 70 routes having
300 line miles. It is first in the country in revenue passengers per
employee; first in the country in vehicle hours per inhabitant; first
in the country in revenue passengers per mile of service.

We emphasize the impact of the Railway because we are alarmed
by the extent to which it has been neglected. Our report covers the
effect of this neglect on City residents, how the neglect came about,
and the parties responsible for it.

Equipment Deterioration

There can be no doubt that the Municipal Railway's rolling
stock was allowed to deteriorate badly during the last three years.
The Grand Jury has attempted to determine why, until recently, the
equipment was in such poor condition.

Discovery

Muni first became aware of its critical maintenance problem
in April, 1974-. During December, 1973* while he was still Deputy
General Manager, Curtis Green asked one of his operations analysts to
study Muni's automotive maintenance practices. The resulting report,
dated the following April, is astonishing. Record-keeping, inventory
and maintenance itself were found to be chaotic.

Supervisors and mechanics wasted a lot of time on clerical
work because shop clerks were badly trained and in short supply.
Record-keeping was inconsistent and erroneous because of poor training
and because the results were not seen as a valuable planning tool, but
were regarded instead as history only. A chronic shortage of parts
had resulted in 72 coaches (13 per cent of the fleet) out of service.
Supervisors and foremen spent 50 to 70 per cent of their time rummaging
for parts; a common practice was to raid an out-of-service coach for
parts to repair another one. Mechanics even resorted to making parts
themselves, and the resulting product might cost three times purchase
price. The General Motors coaches were inspected every 6000 miles

-33-

MUNICIPAL . ..ILwAY (continued)

instead of the manufacturer's recommended 1500. The mechanics in the
automotive divisions spent at least 60% of their time responding to
emergency road calls since the poorly maintained "buses broke down at
an alarming rate. In short, there was a complete lack of anything a
transit expert would call preventive maintenance.

Muni ' s Response

Despite the crippling effect of poor maintenance practices,
Muni was still able to hobble along: the General Motors coaches
(purchased during 1969-70) were relatively new and there were not
enough operators to place a maximum demand on usage. Meanwhile, there
was an attempt to regroup. Top management gave its official blessing
to a policy of preventive maintenance, and although it took great
persistence to convert the supervisors and foremen, a maintenance
schedule was installed at Kirkland and Ocean Divisions. Mechanics
and servicemen were made more efficient by having operators bring
coaches into the yard for repair, by abbreviating the servicing cycle
and by eliminating the use of mechanics as servicemen. Training
courses and bi-weekly meetings were required of shop supervisors. A
work order system was clearly needed, but was delayed for two reasons.
An ED? system (TIMS) was being designed and the development of an
interim manual system was seen as hindering progress on the automatic
system. When it became clear that it would take years to develop
TIMS, a manual work order system was devised but was not installed
until early 1977 because of a shortage of clerical shop personnel.
The chronic parts shortage could be solved only by increased budget
appropriations.

The Board's Response

Following the revealing report of April, 197^ and Curtis
Green's promotion to General Manager, the first budget submitted by
the new Muni administration was for 1975-76. This budget emphasized
preventive maintenance, including mechanics, shop clerks, and parts.
The budget was approved by the Board of Supervisors without critical
cuts; however, because of pressure to relieve the City's property tax
rate, most of the new maintenance positions, including the clerks,
were frozen. The Board promised to release the frozen positions in
January, 1976 but did not. During May the Board requested that Muni
cut one-half its vacant positions, both new and old positions which
were vacant because they were frozen.

The Mayor's Response

In September, 1975 the Public Utilities Commission requested
31.5 million for Muni maintenance, but the request was cut to $.5
million by Mayor Alioto. In December Muni initiated an engine re-
building program, using the supplemental appropriation to hire an out-
side contractor to perform part of the work and to hire six additional

-34-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (continued)

Muni mechanics. The number of out-of-service coaches dropped, but
the program was terminated on June 30, 1976 when the half-million
ran out.

The Results

During the summer and fall of 1976, Muni equipment was sink-
ing to a critical level of disrepair. Any semblance of scheduled
maintenance came to an end, as the mechanics coped with the ever in-
creasing number of road breakdowns. The Elkton shop was capable of
six engine overhauls a month, but the breakdown rate was at least 150%
the repair rate. The Flyer trolleys were arriving, full of bugs and
creating more work in the electrical maintenance shops. Throughout
the mounting crisis, there was a severe shortage of mechanics and
servicemen. Primarily because of the passage of Proposition B which
cut craft workers' pay, the retirement rate doubled, but vacant posi-
tions were still frozen. The manpower shortage was acute in every
classification; for the Electrical Transit Service Workers, hours of
availability dropped 32%. Even the position of Automotive Transit
Equipment Superintendent was vacant for over two years, and as of this
writing, still is. When the last Superintendent died, he left 7 1/2
months of accumulated benefits which had to expire. Since then, there
has been no list from which to hire a replacement, although one is now
in preparation.

The Board Again

Meanwhile, the new Muni budget request for 1976-77 had been
cut from $87 million to $80 million by Mayor Alioto and had been fur-
ther cut to $73 million by the Board of Supervisors. Instead of the
1902 drivers and 520 maintenance personnel considered necessary by
Muni to operate the schedules then in force, the Board had allocated
1862 drivers and 512 maintenance personnel and because of continued
position freezing, only 1800 drivers and 490 maintenance personnel
were actually working. In August the FUG voted to accept the reduced
schedule proposed by Muni and to send a strongly worded message to
the Board. The message requested that frozen positions be restored
and stated that the full complement of 1902 drivers would be required
to meet schedules as printed. The Board did agree to release frozen
positions if Muni would agree to another $1.8 million cut. In
September the FUC requested the remaining $1 million to continue the
engine rebuilding program, but the Board reasoned that Muni had the
manpower to do the job in-house.

Crisis

The entire question of whether to reduce runs and how many
drivers would be required to meet any given schedule was becoming
academic; because of broken-down vehicles, Muni missed about 25% of
scheduled runs during September and October of 1976.

-35-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (continued)

The Board's Response

In September, 1976, Muni reached its nadir; in November,
the Board responded by hiring the United Transportation Development
Corporation to investigate maintenance operations at the Municipal
Railway. The UTD report, dated December 8, was hailed by the Board
as proof that Muni's maintenance problems were due primarily to poor
management; even a Public Utilities Commissioner declared the report
"fair and objective." Indeed, the report is stylishly written, with
Just the right touch of sarcasm. Muni's written response, dated six
days later, is dowdy, heavy-handed and evidently not even proof-read.
In substance, both the report and the response are lacking.

One by one, UTD dismisses each possible factor in the main-
tenance muddle, leaving only management as the culprit. The Muni
organizational structure (whereby accounting, personnel, safety,
transit planning and public service all report to the PUC General
Manager rather than to the Muni General Manager) is recognized as
peculiar, but not a problem. The Geneva and Elkton yards are admit-
tedly antiquated, but the Kirkland yard is declared adequate despite
the fact that 2hk coaches are stored in an area designed to hold 178.
The parts shortage, not cured until the 1975-76 budget, is dismissed
as a myth and part of the Railway's "folklore." A five per cent in-
crease in approved staff is seen as an indication that "the Railway
is no worse off now than it was in the late 60 's." In reality, the
number of working mechanics, machinists and servicemen has declined
from 1 worker per H.l vehicles in 1967-68 to 1 worker per 4.5 vehicles
in 1976-77. Since the UTD consultants are Toronto transit men, they
should perhaps compare the Muni maintenance force to Toronto's. At
the time of the report, Muni employed 506 maintenance workers for 1040
vehicles, or 1 worker per 2.1 vehicles; Toronto had 199^ maintenance
workers for 2600 vehicles, or 1 worker per 1.3 vehicles.

Even though all problems external to Muni are discounted,
the UTD report does offer several anecdotes which reflect poorly on
Muni management. The Muni response to these stories generally con-
sists of excuses and rationalizations and circuitous reasoning, when
frank acknowledgement might be in order if no better answers can be
given.

Reprieve

In late December, 1976, San Francisco received a Federal
grant of nearly $3.4 million, under the Local Public Works Employment
Act. Mayor Moscone announced that approximately one-half the grant
would be used to fund a crash maintenance program at Muni. Perhaps
generosity was prompted by the Urban Mass Transit Administration.
On November 10, UMTA sent a letter to the Public Utilities Commission
threatening to discontinue Federal funds for capital improvement un-
less the City cleaned up its maintenance act. UMTA had so far pro-

-36-

IUNICIPAL RAILWAY (continued)

vlded $275 million, primarily for the purchase of new rolling stock,
only to see those nev; vehicles rotting away for want of repairs.

During the Fall of 1976, a crash maintenance program had been
outlined by Muni, the original idea being to ask the Board for a sup-
plemental appropriation. When the Federal funds became available, the
Emergency Maintenance Program was begun on December 1 and will continue
until November 30, 1977. About 86 additional maintenance workers are
to be hired, and most of the automotive personnel have been recruited.
The diesel engine overhaul rate has been increased from 1.5 per week
to 6 per week, and is expected to go to 7 per week. Approximately
100 coaches have been returned to service, and missed runs have been
reduced to 5%.

A few of the projects originally Included in the program were
deleted because of a $139,000 cut in Muni's share of funds. The Board
of Supervisors voted to reduce Muni's share and the Recreation and
Park share, and to use $200,000 of the deleted funds to hire an
independent consultant, (read UTD) to implement the recommendations in
the UTD report. The Board took this action despite the fact that
Public Works ' money can only be used for wages and must be spent on
deferred programs.

Financial Resources

Funding for the Municipal Railway has three nearly equal
sources: fares; ad valorem taxes; and State and Federal assistance.

Fares

Currently Muni collects an average fare of 21$ for a ride
that costs approximately 68<fc. While this Grand Jury is adamantly in
favor of tax-supported public transit, we feel that the time has come
for a fare increase. If the fares were increased to 35<fc for regular
riders and 10<fc for children and seniors, total revenue would increase
from $22 million to $29 million. A counter argument often heard is
that ridership would decline, but we cannot imagine that regular
riders would walk, drive, or simply stay home rather than pay an extra
dime or nickel. Those on General Assistance already ride free, and
the increased fares would still be among the lowest in the nation.

During the coming year, fares will account for an even
smaller proportion of expenses. The Muni budget for 1977-78 shows a
deficit of $62 million; the deficit for last year was $1*8 million.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission paid 6% of Muni's operating
expenses last year, and this important source of funds might be
endangered if fares are not increased. MTC guidelines call for 35£
farebox funding as a prerequisite to MTC financial assistance. Even
with the credit allowed for discounted fares, Muni is only 32!? fare-
box funded, and the percentage will drop when the new budget is

-37-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (continued)

effective.

The Public Utilities Commission approved a fare increase
over a year ago. During the furor last Fall over the increased
property tax rate, Mayor Moscone sent to the Board a list of several
alternative revenue sources, including a Muni fare increase. The
Board's Finance Committee rejected the suggestions in toto. Instead,
the Board raised the property tax rate and refused to fund a mainten-
ance program for Muni. Not only did the Board fail to increase fares,
their failure to fund a maintenance program has resulted in a decrease
in farebox revenue. When Muni misses 25$ of scheduled runs because
of poorly maintained equipment, the effect on fares collected is
noticeable. During last September and October revenue was 9% less
than in 1975.

The fare increase so far proposed has been 35<t and KH for
single rides, and §15. 00 and $3«50 for Fast Passes. Perhaps it would
be wiser to keep senior fares at the present level and raise passes
proportionately less than single fares in order to encourage regular
riding. We do not endorse any particular scheme, but we do urge that
fares be raised in some manner in the coming year.

Ad Valorem Taxes

Despite inflation and rising salaries, the City's share of
Muni funding dropped from $36-9 million in 197*1-75 to $25.6 million
in 1975-7^. It is true that most of the decrease was caused by the
sixty-day strike since wages and benefits account for nearly 90* of
Muni's operating expenses (compared to 655? for other Bay Area transit
systems). Nevertheless, City support dropped about $2.8 million
(nearly °%) . We believe that the underlying reason for this inade-
quate financial support is a mistaken notion on the part of some mem-
bers of our Board of Supervisors that the Muni budget should not show
such a large deficit.

The proposed Muni budget for 1977-78 included 55 additional
maintenance personnel expressly for a preventive maintenance program.
It should be kept in mind that overtime will be cut by 25 man years,
leaving the true increase In manpower at 30. The original budget had
provided for lHk new maintenance workers, but that number was cut to
55 by the Public Utilities Commission. The PUC's rationale for the
cut was that Muni could not absorb that many new workers In one year,
even though the Emergency Maintenance Program was utilizing the ser-
vices of 60 new, but temporary, employees with spectacular success.

We attended one session of the Board's 1977-78 budget hear-
ings, on the day of Muni's reckoning before the Finance Committee.
The chairman of that venerable committee is Supervisor Barbagelata;
the other members are Supervisors Kopp, Molinari and von Beroldingen.
Throughout the hearing, the members of the Finance Committee seemed

-38-

MUNICIFAL RAILWAY (continued)

determined in refusing to believe that the Muni budget could possibly
be warranted. Supervisor Barbagelata commented that "we lose $5
million a month on Muni," although other city departments are not
expected to make money. He estimated an average taxpayer's annual
share of the Muni budget deficit and appeared astounded at the answer
which was $200.00 for a house assessed at $50,000. Perhaps Super-
visor Barbagelata thinks in terms of the taxpayer who maintains a car
and drives it everywhere, rarely using a transit service he is
nevertheless forced to pay for. A more enlightened view might consider
that the purpose of a public transit system is to get drivers out of
their cars; that the cost is a bargain for those to take the Muni;
and that traffic is reduced, the environment protected, and energy
saved, all of which benefit everyone, even those who must drive.

Supervisor Barbagelata cited the UTD report as generally
accepted proof that Muni does not require more mechanics; he even
stated that Muni already has more maintenance personnel than the
Toronto system, although in reality it has fewer. The American
Public Transit Association ranks Muni 18th out of 20 North American
transit systems in maintenance workers per vehicle; Toronto is ranked
second. Supervisor Barbagelata further stated that he cannot rely
on Muni's assessment of its own situation, that he would prefer UTD's
recommendations. Supervisor Kopp questioned the need for additional
workers when Muni is currently meeting 95£ of all runs, a specious
comment. Surely the improvement is proof of the need, the increase
in runs having been accomplished by a tremendous increase in manpower.

The outcome of all this haggling is that the Board has
agreed to Muni's 55 new maintenance workers if the PUC will request
a supplemental appropriation in order to hire UTD as a consultant to
Muni. The PUC had finally convinced the Board that Public Works'
money could not be used to hire UTD, and UMTA had made it clear that
its funds cannot be spent on a sole-source contract. Undaunted, the
Board decided that UTD consultation is so essential as to warrant an
appropriation from the General Fund.

During the Pall, the Board had hired UTD, under a nominal
contract, to study Muni maintenance practices. The resulting report
placed all blame on Muni management and completely discounted the
lack of manpower (and thus the Board) as the primary problem which
we believe it to be. Mow Muni is asked, or rather ordered, to join
forces with their detractors to implement the preventive maintenance
program, a venture for which the consultants will be paid ^2n0,000.
Apparently even UTD is uneasy about the feelings they raised at Muni
since they asked the PUC for assurance that if hired they will be
made to feel welcome!

We do not question that Muni could profit from the advl^n
of Toronto transit experts, but we do object to such Matant rcl'.tii
manipulation. It seems to us that the Board has attempted to give

-39-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (continued)

the appearance of discovering the cause of Muni's maintenance probler.
and subsequently solving it, when in reality they have done neither.
We strongly urge that the Board adopt a more rational attitude toward
Muni funding.

State and Federal Assistance

For several years now, the Public Utilities Commission has
been instrumental in securing State and Federal funding for Muni.
During 1975-76 State and Federal funds provided for 31JE of Muni's
operating expenses. Of even greater significance is the capital
improvement program financed by the Urban Mass Transit Administration.
UMTA has so far spent over $275 million to provide San Francisco with
a new fleet of motor coaches and electric trolleys which are already
in service, and the all new Muni Metro which is due to begin opera-
tion in 1978. We applaud the PUC for its role in building a modern
Muni. Since UMTA has stated emphatically that future capital will be
denied unless the equipment is kept in good repair, we call upon the
Board of Supervisors to ensure a proper maintenance program.

Driver Attitude

Time and again the members of the Grand Jury have heard and
voiced complaints about the rude and reckless drivers. We have found
five leading causes for poor driver attitude: discipline, equipment,
security, schedules and selection.

Discipline

Muni's Transportation Department is charged with the disci-
pline of all drivers, inspectors and dispatchers. Until recently,
the principal tool of driver discipline was a day's suspension, used
mostly for running sharp (ahead of schedule) and miss-outs (failure
to report in time for the first run). Another means of discipline
was something called "attitude development," to which drivers were
sentenced for discourtesy. We feel that the Transportation Depart-
ment has displayed an attitude problem of its own, promoting a policy
of suspensions and pooh-poohing the value of regular in-service train-
ing for drivers and supervisory training for inspectors and dispatch-
ers. We have even heard attitude development referred to as a "glamour

Suspensions have been a major factor in low driver morale.
The drivers regard the Inspectors as their enemies because it is the
inspectors who observe and report running sharp; the drivers feel
that some inspectors have favorites and pick on those whom they do not
favor, and the inspectors are rarely suspended for their own miscon-
duct. The inspectors themselves are not too happy either. They may
actually make less money than when they were driving (because they no
longer receive premium pay), and yet they do not enjoy the compensation

-kO-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (continued)

of management status. The atmosphere is one of suspicion and resent-
ment, when what is required for a smoothly functioning transit system
is a spirit of friendly cooperation. It is the Muni drivers and their
inspectors who are the primary providers of public service in our City.

In the arena of driver discipline, there has been for some
time now a tug-of-war between the Muni Transportation Department and
the Transport Workers Union, with denunciations on both sides. But
now that the Union and top Muni management have finally joined forces
behind a new Uniform Disciplinary Code, it seems realistic to expect
real improvement in the near future.

While Muni is not ceding its right to discipline employees
found fullty of major violations, such as dishonesty or drunkeness,
the new discipline code calls for a stair-step of corrective actions
for minor or moderate Infractions, such as running sharp, miss-outs
and discourtesy. The corrective actions range from verbal "caution
and reinstructicn" for the first offense in a three month period to
possible termination for the sixth offense. Furthermore, it is now
official policy that Division Superintendents and inspectors will
work with the operators in finding solutions to problems, and that they
will develop rapport and a more personal style of supervision. The
inspectors' morale will improve when they are not perceived as hench-
men and when they are treated as management. The emphasis will shift
from punishment to correction as Muni makes a concerted effort to
reduce accidents, miss-outs, and courtesy complaints by raising driver
morale. During a six month trial period, careful records will be kept
of disciplinary actions, and we recommend that the next Grand Jury
determine whether improvement is achieved.

Equipment

The Muni drivers, already feeling low because of the suspen-
sion policy, are further demoralized by the condition of the fleet.
When the shops and yards are full of vehicles waiting for repairs, a
large number of runs are missed, as much as 25* in September and
October of 1976. Passengers wait and wait, only to board crowded buses
or to be passed by altogether because if the driver were to open the
door, someone would fall out. Driving a sardine-packed bus full of
irritable passengers, every morning and every evening through heavy
traffic must be quite provoking. This is not to say that driver
temper is excusable, but under the conditions described it is under-
standable. Furthermore, a driver can hardly feel satisfaction in his
work when he knows he is providing second-rate service and there is
little he can do about it. At least this is a problem that has an
obvious solution, and the situation is well in hand as the Emergency
Maintenance Program continues to return coaches to service and the
number of missed runs holds to 5% or less. Of course, this program
will end on Movember 30, 1977; the future depends on a permanent
preventive maintenance program.

-Hi-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (continued)

Security

Security is another major factor in poor driver morale and
attitude. The drivers, especially those without radios, feel abandoned
when faced with violence on their coaches. In order to be first on
the draw, they may do a tough-guy act. The Board of Supervisors, the
Public Utilities Commission, the Municipal Railway and the Police
Department have had considerable difficulty in agreeing on a solution
to crime on the Muni. A large force of regular police officers would
cost too much. Temporary officers, who would receive full pay, but
limited tenure and no retirement benefits, would be cheaper, but the
use of temporaries is opposed by regular policemen who see a threat
to their own security and status. The least expensive solution is a
force of Federally funded CETA guards, but there is a natural reluc-
tance to arm them since they are not professionals.

The outcome was the decision to train a new class of CETA
guards, to be ready for duty in June under the supervision of the
Police Department. Unlike previous CETA guards, the new ones will be
authorized to carry a weapon. Although we have been assured that they
receive the same degree of fire-arms training as a regular policeman,
we do not consider armed CETA guards the ideal solution.

Since it is impossible to supply a guard for every Muni
vehicle and since such a cure might be worse than the disease, we are
hoping that the new communications system will go a long way in
alleviating crime on the Muni. The system has been approved for fund-
ing by the Urban Mass Transit Administration, but remains to be
contracted. The system's primary security feature Is a silent alarm
which will enable a driver to call for help without endangering him-
self or the passengers. The system is in use in three major cities
and is reported to have reduced transit related crime by 85 to 95% -
We urge that all parties concerned, work diligently to install our new
communications system as soon as possible.

Schedules

Another major factor working against good driver attitude,
and safety as well, is the scheduling of runs. The schedules were
drawn up long before present traffic conditions. The drivers* attempts
to finish their runs on time is a leading cause of rudeness and reck-
less driving. It is the primary reason drivers leave their runs early
(running sharp), run red lights, pick up passengers without pulling In-
to the curb, pass up other passengers altogether, and fail to wait for
the elderly to be seated. While tight schedules do not excuse reck-
less driving, it is certainly a cause. We feel that many drivers will
not accept responsibility for attitude as long as they can find an
excuse in tight schedules.

The Transport Workers Union calls for schedule revision,

-42-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (continued)

but takes Muni to court over a proposal to delete three runs from
one line and shift them to a nore crowded line, arguing (successfully)
that the transfer would be a hardship for those drivers on the reduced
line. Consider also that the Union asked the PUC to establish Muni
runs to the airport, when excellent and inexpensive service is already
provided, and it seems clear that the Union is bucking for more runs
and thus more drivers. Since a significantly larger operator force is
unlikely because of the City's financial condition, we hope to see
improved cooperation in making effective use of the drivers currently
authorized. We have been assured by the PUC that schedules will
indeed be revised.

The automatic scheduling system (RUCUS) which will soon be
installed at the PUC Computer Center is expected to be a boon to the
tedious and time-consuming chore of schedule revision. Another cause
for cheer is Muni ' s current consideration of changing from a schedule-
first philosophy to a spacing-first practice. Currently the inspectors
are required to keep vehicles on schedule as much as possible, rather
than space them out when a driver is late due to traffic conditions.
This requirement is the primary reason for ''bunching", an irritation
to drivers and passengers alike. Since bunching usually occurs during
rush hours when runs are frequent anyway, we feel that spacing should
take priority over schedules. The scheduling system and the practice
of spacing (if adopted) will improve Muni's responsiveness to changing
requirements, if the cooperation that is sorely needed is forthcoming.

Selection

Even though the percentage is small, there do seem to be
drivers who are unsuitable to public service. In past years, the
Civil Service Examination for drivers did not attempt to assess a
candidate's even temper. The situation is improving, however, because
the latest examination included English usage and driving codes, as
usual, but in addition the candidates were examined by an oral board
which deliberately tried to provoke them into losing their tempers.
Those who became aggressive and those who remained passive were failed;
the successful persons were those who confronted the situation, but
in a reasonably calm manner, Muni has received high praise for the
drivers so far hired from the new list, and as larger numbers of these
persons are hired, the public may see a difference in driver attitude.

It is indeed necessary now to use the word persons instead
of men. Women comprise nearly 13/5 of the new eligibility list; before
the new list, less than 1$ of Muni's l800 drivers were women. We
think women drivers are not only adequate, we suspect that adding
women to the force might, if anything, improve the tone a little.

Safety

Accidents on the Municipal Railway have received extensive

-43-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (continued)

press coverage during the last year. The Grand Jury has studied the
problem of accidents, both their causes and the remedies.

Occupational Safety

3y far, the greatest tragedy during the last year was the
death of two cable car machinists on December 9. The Grand Jury has
read detailed accounts of the events leading up to the accident,
both Muni's report and that of an independent consultant. The
consultant is a highly recommended safety engineer and registered
safety inspector. According to his report, the safety procedures
used In the cable car barn for 80 or 90 years were not adhered to that
day because of an unfortunate combination of events. The usual pro-
cedure is to shut down cable winding machinery before machinists
begin repair work. On the day of the accident, three machinists were
sent to the vault at California and Mason Streets before the winding
machinery was shut down. They were instructed to perform some pre-
liminary work at street level, but not to enter the vault. Instead,
the three men entered the vault in order to conduct an impromptu
training session for the newest employee, and while there decided to
begin the initial phase of the work to be performed. The work required
standing between the spokes of the wheel; at that moment, the cable was
released from the' powerhouse, causing the wheels to rotate and crush two
of the machinists, both the newest employee and the one in charge. Even
though the machinists disobeyed orders, the accident would not have
occurred had the riggers in the powerhouse released the cable earlier
in the morning. They had been delayed because a vendor's truck had
arrived and required loading, and the cable car machinery supervisor
did not want to delay departure of the truck to bring back a shipment
of new cable. The consultant's conclusions are that the supervisor
should have communicated more effectively with the riggers in the
powerhouse, but that he was relying on the well-established procedure
that repair work does not begin until the machinery is shut down. The
consultant also concluded that while the accident could have been
avoided, it was caused by a combination of events rather than the
negligence of any one or two people. Another aspect of the tragedy is
that the cable car facilities were inspected by Cal OSHA in January
1975, and no criticism was made of the established safety procedures
for repair work.

During the past year the press reported that Cal OSKA was
threatening to shut down the Railway because of numerous safety
violations. Using a supplemental appropriation, Muni began an all-out
effort early this year to correct hazardous conditions; as of this
writing all serious violations and most minor ones have been corrected.
The question, of course, is why safety was so badly neglected for so
long. One reason is Muni's own failure to emphasize occupational
safety and to develop clear-cut guidelines for the sharing of respon-
sibility by engineering and safety. Another problem has been the
combined position of Director of Personnel and Safety; personnel is a

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (continued)

full-time responsibility in itself, and in most other transit systems
there is a separate person in charge of safety. This aspect of the
problem should improve shortly when the Public Utilities Commission
hires a Director of Safety, as provided for in the nev; budget. The
safety director will ensure that Cal OCHA standards are met and will
also develop training programs geared toward the reduction of acci-
dents. It is also true that during the past two years Muni's budget
requests for safety improvement have been denied.

The costliest Muni accidents, in terms of personal injury
and thus dollar volume of claims filed, are pedestrian accidents,
followed by intersection collisions and boarding and alighting acci-
dents. These accidents are most frequently a result of Muni's tight
schedules which motivate drivers to speed, to run red lights, to pick
up passengers from the street, and to start up before waiting for the
elderly to be seated. The obvious solutions, it seems to us, are
schedule revision and more frequent driver training. Muni is well
aware of the fact that when training is increased accidents dcrease.
At one point, it was decided to give in-service training to all
drivers during the early spring slack period. Because all drivers were
to be trained during a short period of time in limited facilities, the
amount of training was only one-half the amount formerly given. The
subsequent accident rate was increased 2-1/2 times for those drivers
who received the reduced training.

Given the necessary spare drivers, instructors, and facili-
ties, Muni's ideal would be to give in-service training to all drivers
every two years. The primary obstacle in achieving this goal is a
shortage of drivers; they cannot be spared from driving in order to
participate in training. Even when (and if) all authorized positions
are filled, there will not be a sufficient number. Currently, training
is given only as a disciplinary measure, a practice which must cer-
tainly promote a poor attitude toward training on the part of the
drivers. Another obstacle to good training is the Charter restriction
that only 20$ per hour incentive can be paid to line trainers. The
initial training for a new driver consists of five days of classroom
instruction and sixteen days of road instruction (line training).
Experienced drivers are reluctant to give road instruction for such a
minimal financial reward. We recommend that Muni take steps to give
recognition to drivers considered good enough to be selected for line-
training, to give it honor status. An important ingredient in status
is money, and we hope that the PUC will actively encourage a repeal
of the Charter restriction.

Despite the problems encountered, some improvement has been
achieved and proposals now under consideration may lead to further
improvement. The initial driver training course has been improved
and the accident rate for the newer drivers is less than that for
drivers overall.. The Bay Area Regional Transit Association is con-
sidering conducting quality in-service training for the benefit of

-U5-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (continued)

all Bay Area transit systems.

Cable car accidents have been especially well-publicized
during the last year. The majority of the accidents have involved
running board passengers being hit, and boarding and alighting
injuries. In January the PUC adopted new rules limiting the number of
outside passengers, and requiring signs to be posted warning against
leaning out and overcrowding on running boards. Muni has also recom-
mended the prohibition of left-hand turns by automobiles on cable car
streets, the posting of signs warning automobile drivers of cable car
turns, and the proscription of running board passengers altogether.
Muni's Transit Improvement Program is considering the development of
a hydraulic braking system and improved night lights.

The three well-publicized cable car accidents of last Fall
were caused by faulty depression beams, which caused the cable cars
to stop suddenly. Muni had previously requested $400,000 for a pro-
gram of Reconstruction and Replacement, including $250,000 to repair
the depression beams, but the entire request had been denied by the
Public Utilities Commission. Following the accident, a supplemental
appropriation was approved by the Board of Supervisors. It is inter-
esting to note that claims arising out of the three accidents had
amounted to more than $860,000 as of last January. The amount settled,
if typical, will be only 8% or 9% of the amount claimed, but it is a
sobering thought that the accidents could have been avoided altogether.

Conclusions

We have demonstrated that the number one problem at Muni
has been the lack of a preventive maintenance program. Poorly main-
tained coaches, trolleys and streetcars break down frequently, creating
a workload the understaffed shops cannot cope with. The effect on
service is devastating when as many as 25$ of all runs are missed.
Passengers are kept waiting, buses are crowded, and drivers are rude.
Furthermore, State and Federal financing is jeopardized when fares
drop and when equipment is not kept in good repair.

The primary reason for inadequate maintenance has been
inadequate funding. Muni caught on to the need for more maintenance
three years ago; the Board of Supervisors is just now showing signs of
reluctant agreement. Not only has the Board failed to recognize the
critical need for better maintenance, they have attempted to place
all blame on Muni management and are now presenting outside consulta-
tion as the solution. When a preventive maintenance program is in-
stalled and transit service is permanently improved, the Board will
no doubt take credit. In reality, the Board has caused the problem,
and their suggestion that they have discovered the cause and proposed
the solution is a sham.

We do not imply that Muni management enjoys a spotless record,

-i»6-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (continued)

A manual work order system should have been Installed long ago,
despite the Impending automatic system and the shortage of clerical
help. Disciplinary policy was unwise and deserved redesign before
now. Occupational safety has not been accorded its proper importance.
The most telling event of the year was the adoption of Alfred Eggen's
proposal to combine the two cables used on the Powell-Mason cable car
line. Mr. Eggen's ingenuity will save the residents of San Francisco
nearly $100,000 annually. He first conceived his idea years ago, but
could not convince Muni management to take responsibility for such a
change. We congratulate Muni on the numerous improvements that are
underway, but we hope that in the future they are not so ponderously
slow to take action.

We do not believe that Muni management can be fully evaluated
at this time. Because of the overwhelming primacy of factors beyond
their control, the current Muni administration has not been given a
chance to show what they can do. The utter hopelessness of the situa-
tion has probably aggravated any management shortcomings. But if
the required personnel are funded and a preventive maintenance program
is installed, we have every reason to believe that Muni will provide
the City with good transit service. We were quite impressed with the
dedication and resourcefulness we encountered during our many discus-
sions with Muni officials; nearly every person had concrete ideas for
improvement in his area of responsibility.

Our primary recommendation to Muni is to be bold in tapping
the ideas of its own employees, and to be firm and swift in the adop-
tion of better ways of doing business.

Irene G. O'Neil
Suzanne E. Perry

Leslie Evans, Chairman

-47-

DEPARTMENT OF CITY PLANNING

The Department of City Planning, under the City Planning
Commission, has the responsibility of adopting and maintaining a
comprehensive, long term general plan for the improvement and future
development of the City, known as the Master Plan, including making
any necessary changes and coping with numerous existing and future
complex problems in the Neighborhood, Commerce and Industry,
Transportation, Housing and Land Use planning. The Department
maintains constant contact with the federal and state governments
and agencies, many of the other city departments and agencies, and
the public. The City Planning Department is assigned the task of
processing approximately 600 building permits a month and providing
city-wide liaison so that neighborhood groups are informed of
planning matters, to ensure that neighborhood concerns are incorporated
in the decision-making process. It also works closely with citizens
advisory committees and other neighborhood groups.

With such a broad and important assigned task, the staff of
this department, has been coping with its assigned work-load under a
minimal skeleton crew and in poorly located office quarters at 100
Larkin and 1212 Market Streets. In spite of the severe handicapped
condition in which they have been placed, Mr. Rai Okamoto, the
Planning Director, and his administrative staff have (since the first
of January, 1976, when Mr. Okamoto took charge of the Department)
devoted themselves to their assigned task and have displayed their
remarkable professional ability in all aspects of their duties.

Past Grand Juries have recommended housing the Planning
Department personnel together in one office building rather than in
three separate ones. We are happy to see that some consideration has
been given to these past recommendations and that the Department
personnel are now housed in only two instead of three locations.
However, it is noted that there is still much hinderance in the
performance of their duties and inconvenience to the public because
the Department is not located together in one building and also is
located away from the other City departments, with which this
department has close daily contact.

With respect to the clearly noticeable shortage of working
staff, Planning Director Okamoto has submitted excellently prepared
Budget Explanations for the coming 1977-1978 fiscal year, supporting
the conservative and well prepared 1977-1978 Budget for the City
Planning Department. However, this Grand Jury deeply regrets to
report that, the necessary budget requests have been drastically cut
down or completely rejected by the Mayor and/or Board of Supervisors'
Finance Committee. For instance, a budget request for 6 clerk typists
had been submitted for the coming fiscal year. Seven clerical
positions (3 ad valorem and 4 CETA) were lost in the past year,

-48-

DEPARTMENT OF CITY PLANNING (continued)

because people left the Department and their positions were not
allowed to be refilled. After the Mayor's office had trimmed the
request and approved 3 Clerk Typist positions, the Board of Supervisors'
Finance Committee disapproved the entire request allowing no replace-
ment of the badly needed clerical help. The submitted Budget Explana-
tions clearly set forth the importance of having the few requested
positions approved. The Work Program for the coming fiscal year was
also excellently prepared and submitted by the Planning Department
last February. When examination of both the Work Program and the
Budget Explanations is thoroughly made, there should be no doubt how
sincerely and in detail these two submitted documents were prepared
by the department .

Mr. Okamoto has been much concerned with the lowering of
staff morale ever since he took office. Although he has been able to
handle this potential problem very efficiently so far, this Grand
Jury recommends the following in order to enable the department's
work-load to be processed promptly and smoothly:

1. If and when a supplemental budget is submitted by the department,
that it be given prompt attention and a thorough review.

2. It is also recommended that the Planning Department be placed in
one centralized location, if at all possible, together with or
close to the other City departments with which the department
has frequent daily contact. It is urged that this recommendation
be followed and realized within the next few months, instead of
waiting for a building to be acquired in the future, since this
also is tied in closely with the efficiency of the work-load
processing and the morale of the department personnel, not to
speak of the inconveniences placed on the public having business
contact with this department.

PARKING AUTHORITY

Under the five members of the Parking Authority, there are
only three on the staff working in the Office, including the Director.
In spite of this amall staff, unlike those prevailing throughout the
City departments, there appears to be no morale problems existing in
this office. Mr. Arthur Becker, until his retirement, effective
January 31 > 1977, apparently had received good reciprocal cooperation
and assistance from his staff, the Parking Authority members and
other departments. In addition to having no morale problems, Mr.
Becker indicated that his department had no budgetary fund shortage
problem and no complaints on the number of staff.

Succeeding Mr. Becker, Mrs. Margaret L. Brady was appointed

-49-

PARKING AUTHORITY (continued)

and took over the directorship the first of February of 1977- As did
Mr. Becker, Mrs. Brady has indicated that, despite the completion of
BART the need for additional parking facilities in the City has not
decreased. Except for the Performing Arts Center garage and the two
decks being added to the Mission-Bartlett Oarage, there will be no
more large parking facilities built for some time, unless construction
of the Yerba Buena Center is begun in the very near future.

As to the existing public parking garages, the new Director
had submitted for approval a budget request of $0,000 to remodel the
3 elevators in the Civic Center Garage, where only one is now in
operation. Although this request was turned down by the Finance
Committee in April 1977, two oil-hydraulic elevators are presently
being installed with the contingency fund being used. This will
enable the Civic Center Garage to have three elevators in working
condition within a few months .

The Neighborhood Parking Program, which has been in
effect for over ten years, is working very smoothly with 22 Municipal
parking lots, apart form the curbside parking, in existence at present.
With a keen lively interest in her new position, Mrs. Brady has
actively started to conduct a close study and survey of the neighbor-
hood shopping district parking.

In conclusion, it is found that this is one department of
the City, where very few problems exist. Mr. Arthur Becker is to be
commended for his Job well-done and it is very fortunate for the
Parking Authority to have such an active and capable new Director,
Mrs. Margaret Brady to succeed the position.

RECREATION AND PARK DEPARTMENT

The Recreation and Park Department has such a broad
diversity of activities that it is almost impossible for us to
investigate each of them thoroughly during this Grand Jury's term.
Consequently, this report is a result of concentration on certain
problems which were brought to our attention and investigated. This
department, headed by Mr. John J. Spring as its Director and under
the Recreation and Park Commission presided over by Mr. Eugene L.
Friend, supervises and manages many facilities, which the City and
County of San Francisco is famous for and can be proud of. However,
in recent years, due to lack of funds for proper management and
maintenance, some of the facilities have been left to run down and
now have even gotten to the state of disgraceful disrepair.

-50-

RECREATION AND PARK DEPARTMENT (continued)

The Golf Courses

Investigating the conditions of the five Municipal golf
courses, there Is much to be Improved In the manner of management
and the maintenance of the courses and the building facilities. For
the above reason, concerned citizens organized the Citizens Golf
Association of San Francisco in 1972. In spite of the efforts and
volunteer contributions of this concerned citizens' group for the
past five years, there still remained apparent deterioration in both
the management and maintenance of the building facilities. In
January of this year a "Citizens Advisory Committee for the Municipal
Golf Courses" was appointed by the Board of Supervisors with its
first meeting being held on the 22nd of February. This Grand Jury is
happy to see these two groups working very closely. The new Advisory
Committee is attemtlng to find some good solutions by starting to
look into all aspects of the existing problems regarding the
Municipal golf courses. Investigation has been conducted by this
Grand Jury, including the studying of the Citizens Advisory Committee's
unofficial interim report drafted with what it has been able to find
out in the short time of only a few months since its formation. We
understand that there is a proposal made and a public hearing is
being planned on the feasibility of leasing out management and
operation of the Municipal golf courses to private parties, which
may be one good solution in the improvement of all aspects of the
golf courses which once had a fine reputation. This Grand Jury has
received and studied a copy of an interim report and recommendation
proposed, in a rought draft form, by a sub-committee of the Citizens
Advisory Committee. The Report is yet to be finalized and approved by
the Advisory Committee as a whole. The proposed recommendations are
detailed and thorough. It is, therefore, strongly urged that the
Recreation and Park Commission, the General Manager, the Director
and the Supervisors placed in charge of the golf courses and facilities,
make every effort to carry out promptly the good and feasible recom-
mendations the Advisory Committee may propose. In the meantime, with-
out waiting for a permanent new policy on the management of these
assets, the Grand Jury strongly recommends that all City officials
involved see to it that the following is carried out:

1. A fund be appropriated and approved to improve the
restaurant facility of the Lincoln Park building which has been
condemned and closed for the past several years, to have it restored
to the standard required by the City Codes and ordinances, so that it
will be easier to find a consessionaire to run a good restaurant to
be utilized by golfers and possibly by the general public.

2. Patrolling and marshalling of golf courses are prac-
tically non-existent at present. It is strongly recommended that at
least one marshal be assigned to each of the three 18 hole courses so
that each of the golf course supervisors will be able to devote his

-51-

RECREATION AND PARK DEPARTMENT (continued)

time to all phases of his assigned duties efficiently. It is further
recommended that the Recreation and Park Commission and the Department
make a request for cooperation to the Police Department that a
standing order be issued to have Officers from the Police Station, in
whose geographical Jurisdiction the courses are located, to give full
cooperation and assistance to the marshals of the golf courses as part
of their assigned duties. This was done many years ago. Also, an
inter-communication system is necessary between the Police patrol
cars, the Golf Marshals and the starters' offices. A method is
needed where citations may be issued to trespassers and vandals on
the courses by police officers responding to the request of marshals
or starters. This should decrease the number of so-called "free-
loaders" on the courses, increase the revenue from the green-fees
and minimize any unnecessary golf course repair and maintenance cost.

West Sunset and Diamond Heights

It is noted that at various recreational facilities, such
as West Sunset and Diamond Heights area recreational parks and
facilities, and on many other children's playgrounds much vandalism
can be observed with the damages not repaired promptly. It is
recommended that funds be appropriated to have such repairs made
immediately or have measures taken so that such damages cannot be done
so easily and enable children, senior citizens and others to utilize
such facilities safely and without any fear.

A vacant lot, left unused for many years, is existing
adjacent to the West Sunset Recreation Center, where a recreational
facility such as a soccer ground may be developed by the Recreation
and Park Department. This Grand Jury investigation reveals that the
land title to this vacant lot is in the name of the School Department/
Board of Education. It is recommended that this title, which was
acquired by the School Department/Board of Education in the early
1950s, approximately 25 years ago, be transferred, to the Recreation
and Park Department for a recreational facility, which could be
utilized in this area of the City. For this purpose, it is strongly
recommended that the Controller's Office give full cooperation and
assistance to the Recreation and Park Commission and Department and the
Board of Education and that all parties concerned promptly work out
the best possible way for this title transfer and materialization
of such recreational facility.

Golden Gate Park Closing

This Grand Jury is happy to see that the Recreation and
Park Commission and Department are very thorough and cautious in
conducting their public hearings and coming up with fair and wise
decisions thereafter. The public hearing on the additional
holidays' closing of Golden Gate Park to auto traffic held on
April 11th was most efficiently handled and the subsequent decision

-52-

RECREATION AND PARK DEPARTMENT (continued)

made by them was most appropriate against this additional closing.

This Grand Jury wishes to thank all the Commissioners and
the administrative staff members of the Recreation and Park
Department and also the Director and staff of the Real Estate
Department for rendering us their full cooperation and assistance
during our study and investigation of the Recreation and Park
Department .

Mrs. Mary B. Donnelly
George A. Kardum

Seizo F. Oka, Chairman

-53-

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

Mr. Edwin Sars field is General Manager of this department and
controls a budget of $163 million of which approximately $20 million is
medical aid to families with dependent children. The department
contracts an additional $1.5 million in supervised home supportive
services. This department has one of the three largest budgets in the
City and County of San Francisco; the first of which is the Department
of Public Health Budget, and second the Unified School District. The
Department of Social Services employs 1,600 people and occupies five
buildings in the City. The first three floors of the Flood Building
at 870 Market Street are occupied by the Department of Social Services.
Food stamps are distributed at 1360 Mission Street. A building is being
constructed at 170 Otis Street. It will be completed around March 1978,
and will house all of the Department of Social Services offices.

The Department of Social Services also provides aid to the
totally disabled, mentally retarded, aid to the blind, aid to people over
65 years of age, and general welfare.

The function of the Department of Social Services is to provide
financial, medical and social services to all eligible people in the City
and County of San Francisco. After one applies for these benefits and
services, the Department of Social Services must investigate the need
and approve eligibility. The investigatory processes have resulted in
a great cut back of persons on general welfare assistance to those genu-
inely in need. Mr. Sars field is to be congratulated in this vigorous
effort.

A new training program has been instituted to enable staff
members to receive time off from work to continue training in psychology
and related fields. This should enable the department to retain highly
skilled staff people. In addition, it is reported that many of the
employees have received time from work to complete classes leading to a
Master's Degree. This again should benefit the department provided the
time off is not disproportionate to job requirements.

COMMISSION ON THE AGING

San Francisco has a very large percentage of senior citizens.
As a result, the Commission on the Aging was established in 1972 to
provide a broad range of direct services and to act as a sounding board
for increased awareness of the City government toward the unique prob-
lems of the elderly.

Mr. Patrick Magee, the Director of the Commission on the Aging,
has his offices at 1095 Market Street. Despite a rather limited budget
of only $88,000 the Commission seems to be singularly dedicated to their
task.

-54-

COMMISSION ON THE AGING (continued)

Housing problems of senior citizens constitute a major
concern of the Commission. Although the Commission does not have direct
Jurisdiction over nursing homes, it maintains a watchful eye over
their operations and imparts that information through a housing referral
system.

Recent publicity concerning the State inspection of the Post
Street Convalescent Home has made the public aware that abuses even
do occur in licensed homes. We are informed that the Post Street
Convalescent Home has been placed on 6 months probation by the State.

Because many elderly citizens die within months of a transfer
to a nursing home, the Commission is studying alternatives to that
kind of sometimes abrupt displacement. One proposal is a home-sharing
system where several senior citizens can combine their limited incomes
to support an independent existence in a private residence.

The Commission also maintains several unheralded but important
programs. A senior citizens' information telephone line is open 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. The service provides information on Jobs
and housing, on City programs, benefits and even social and cultural
opportunities. Additionally, the Commission publishes and distributes
booklets of services for the elderly in several languages.

This Commission under the direction of Mr. Patrick McGee,
has a very limited budget of $88,000 and thus uses volunteers both young
and old to accomplish the Commission's work. They seem to be very
dedicated and enterprising people, truly concerned about the senior
citizens of the City.

We applaud their efforts.

COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN

Ms. Susan Heller is Coordinator and Executive Director of
the Commission with a modest budget of only $59,000. Of the eight
people on the staff, six are CETA employees. Ms. Heller must thus
accomplish her responsibilities with volunteers — approximately
two hundred in number.

This Commission is less than two years old, and one wonders,
based on the above figures, whether the City is really committed to
the work of increased awareness of women's abilities and rights.

-55-

COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN (continued)

Despite these obstacles, this Commission has made great
strides. Although not acting as a Job referral or Job placement
agency, it has been concerned with opening non-traditional Jobs
to women: firefighting, engineering, architecture, management
and some craft trades. It monitors civil service job announcements
and testing procedures. A major area of study is equality in pay
for comparable work.

With regard to childcare, the Commission participated in
the Board of Supervisors ' Childcare Task Force and is currently
attempting to make improvements in this area.

Although reporting a decline in the number of credit
complaints, the Commission does monitor credit problems and actively
follows up on the few inquiries it receives. These usually relate
to women being unable to obtain credit, or recently divorced women
seeking to establish a good credit rating, this affects their lives
in many ways, especially in the purchase of homes.

In sum, despite a certain ambivalence to its functions by
the City, this Commission is forthrightly addressing the problems
of women in our society and patiently making progress in solving
them. Much of their success comes in making City government and
other employees sensitive to previously unperceived inequities.

Earl L. Ellingson

Mrs . Dagmar G . Meyer

Mrs. Edith Perlman, Chairman

-56-

CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION

This committee has made a survey of the Civil Service
Commission, Health Service System and Retirement System. There is
an inter-relation of these services and an interdependency on each
other in the areas of the initial hiring, health and welfare coverage
and retirement of the city employees. This committee has found minor
recommendations for improvement of these agencies as the department
heads have very efficiently managed the operation of their departments.

The Civil Service Commission's role and personnel function is
detailed in 16 Charter sections. Their responsibility is limited to
adopting rules to carry out the intent of the various Charter sections.

The resignation of Mr. Bernard Orsi, as General Manager,
has been most untimely, since it was at the time when Mr. James F.
Wurm, the Assistant General Manager, Personnel, was also retiring.
Fortunately, The City will have Mr. John J. Walsh, who has seventeen
years of experience with various government agencies, to take up the
post .

Hearing Officer

About a year ago it was contemplated that a qualified hearing
officer would conduct dismissal hearings instead of the department head.
Only recently has this proposal been sufficiently supported so that an
amendment of the rule has been proposed for adoption. When adopted,
notification will be sent to:

The State Conciliation Service

The American Arbitration Association

The San Francisco Bar Association and other agencies.

The notification will indicate the method of application re-
quirements for hearing officer and compensation for such services on a
daily or per case basis. This committee recommends that a hearing
officer be implemented soon to enable more executive time to be employed
in managing the department and save precious tax dollars and hours spent
by the department head.

HEALTH SERVICE SYSTEM

The Health Service System, under Mr. Philip J. Kearney,
Executive Director, deals with the various employee health insurance
plans. Mr. Kearney has administered the operation well and has carried
out the System's mandated responsibility effectively.

-57-

HEALTH SERVICE SYSTF" (continued)

Previously there were three plans:

1. City Administered,

2. Kaiser Foundation,

3. Blue Cross.

The Blue Cross representative and the Board have mutually
agreed to discontinue Plan 3 effective June 30, 1977.

Blue Cross

The rates presented for the fiscal year 1977-1973 included
36. H% increase and a further stiDulation that at least 4620 members
enroll in the plan.

The Board determined that the rate will not be commensurate
with the earning power of City employees and additionally that the
required number for enrollment cannot be guaranteed.

RETIREMENT SYSTEM

Mr. Daniel Matrocce, Secretary and General Manager of the
Retirement System, and Mr. George B. Springman, Chief Investment
Officer, were criticized after an investigation by the Board of
Supervisors' Budget Analyst. The report made on the investment opera-
tion by the Budget Analyst was dramatic, but was proven at least par-
tially unwarranted. It must be borne in mind that such trust funds
are absolutely restricted from being invested in speculative securities
with high risks which are most likely attractive from the standpoint
of being of high yield but which are of low quality. The funds in this
System, which are for the future benefit of the City employees, must be
invested in sound quality securities. Bearing this in mind as the most
essential requirement, the able staff of the Retirement Board should
make every effort to invest in those securities with the best possible
yields and the lowest risk within the strictures of bond sale penalties,
The analyst's investigation and report seem to have been centered on
the yield, which should not have been the main criteria in looking into
operation of this type of fund.

The analyst also reported "excessive cash balance" being main-
tained with the City Treasurer's Office which is restricted to invest-
ment of low yield, rather than invested by the System itself. The
System staff has concurred with this finding of the analyst and at pres-
ent they are investing the excess cash for higher yield themselves.

-58-

RETIREMENT SYSTEM (continued)

The disability awards payments made to police and fire
personnel in San Francisco run five times higher than the awards
bestowed on those in Los Angeles. With a view toward a more impartial
and fair adjudication of such claims, it is recommended that the Board
hire an independent professional hearing officer to handle the disabil-
ity retirement claims.

Stelios M. Andrew
Lawrence M. DuVall

Carlos E. Xavier, Chairman

-59-

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

The Chief Administrative Officer of the City and County of
San Francisco is a non-political position appointed by the Mayor and
approved by the Board of Supervisors. His term runs until retirement
age.

The very able Mr. Thomas J. Mellon has retired and the Board
of Supervisors approved the appointment of Mr. Roger Boas. This
committee had various contacts with Mr. Mellon and he felt that his
greatest achievements were the completion of the new San Francisco
General Hospital and the beautification of Market Street.

Mr. Boas, however, inherited many old and new problems, for
example the Yerba Buena project which is now in the hands of the
architects and engineers who are preparing the final plans. San
Francisco will finally get its much needed Convention Center.

The lack of middle management has remained with the depart-
ment and this committee believes that a concentrated training program
should be undertaken to improve the caliber of middle management
throughout City departments and thus have better coordination between
various City departments.

Mr. Boas also had to tackle the proposed sewer contract to
M.B.M. Certain irregularities were uncovered and Mr. Boas cancelled
any further negotiations with this firm. This exposes a problem in
the selection process of parties to consulting contracts. It is
apparent that there is a need for uniform guidelines to be followed
before the designation of the parties to such negotiated contracts
which should include a credit check, criminal screening as well as
determination of professional qualifications.

The urgent need for better management has manifested itself
by all these above mentioned cases and we feel that Mr. Boas should
take the initiative and improve the level of middle management through-
out City government and thus safeguard against unnecessary expenses
for the taxpayers of the City and County of San Francisco.

CORONER

City government is not fully informed as to the extent of
the duties of the Coroner's office according to Dr. Boyd G. Stephens,
M.D. The Coroner and his staff carry the responsibility of determin-
ing the cause of death in any unexplained death or any death case
that was unattended by a physician for a period of 20 days prior to
death.

-60-

CORONER (continued)

The Coroner is called into every homicide case, yet, his
investigators are not compensated at the same level as compared to
other investigators in other City departments.

The office is known as one of the best in the country.
Dr. Stephens fears that due to the lack of top modern equipment the
Coroner's office is quickly losing this reputation. The sore point
here seems to be that there is not enough funding for necessary lab
equipment. Dr. Stephens told us that, if for instance, the deputies
and the toxicologist would withdraw some of their personal equipment
this office would have to close.

The copying machine, which actually makes money for the
City, is only on loan from a research project. The Coroner cannot
get a copy machine of his own, the same with a computerized vital
instrument in the toxicology room. Dr. Stephens does not feel this
office would not pass an inspection by a national accreditation
committee if it were inspected with only City furnished equipment.

Dr. Stephens said that he should have at least two full-
time pathologists. He has only one full time and one part-time
pathologist at present. He also needs one more full-time technologist
because the quality of the work suffers, considering that the part-
time personnel has additional interests elsewhere.

Any homicide in recent years requires a lot more detailed
investigation and more technical testimony in court and is a lot
more time-consuming compared to what it used to be.

The present staff has to handle 2,500 cases a year and they
do a commendable job. As to morale within the department, it is our
opinion that aside from the fact that his staff feels that they are
underpaid, the morale is good. Dr. Stephens said that he has very
good relations with other City departments, although he mentioned
that there were cases where the police did not act very prudently
regarding homicide evidence. The coroner's working area is quite
modern and very spacious.

RECOMMENDATIONS :

1. The Coroner should give lectures at the Police Academy
concerning homicide procedures. He had not been invited for the last
five years to lecture at the Academy although in other municipalities
this is common procedure.

2. Prom the standpoint of economy and efficiency equipment
that is used both in the Police department Crime Lab and the Coroner's
Lab should be purchased and used jointly wherever possible. The Police
department and Coroner's office should coordinate in this regard.

-61-

CORONER (continued)

3. It appears to this Grand Jury that although there is no
dishonesty in the Coroner's Department regarding claims of bodies from
the morgue by private morticians, we do recommend that a better pro-
cedure could be developed within the department. We feel that a more
foolproof system is in order, perhaps requiring written confirmation
of the authorization from the family to the mortician.

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICITY

This department is responsible for all inter-communications
of the Police department and Fire department. The department which is
headed by the able General Manager, Mr. Burton H. Dougherty, is also
responsible for the upkeep of all parking meters and installation of
stoplights throughout the City. Repairs and services are carried out
by the department through work orders that are received by Mr.
Dougherty. All new installations are approved by the Board of
Supervisors .

In a previous Grand Jury report, it was foreseen that the
9-1-1 emergency telephone service would be available to the citizens
of San Francisco by September 1975. It is now June 1977 and this
system appears to be still headed for an indefinite delay. We were
in contact with Mr. Dougherty on this and we were told that an ad hoc
committee is studying the additional cost since AB 416 was passed by
the State Legislature. Mr. Dougherty estimates this system would
cost the City about $800,000 annually to operate. The State would
contribute about $588,000 per year. A lot of valuable time in emergen-
cy situations could be saved by implementation of the 9-1-1 system.
This department also maintains the electrical board operated by and
supported by a new computerized system used by the Fire Department
which gives essential information as to how much equipment to send to
any particular fire, the routes to take and the occupancy of the
building.

There are a lot of dedicated people in this department. Mr.
Dougherty has to perform administrative as well as technical duties,
because the vital position of work-crew foreman has been eliminated.
Preventive maintenance on equipment cannot be performed because of
this lack of personnel.

RECOMMENDATIONS :

1. The 9-1-1 system should be installed because we see it
as an absolutely necessary system and vital time can be saved in
individual emergency situations.

-62-

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICITY (continued)

2. The position of work-crew foremen should be reinstated
to return Mr. Dougherty to his administrative duties.

Frank L. Markey

Miss Irene G. O'Neill

Wolfgang Hellpap, Chairman

-63-

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND RECORDS

The Director of the Department of Finance and Records, Mr.
Virgil Elliott, subject to the approval of the Chief Administrative
Officer, administers the services and activities of the Department
of Finance and Records, Agriculture and Weights and Measures, County
Clerk, Recorder, Registrar of Voters, Public Administrator - Public
Guardian, Tax Collector, and Farmers Market. Mr. Elliott did have
the Records Center under his supervision, but this Department has
been disbanded, a private firm now handles the storage for the former
Records Center. The five employees who worked in the Records Center
have been placed in other duties in other departments .

Even though Mr. Elliott has a great many responsibilities
supervising several departments he seems to be very dedicated and
capable in the performance of the duties of Director.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

The Department of Agriculture and Weights and Measures under
the direction of Mr. Raymond L. Bozzini is composed of three units:

1. Agriculture

2 . Farmers ' Market

3. Sealer of Weights and Measures

The three principal responsibilities of this department are:

1. To promote and protect the agricultural industry.

2. To protect and benefit the grower and consumer and
the environment by enforcing the provisions of the
Agricultural Code.

3. To promote and protect the health and welfare of our
citizens within the parameter of his delegated authority

The Department of Agriculture's personnel consists of one
Commissioner, one Deputy Commissioner, five Inspectors and one clerk
typist.

-64-

THE SEALER OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

1. The Sealer has the primary function of inspection of
scales :

a. Railway track - for freight cars

b. Wholesale and retail butcher scales

c. Counter - spring, computing, and prescription
scales

d. Special scales - platform and dormant. Vehicle,
Hopper and Tank.

2. Independent weighmasters are inspected to make sure
their scales are accurate.

3. Petroleum equipment - This pertains to the inspection
of equipment used by firms that sell petroleum products
such as motor fuel, motor oils and lubricants.

4. Package inspection - This function is the inspection of
packages , containers or amounts of commodities sold or
being delivered, in order to determine whether they have
the exact quantity or amount, and if they are labeled
correctly.

5. Measuring devices inspected - retail gas pumps, Grease
oil meters, Yardage meters, Vehicle meters, Taxi meters,
Liquified gas meters, Liquid meters.

Electric Sub-Meters

The Sealer of Weights and Measure's has the duty of inspecting
Electric Sub-meters. Due to an insufficient inspection staff, he
has been unable to perform this duty.

A survey conducted by the State Bureau of Weights and Measures
in January 1970, revealed that San Francisco has more than 11,200
apartment houses in addition to office buildings. It was found
that some of these buildings have up to 500 sub-meters . There are
a total in excess of 15,000 sub-meters. It was noted that many electric
meters are undersized, wired wrong for accurate measurement, and installed
on the wrong voltages. Many of the installations date as far back
as 1910. State investigations showed many meters present significant
safety hazards. This situation still exists today.

The testing of electric sub-meters would require one
Inspector full time. This department is required under Business and
Professions Code Section<-3009 .2.1 to test electrical sub-meters at
least once every ten years.

-65-

THE SEALER OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES (continued)

This Grand Jury believes that the department of Weights and
Measures should have a full time inspector and the equipment to carry
on the inspection of these electric sub-meters. If no additional
personnel are granted by the Mayor and The Board of Supervisors,
we recommend that this function be given oriority with the existing
personnel, even at the expense of some of their other functions.

To neglect the inspection of these meters could cost the
citizens of San Francisco thousands of dollars in wrong meter reading,
as well as Jeopardize the safety of our citizens because of potential
fires.

COUNTY CLERK

The principal functions of the County Clerk, Mr. Carl M.
Olsen, are to receive, index, file and retrieve legal documents for the
Superior Court of the City and County of San Francisco. These documents
also serve the needs of litigants, attorneys, and the general public.

Handwritten books of indexes are maintained with the excep-
tion of the criminal index which has been computerized.

After the various legal documents are received and stamped
filed by a deputy clerk at each of the respective divisions, the
documents are indexed; subsequently, they are filed permanently as
official records. The file folders are physically stored on the
premises for approximately nine years depending on the availability
of storage space. Storage of some of the records is being contracted
out to a storage company which solves a small part of their storage
problem. In addition, Mr. Olsen has requested budget approval for
microfilm facilities which will further alleviate the space problem.

Mr. Olsen' s staff consists of 91 people including himself
but he says he is short nine people. A new Civil Service list will
be posted in the near future which may solve this personnel shortage.
The revenue received through this department in filing fees is
approximately half of what it takes to pay the salaries of his staff.

The last Grand Jury found that the fee remittances were
improperly processed, however, since that time Mr. Olsen states that
he has corrected that problem.

Criticism had also been directed at this department principally
by Judges and attorneys in that file folders or specific documents
not in the folders were unavailable upon request. Mr. Olsen is
sensitive to the problem and states that progress has been made to
correct it.

-66-

COUNTY CLERK (continued)

The investigation of the prior Grand Jury concluded that
the individual Courtroom Clerks of the Civil Departments of the
Superior Court are needed because of the personnel shortage to provide
assistance to the County Clerk during the hours before their respective
courts convene and after the Court is adjourned. It seems that the
cooperation of the individual Superior Court Judges is one way the
County Clerk can obtain more personnel to help clear up some of the
heavy workload of this department. The Superior Court Judges should
insist that their Clerks report to the County Clerk after their duties
are completed in the courtroom.

A class has been started for the learning of courtroom
procedures for any person in this department who would like to expand
their knowledge. These two hour weekly sessions have been well
attended and Mr. Olsen was delighted with that fact because this
knowledge will be of great assistance to the function of this department.

Mr. Olsen stated that 3058 of his employees are due to retire
in the next four years. He is striving to advance the younger people
in his departmet to more responsible positions to balance the facts
of retirement losses and to provide continuity of experience.

In conclusion, Mr. Olsen is taking steps to solve the
problems experienced in his department.

RECORDER

The County Recorder, Mr. Thomas Kearney, is mandated by
State law as well as by City and County ordinance to receive, record,
index, and preserve papers such as property documents, tax liens,
abstracts of Judgment, certificates of death, military discharges, and
marriage licenses, and upon request to issue certified copies of them.

A true copy of the original document is reproduced and filed
permanently. The staff indexes these documents and maintains books
of record in order to facilitate their retrieval by the user. Prior
to 1973 all indexing was handwritten in several books of record;
subsequent to that date nearly all of the indexing has been transferred
on microfiche with two readers available for public use. This
procedure has consolidated all the various books of record into a
single index source which is listed alphabetically; the result is
substantial saving in labor hours, storage space, and book binding
costs, and also a more efficient retrieval of documents.

Mr. Kearney states he needs an assistant bureau chief and
a principal clerk. The department operates on a full staff of 18
people. Of the 18 people, two have retired, and two are on extended

-67-

RECORDER (continued)

sick leave, leaving 11 people. The people on sick leave or the ones
retiring were quite knowledgeable in the Recorder's duties, this
seems to leave a lack of experience within the department. The
department does need employees familiar with and trained in duties
peculiar to the Recorder's office.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR - PUBLIC GUARDIAN

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR

The Public Administrator, Con S. Shea of the City and County
of San Francisco must take immediate charge of the property within
this county of those persons who have died when no executor or
administrator has been appointed, and consequently the property, or
any part thereof is being wasted, uncared for or lost. He is also
responsible for estates ordered into his hands by the Court. He
shall apply for letters of administration upon estates of decedents
who have no known heirs when the Superior Court of this county has
jurisdiction, and may apply for such letters in any other estates
which he is entitled to administer.

On June 30, 1976, there were 2,173 pending Public Administra-
tor probate cases. He feels that the maximum number of open cases
should be less than 800. The basic cause for this backlog problem is a
shortage of personnel. An additional problem is the present supDorting
staff is inexperienced in the details involved in probating estates.
This, in turn, causes an additional workload for the administrator
and attorneys assigned to this office. Until this department is
adequately staffed, it seems it will be Impossible to clear up the case
backlog and to process the current cases within a reasonable time.

In the future, there will be an effort made in Civil Ser-
vice Commission to more carefully evaluate employees for this kind
of position which may solve some of these problems.

PUBLIC GUARDIAN

The purpose of this office is to provide a public officer
to serve, when needed, as guardian of the person and/or estate. He
is appointed by the Court and he must appear for and represent the
ward in all actions or proceedings. He must manage the ward's
estate frugally and without waste and apply the income as far as
necessary taking into consideration convenience, suitable support,
and maintenance. Without the Public Guardian program some persons
declared to be Incompetent would be unable to collect welfare assistance,

-68- •

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR - PUBLIC GUARDIAN (continued)

social security, and other pensions or benefits to which they are
entitled.

The immediate problem in this office is the lack of adequate
clerical staff to handle the current caseload and reduce the case
backlog. The present clerical staff is inadequate for two reasons.
1. It is generally untrained and inexperienced. (Retirement and
turn-over are responsible for this situation.) 2. Due to sickness
and absenteeism only S0% of budgeted clerical staff has been consistently
available. Even some of the most knowledgeable personnel are
absent from work occasionally which areates more problems.

If present trends continue It is anticipated that the work-
load will stabilize within three to five years so that intake of
estates will balance with closed estates on a current basis. Over
the last few years there have been changes in the California Probate
Code which will affect both the volume of cases and the fees of the
Public Guardian and his attorneys.

There has been an on-gofiing program to revamp all procedures
and all forms in the office. The major change effected during this
year was a public record required by Probate Code Section 1151. This
public record was formerly a bound book of cumbersome proportions
requiring a budget expense of $500.00 per year. A more streamlined
form on 11 x 12 ledger cards has been substituted and should require
an expense of only $68.00 per year.

Some portions of the dormant files are contracted out to an
attorney who is very capable and has rendered great assistance in
clearing up some of the backlog.

REGISTRAR OF VOTERS

The Registrar of Voters is Thomas Kearney. The funcitons
of his department are as follows:

1. Registration of voters - all citizens of the United
States who have lived in the county for at least
twenty-nine days and are at least 18 years old by
election day .

2. Dissemination of all sample ballots and handbooks to
registered voters no less than ten days prior to the
election.

3. Hiring and training temporary precinct election
officers to supervise polling places.

^ . Renting premises for use as polling places.
5. Storing, maintaining, programming, transporting and
acquiring the voting machines and election materials.

-69-

REGISTRAR OF VOTERS (continued)

6. Registering candidates for public office.

7. Conducting the election including counting and
tabulating ballots.

The Multilingual Election program presents problems to this
department because of the additional materials to be distributed
for the non-English speaking citizens of the City and County of
San Francisco.

This department has sufficient budget and personnel.

Mr. Kearney's knowledge of procedures in this department
was initially limited due to the fact that he had been its department
head for a short period of time. Mr. Kearney has a sincere desire
to improve many functions of the department in order to achieve a
higher level of efficiency.

TAX COLLECTOR

The Tax Collector's office, under the direction of Mr. Thad
Brown, is responsible for collecting all local taxes, license fees,
and delinquent taxes, including statutory penalities and accrued
interest. The department has seven divisions which are Real Estate,
License, Business Taxes, Parking Meter, Delinquent Revenue, Investigations
and Cashiers.

One of the major problems of the department is in the
Delinquent Revenue Division. All uncollectible accounts from the
departments of Public Health and Public Works are transferred here
for further collection action. Additionally, in the event duplicate
checks have been issued to one person by the department of Social
Services, this division must investigate. After all collection
efforts are exhausted by this division the tax collector resorts
to court action.

There is one attorney for this division who handles an
extremely heavy case load. A total of 9,855 accounts were referred
from other departments during 197^-1975 and during 1975-1976 an
additional 13,535 accounts were referred. Vigorous collection action
disposed of approximately two-thirds of those accounts. On June 30, 1976
7,891 delinquent accounts were still outstanding and as of April 30, 1977
there were 8,680.

-70-

TAX COLLECTOR (continued)

Mr. Thad Brown had nothing but praise for his staff of
135 people. The department did seem to run very smoothly.

Mrs. Mary B. Donnelly
Francis J. Murphy

Earl L. Ellingson, Chairman

-71-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Basic functions of the Department of Public Health are:
1) overseeing medical services in an attempt to provide optimum
levels of health for all residents of San Francisco and 2) quality
medical care for those residents who are ill. The Department needs
to develop additional services, especially for the elderly, includ-
ing dental services. While these services would require additional
expenditures, the Department lacks sufficient clerical help to
efficiently provide for the collection of fees from those who are
able to pay and obtain reimbursement from Medicare and Medi-Cal.
Therefore, this Grand Jury recommends that the present procedures
be improved before new medical programs are commenced.

San Francisco General Hospital

The San Francisco General Hospital encountered a multitude
of difficulties when it moved into the new hospital facility
including plumbing stoppages, doors that failed to close, etc.
Many of these problems have been resolved and the General Contractor
is continuing to provide for the necessary adjustments. Mr. Charles
Windsor, who was selected as Administrator in May 1976, has
initiated a system of charts which enables him to exercise close
control over every-day performance.

Dr. William Blaisdel, head of surgery at San Francisco
General Hospital and Professor of Surgery at U. C. Hospital
supervises the University of California, San Francisco, operates
an undergraduate and postgraduate medical training program,
conducts research and provides the senior medical staff at the
General Hospital. In addition to teaching, the University of
California physicians are responsible for supervising the care of
all patients admitted to the hospital. Their trauma and emergency
treatment center is fully staffed 24 hours a day.

Dr. Blaisdell complained of the difficulties in having
to apply through other departments for medical equipment instru-
ments, etc., which are needed urgently, but that long periods of
time are expended between requisition and acquisition. While that
may be true at present, the Purchasing Department is sensitive to
the problem and is combining with other Bay Area purchasers to
gain a cost advantage in purchasing such specialized equipment.

The lack of clerical personnel is so acute that at times
nurses have to do clerical work. Their salaries are twice that of
a clerical worker. This Grand Jury recommends that adequate
clerical personnel be assigned to the Hospital to perform the work

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DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (continued)

which should be done by them. We suggest that if there is adequate
nursing staff to do their assigned work as well as clerical work,
some thought be given to exchanging some of the nurse positions
for clerical positions as nurse positions become vacant.

Laguna Honda Hospital

Responding to some safety deficiencies noted by the
previous Grand Jury, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare
has accepted a promise by the Board of Supervisors to correct
certain deficiencies, including the power plant and fire and safety
regulations. In order to bring the facilities up to Code, to
conform to Medicare, Medi-Cal regulations an expenditure of m
million dollars would be required, which Laguna Honda Hospital believes
should be a bond issue next November.

The prior Grand Jury also discussed theft of linens and
blankets but the Hospital Administrator claims that the problem is
comparable to that in other hospitals.

Members of the Grand Jury found the premises and the
facilities to be clean and in good order. The Hospital has installed
dining areas in most wards. With regard to recent claims of
excessive roach infestation at the Hospital, a pest control company
now treats the problem on a weekly basis. The administration
insists that the severity was exaggerated in the newspapers.

Barbara A. Belling
Edith Perlman

George A. Kardum, Chairman

-73-

PURCHASING DEPARTMENT

The function of this department, which is under Mr. Joseph
C. Gavin, is to obtain materials, supplies, equipment, insurance and
contracts for services for all City and County departments, including
City-owned utilities, the San Francisco Port Commission, and the
San Francisco Community College. Its responsibility covers many
fields, such as repairs and maintains automotive and other equipment
for the various City departments and also the School District, but
does not include the motor vehicles of the Public Utilities Commission.
It operates a central reproduction bureau for printing, mimeographing,
blue -printing, etc., for the City departments which require these
services. The Inventory Division is charged with the equipment inven-
tory of all City departments.

The Bureau of Stores and Equipment, under this department,
operates and maintains a central warehouse and storerooms in various
City Departments. It receives and issues materials, supplies and
equipment for all departments of the City and County of San Francisco.
It handles approximately 90,000 items in common use on a daily basis
and an additional 100,000 more items that are purchased more routinely
for the Airport, Railway, College, etc.

This department would have a much more effective program if
it had one more buyer and one more assistant buyer. Central Ware-
house, which was closed for a time, has reopened and still has only
eight employees and was fortunate to have an increase of one store-
keeper recently. To improve the efficiency of this department store-
keepers are now taking Certificate Course at Community College. A
much needed supervisor's position was finally filled and the supervi-
sor was due on the job on July 1, 1977. The Bureau of Stores and
Equipment are staffed and operated in these locations:

1. Central Warehouse - 15th & Harrison Street (Stationery

& Janitorial Supplies)

2. Department Public Works - 2323 Army Street

3. Water Department - 1990 Newcomb Ave.

4. Hetch Hetchy - Moccasin, California

5. San Francisco Int'l. Airport - South San Francisco

6. Municipal Railway - 24th & Utah Streets and branch locations

7. Health Department, San Francisco General Hospital and
Laguna Honda Hospital

-7*-

PURCHASING DEPARTMENT (continued)

8. Recreation & Park - Golden Gate Park

9. Department of Electricity - 901 Rankin Street

10. Sheriff's Department - City Hall

11. Central Shop - 800 Quint Street

There have been recommendations from various specialized
departments who would prefer doing their own purchasing because of
the red tape involved and lack of savings because of low volume of
purchases and the uniqueness of items in the specialized fields. We
do not recommend this course of action because of the difficulty
in defining specialized items. In any event this department has
plans to participate in a joint procurement program with other Bay
Area counties which will realize a greater volume and thus a lower
cost. This will further diminish the likelihood of accurately defining
specialized items. This Grand Jury can see the merits of this plan
and recommends early participation in this program.

In the Auto Shop (Light Truck Shop) there has been no in-
crease in staff and no replacements. There is much more repair and
maintenance of an automotive fleet that is, on the average, 8 years
old. All old cars are sent to the Auto and Light Truck Shop for
appraisal. Special forms must be completed and have to go through
channels before any request for new autos are taken into consideration.
At present fifty new cars have been requested and many more are des-
perately needed. Private industry has recognized that automotive
equipment has a predicted economic life span. According to the 1975-
1976 Purchasing Department Annual Report: "Many cities are coordinat-
ing the responsibility for their essential in-service transportation
operation within a single bureau or department. That division
acquires the vehicles and then 'leases' them to the operating depart-
ments for a flat-periodic fee that would include operating expenses
and a depreciation factor. At the end of the predetermined useful
life a reserve fund has been accumulated for replacement."

This Grand Jury recommends budget authorities develop and
put into force a reasonable and timely replacement program for City
automotive equipment. Both the above plans should be investigated
thoroughly. There is also a need for an up-dated system to enable
this department to utilize the capabilities of the computer to
properly control repair and maintenance expenses.

Budget appropriation is needed to bring in an outside
expert to discover a way to stop the undisciplined, extravagant
multiplication of paperwork done by the City departments. There is
much waste. Much reduction could be made on traditional reams of

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PURCHASING DEPARTMENT (continued)

interoffice memos, correspondence, forms, reports and multi -copies.
There is no end to the request for more letterheads, stationery,
envelopes, forms and many other miscellaneous office papers. Volumes
of paper are being used by all City departments and agencies; by
avoiding waste and extravagance thousands of dollars would be saved.
Out-of-date forms should be eliminated, materials could be combined.
Strict requirements should be set up on a firm or permanent basis.
To correct all this unnecessary waste of funds, time, materials, and
the use of unnecessary man hours this Grand Jury recommends bringing
an outside expert (Forms Analysis and Control Consultant) to recommend
methods to control this problem.

A previous Grand Jury noted that there has been no physical
inventory of equipment in the city for over six years. We note this
is a big assignment which is complicated with budget cuts and lack of
personnel replacement. This task has still not been accomplished.
This Grand Jury recommends that a complete physical inventory count
of all City equipment be required of each City department and there-
after that a regular and periodic physical inventory count be done
by the Purchasing Department through its Inventory Control Division.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

The Bureaus under the Department of Public Works include
Architecture, Engineering, Building Repair, Street Repair, Street
Cleaning and Planting, Water Pollution Control and Wastewater Manage-
ment. All private construction within the City is controlled by the
Bureau of Building Inspection. There are such a large number of
projects and improvements presently in planning and construction
stages that this Grand Jury has, in its limited tenure, been able to
look into only a few of the functions of the department. Mr.
S. Myron Tatarian, Director of Public Works, and his staff, have been
most cooperative and have provided valuable assistance to this Grand
Jury.

The Public Works Department needs more funds for maintenance
and improvement of the City's capital plant each year. There has been
a lack of funds for improvements and maintenance during the past few
years which has resulted in massive deterioration of the City's facil-
ities including its streets and buildings. We note that, currently,
insufficient maintenance funds are being provided to maintain the
almost three hundred public buildings under the Department of Public
Works' jurisdiction. In 1977-78, a budget of $1,063,350 was appro-
priated. This is somewhat less than the amount approved in 1961-62,
some sixteen years ago. Just to maintain the 1961-62 level of main-
tenance with today's inflated costs, this Department would require

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DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS (continued)

about $2.2 million annually instead of the $1.1 million approved.
This deficiency is temporarily being offset by the infusion of Federal
funds in the amount of $1.5 million. This grant, however, will expire
in March of 1978.

We found that all City streets are rated as to condition
and this information is computerized. Those streets which are most
in need of work and repair are completed first. Therefore, all com-
plaints cannot be acted upon promptly, which results in a dissatisfied
public. There is a severe lack of funding for normal preventative
street maintenance. More funds are needed for personnel services,
contractual services and equipment replacement. The budgeted funds
for the 1977-78 fiscal year probably will be insufficient to prevent
the increased deterioration of our City streets. A previous Grand
Jury noted that there was a severe gap in communication between this
department and the citizens of the City. Many complaints about streets
and sidewalks are received daily by the department. About one-half
of these complaints are related to contractor operations, utility
ditches, sewer failures and private sidewalks. These complaints are
referred immediately to the proper City departments. At present, the
Bureau of Street Repair is up to date on grievances relating to repairs,
If a repair cannot be made promptly, the complaining person is notified
when the repair will be made. It appears to this Grand Jury that this
department has been very cooperative with the public and has done
much, within its present level of funding, toward the improvement and
repair of City streets. In addition, street furniture (benches), new
pedestrian lanes and handicapped ramps have been installed which assist
our citizens as well as add to the beauty of the City.

At present, our streets are being cleaned at night, par-
tially through the Federally funded CETA program. It was determined
by the D.P.W., after several months' experience, that night manual
street cleaning is not sufficiently productive, efficient or safe
compared to daytime operations because of lack of direct supervision.
Due to the problems involved with our present system, the City's
future policy is to use mechanical sweeping in all areas of the City
where it is feasible to do so. This program should be fully imple-
mented by December of 1978. The mechanical street sweeping program
will be similar to the Richmond District program which has been in
effect for three years and will involve controlled parking. There
have been some complaints from residents in the Richmond District,
but there has been, in general, a favorable response to the program.
This new system should realize a tremendous savings as well as provide
for cleaner streets. In the Richmond District, for instance, the use
of mechanized street sweepers is providing substantial savings to
taxpayers annually over the prior costs. Since there will be some
areas of the City that cannot be cleaned by this system, a certain
number of street cleaners will necessarily be used for hand work.

-77-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS (continued)

This Grand Jury commends the recent implementation of the
Citation Policy for littering which has been developed by the Depart-
ment in further aid of the clean City campaign. The program will
involve a progressive systems of fines, starting at $10 for the first
offense. We feel that a citation system will increase public aware-
ness and help retain the beauty of the City. We suggest intensive
media coverage be provided as a further deterrent to those who litter.

The most controversial project of the Department of Public
Works is the Wastewater Management Program. This is the largest
Public Works project that the City of San Francisco has ever under-
taken. It is a very expensive program which will cost over $1.5
billion. Construction activities will affect major sections of the
City for at least the next eight years. Well informed residents are
of great importance and it is up to our public to voice their ques-
tions and opinions to make this project successful. The Wastewater
Management Program has had several meetings with residents of the
areas involved and has sent newsletters to all interested public or-
ganizations. A preliminary Environmental Impact Report has been
completed on the west-side transportation line. Many additional
questions regarding the problems that will arise remain unanswered.
The EIR reveals that traffic diverted from the upper Great Highway
during the construction will probably use Sunset Boulevard and 19th
Avenue. These traffic changes will continue unless the upper Great
Highway is replaced with another four lane road. According to this
report, the construction will adversely affect air quality and odors
are expected to come from the proposed pumping station. According
to the report, beach erosion may be a problem in this area and the
pipeline could eventually be undermined by waves or damaged by earth-
quake-induced ground shaking and liquefaction of sand. This Grand
Jury recommends that all interested parties cooperate and answer all
questions on this project. The project planning must include the
residents and must provide sincere and honest answers to all of their
concerns.

To date, study on the controversial Upper Market Street
Beautification Plan has not been conclusive. The Mayor's Advisory
Committee for the Upper Market Street Project favors a bicycle lane
and two lanes for moving traffic for each side of the street. The
Department of Public Works, at the request of the Streets and Trans-
portation Committee of the Board of Supervisors, developed a plan
for three lanes of traffic in each direction. The Department has
been directed by the Federal Highway Administration, through the
California State Department of Transportation, to:

1. Make a final traffic analysis of the various
alternatives that are being suggested;

2. Conduct tests in the field;

-78-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS (continued)

3. Review the findings with them to determine

if an environmental impact report is necessary.

This Grand Jury recommends the deletion of bicycle lanes on
Market Street due to the questionable safety of bicyclists. We
further recommend the three lane concept as there appears to be a
definite need for traffic lanes especially during evening rush hours.

According to this department, several changes are necessary
to make the department more effective and more workable:

1. Institution of program- type budgeting to permit the
management of the Department through the effective use of personnel,
materials and equipment where the needs and priorities exist. This
program will be implemented by 1982.

2. Additional funds are needed for routine and major
maintenance to reverse the present trend in the deterioration of the
City's physical plant.

3. The department also requests more leeway in retaining
top management assistants. They feel that higher salaries and fringe
benefits are necessary to solicit well -qualified middle management.

The Department of Public Works has well-performed its duties
in this City. The citizens now must look at the future and realize
that this department, perhaps more so than any other City department,
can only accomplish its projects successfully through the participa-
tion of concerned residents.

REAL ESTATE DEPARTMENT

The services of the Real Estate Department, which is staffed
with many specialists in this field, are required by almost all
departments of the City in all appraisals and negotiation work. Its
services include: acquisition of property for street widenings and
extensions, school expansions and parks, special study and appraisal
projects; disposal of surplus property, management of City-owned
facilities (such as Civic Auditorium and Brooks Hall, parking garages,
etc.); leasing of additional quarters for all departments, advice
pertaining to real estate matters, lease and rental of properties as
both lessor and lessee as required by all City departments; furnish-
ing of loans and finance services to the Department of Public Works
in connection with the Federally Assisted Code Enforcement (FACE)
Program and the Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RAP), Admin-
istration of the Home Ownership Assistance Program; Maintenance of
records relating to City, School District and Community College

-79-

REAL ESTATE DEPARTMENT (continued)

District property; and acting as an Advisor to the City Attorney in
all matters pertaining to real estate.

This is a very well -managed department and to date it has
accomplished its goals without requesting additional personnel in
the budgeted departments. This Department has only five budgeted
positions. The rest of the positions are Interdepartmental and are
funded through work orders from departments requiring real estate
service.

Several major programs are now in progress. These are:

1. Land acquisition for Wastewater Treatment Facilities
which now has the go ahead for construction under
the Great Highway, but which still is a matter of
dissension among the residents of that area.

2. Land acquisition for Proposition "j" Open Space
and Recreation.

3. Ongoing leasing program for City departments requir-
ing space not available in City-owned buildings.

Since revenues are obtained mainly from rentals of City-
owned properties, increasing department revenues from other than tax
sources would be hard to accomplish. These properties include sur-
plus from public works, school, or other project; properties improved
and leased out for public purposes such as major off-street parking
facilities; properties held in trust for specific purposes such as
the Puhrman Bequest, the income from which is designated for Library
and Park purposes; and rental fees from use of Brooks Hall and Civic
Auditorium.

There will be a request for a Supervisory Loan Office when
the RAP Program expands to more than three districts. RAP, which is
getting underway in the Inner Richmond, is a mandatory code enforce-
ment and voluntary home improvement loan program. Persons who own
property in RAP areas may take out loans from the City at a 6% in-
terest rate to bring their buildings up to code and to make improve-
ments. The opponents in RAP in the Upper Haight Ashbury were concern-
ed that this program would work a hardship on the neighborhood's low
income residents by forcing up housing and rentals costs. After much
controversy between homeowners, the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors,
the RAP program for Upper Haight Ashbury has been approved.

This Grand Jury feels that RAP (Rehabilitation Assistance
Program) is an excellent program. Not only will it bring back some
of the old historical beauty of the City and restore the unique
Victorian structures, but it will also up-grade the quality of our
City's deteriorated residential neighborhoods.

-80-

REAL ESTATE DEPARTMENT (continued)

City officials are concerned about the decision by the
Foundation of San Francisco Architectural Heritage to nominate the
Civic Center for inclusion in the National Register of Historic
Places. If the nomination is approved, it will mean that any major
changes in the properties in this designated area would be under
strict governmental controls. The Architectural Heritage is request-
ing area designation, thus its nomination includes all buildings and
developments within neighborhood boundaries including private and
public parcels. Included in the Civic Center nomination are mon-
umental and important public buildings, including the City Hall and
Opera House, and smaller private structures such as small shops and
a gas station.

According to one report, for the first time in many years,
the demand for new office space in San Francisco may be on the verge
of outstripping supply. Thus, due to the shortage and expense involv-
ed in obtaining rentals In the Civic Center area, this Grand Jury
recommends that this plan be thoroughly investigated before dedication
is supported. We further recommend that, before dedication can be
accomplished, the City make a thorough review of potential future
requirements of City offices and that required space be obtained.

Stelios M. Andrew
Lawrence M. DuVall
Seizo F. Oka

Mrs. Dagmar G. Meyer, Chairman

-81-

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

The Board of Supervisors is generally charged with all
powers not specifically delegated to other officials , such as the
Mayor and the apolitical Chief Administrative Officer arm of the
government, and the departments, boards and commissions under their
jurisdictions. The members of the Board of Supervisors, each chairing
one of the eleven standing committees, are prohibited from interfer-
ence in the affairs of any department except for inquiry through the
department's board, commission or department head. Although the
Board's principal responsibility lies in its exclusive jurisdiction
of legislation, it controls other City departments with its final
adjudication over all financial matters.

During the past fiscal year, this Grand Jury has been
overwhelmed by the dissension among certain of the Board of Super-
visors and other officials of the City. There has been a pronounced
tendency to engage in personal attacks rather than to evaluate
objectively legislative proposals and City administration. We, as
well as other citizens in this City, have witnessed an unsurpassed
degree of inter-personal disputes — particularly since these vociferous
attacks have been presented daily in the press. We are supported in
our observation by a local newspaper poll, the results of which were
published on January 3, 1977. According to this report, only twelve
percent of the respondents indicated a vote of confidence in the
Board. Most of the responses were framed in a feeling that the Board
was interested only in big business and themselves and not in the
economically deprived. This may or may not be true, however, it
does point out the destructive effects of the wars waged through the
media. We submit that, if our elected officials and governmental
department heads would combine their efforts in the common goal of
finding solutions to the numerous City problems, they could be
infinitely more effective.

This Grand Jury has been aware of the problems inherent in
the operation of San Francisco on a very limited budget. We feel
that the Board has done a commendable Job in controlling department
expenditures, in most cases, within this stricture. We do suggest,
however, that the Board, in the upcoming year, further explore
alternative forms of government funding. In other reports, we have
suggested the implementation of increased payroll taxes on business,
the increase in general fares on MUNI as well as an increase in
parking taxes. The population of this City is decreasing and the
ever-increasing property taxes (and resulting rental increases) can
only encourage the exodus from the City. Tax relief for the home-
owner, who now carries a disproportionate responsibility for
government support, must be sought.

Although many problems have beset this Board of Supervisors,

-82-

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS (continued)

we cannot fail to comment upon the ability and dedication of certain
of our Supervisors. The City has benefited from their commitment to
their responsibilities.

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Founded in 1953 by a group of physicians and businessmen,
the California Academy of Sciences is the oldest scientific
organization in the Western United States. After the establishment
of the first natural history museum on the Pacific Coast some 20
years later, it has served as a center of research and display of
the life and earth sciences, as a repository for and guardian of its
vast collection of specimens, and as a publisher of scientific papers.
As a non-profit corporation its Board of 25 Trustees can exercise
considerable discretion in executing the purposes of its Constitution.

The culmination of the endeavors of the trustees, the
director, and his dedicated professional staff was the opening of the
Meyer Fish Roundabout on May 13, 1977. This $1,000,000 privately
financed addition to the Steinhart Aquarium (which houses 750 species of
fish from all parts of the world) is a unique contribution as its "merry-
go-round" tank accomodates "pelagic" or ocean-going fish. According to
Steinhart1 s superintendent, Dr. John E. McCosker, these sea-going
fish don't tolerate an ordinary aquarium tank, but have oriented
themselves to this doughnut-shaped tank by swimming upstream in its
continuous 3 knot current. Its distinction as the only one in the
United States and largest in the world allows viewing hundreds of
fish flashing past at speeds of 20 knots or more. This exhibition
was welcomed by an increase of 35? in visitors to the Academy.

The California Academy's national cultural focus is
recognized by both our local community and throngs of visitors to
our City each year. As an example of its worldwide recognition,
Dr. William N. Eschmeyer, its Chairman, informed us it will receive
the gift of a "Megamouth" from the Waikiki Museum. This is an
unidentified new genus of shark with a 1,500 pound smile.

The opening of the Wattis Hall of Man on June 30, 1976, was
the highlight of that year as this $4,000, 000 private contribution
was not only the largest gift to the City of San Francisco but
returned the Academy to the field of Anthropology, which was destroyed
at its downtown location by the Earthquake of 1906. The foresight
of the Board of Trustees at that time to relocate to the pastural
green groves of the Golden Gate Park is certainly appreciated.
Particularly suitable to its functions is the spaciousness of a high
ceilinged interior of the Wattis Hall of Man, suspended under a
rustic roof, set in well foliaged landscaping. Besides two adjoining

-83-

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (continued)

galleries for visiting exhibits, there are two more floors occupied
by the Department of Entomology and Botany. The Botany department
recently acquired a "compactor" - an automatic system for moving
rows of filing cabinets terally to eliminate excessive corridor
congestion. This maximizes the amount of filing space available.

With these additional facilities, the Academy now houses
over 8 acres of floor space. But for the present closure of
automobile access on Sundays, the Academy's attendance could reason-
ably be expected to surpass 2,000,000 visitors annually.

It is the Board of Trustees, with Paul L. Davies, Jr., as
current Chairman, which deserve the credit for acquiring most of
the benefactors' funds necessary to create such unique capital
improvements which now comprise some dozen attractive structures to
accomodate the spectra of their scientific purposes.

Although the taxpayers ' contribution to the operating costs
is modest by comparison, the City continues to recognize the impor-
tance of its share by an increase of about 105? in each of the last
three fiscal years so that it will total about $1,000,000 for 1977-78.
Present ad valorem tax restrictions have prevented the City from
providing all the funds deemed desireable for maintaining the
Academy's buildings, particularly the Steinhart Aquarium. This year
it was able to add one painter to the 2k permanent personnel who are
assisted by 8 CETA employees. As additional Academy facilities in
Golden Gate Park are acquired, title is transferred to the City and
County of San Francisco under terms of the Charter.

Undoubtedly the most crucial crisis occuring this year was
a proposal to the Recreation and Park Department to add six holidays
to the present Sunday ban on automobile access to this cultural
center at the eastern end of Golden Gate Park. Mr. Christian E.
Beattie, Administrative Assistant to the Director, Dr. George E.
Lindsay, estimates that the present Sunday ban reduces their largest
daily attendance by almost 25$, or 100,000 per year. This closure
also eliminates 6k% of the parking areas within one-half mile of the
Academy of Sciences Museums, Planetarium and Steinhart Aquarium, and
also those of the renowned de Young Museum, Asian Art Museum and
Japanese Tea Garden. There are other areas that could well be set
aside on Sundays for bicyclists and pedestrians to enjoy the sylvan
setting of Golden Gate Park, as has been the recommendation of the
Grand Jury for many years .

There seems to be no end to this Academy's display and
dedication to its chosen life and land, sea and sky spectrum of the
sciences .

-84-

THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS OF SAN FRANCISCO
M. H. de YOUNG MEMORIAL MUSEUM

A few years ago, the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in
Golden Gate Park and the Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln
Park were consolidated under a distinguished Director, Ian McKibbin
White. He has the total responsibility of administering the opera-
tions and growth of two museums. The Fine Arts Museum Society seeks
patrons of the arts, who provide the capital required to expand and
modernize both facilities and solicit the continued acquisitions for
its curatorial exhibits on a united basis. In addition, the City of
San Francisco appropriated $2.3 million for 1977-78 fiscal year.
This represents a 10!? increase over last year in general administra-
tion funds but does not reflect an appropriate appreciation by the
Board of Supervisors; it does however, acknowledge a lack of available
City revenues.

The addition of 3 positions to the present staff of 10^4
permanent employees was supplemented by some *J dozen federally
funded CETA employees. With the dedicated assistance of over 500
volunteers, the Fine Arts available staff totals over 600.

Probably most dramatic in the de Young's expansion and
improvement program has been the renovating of a wing to accomodate
the New American Galleries, the addition of modern restaurant
facilities and revamping of the present Conservatory Laboratory and
Art Storage areas. This privately funded construction is projected
for completion in July, 1977. The addition of air conditioming has
been continually deleted over the past few years for lack of funds.
Because of the age and condition of the many masterpieces — valued
at approximately $1 billion — air conditioning including humidity
control is necessary.

The most outstanding exhibit of the year — October 9, 1976
through January 30, 1977 — was our Bicentenial 's celebration
entitled — "As We Were As We Are". This vividly presented a
pictorial representation of a century of San Francisco life in
architecture and was well acclaimed by its attendance.

THE PALACE OF THE LEGION OF HONOR

This Museum located in Lincoln Park was not handicapped as
was the de Young Museum with the ban of auto traffic on Sundays to
its cultural center in Golden Gate Park. This is discussed further
in the California Academy of Science and the Recreation and Park

-85-

THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS OF SAN FRANCISCO (continued)

reports. Under the common board and directorship with the de Young
Museum described above, the budget is consolidated and the policies
and operations combined. Of slgnifcant note however, an exhibit of
American Master Drawings and Water Colors drew an attendance from
Bay Area art classes and those of Southern California far surpassing
expectations. Another highlight was a Five Centuries of Tapestry
exhibit, which was made possible by the undaunted assistance of
volunteers in restoring the condition of these treasures under
professional guidance. The spirit is strong but the budget is weak
could aptly apply to both Fine Art Museums.

ANIMAL CONTROL CENTER

The Animal Control Center is more than a city pound. It
is also a reception and rehabilitation center, it is a traveler's
aide station for lost pets. The San Francisco SPCA has a facility
unsurpassed for the safety and well-being of animals, and it has
trained, experienced, compassionate personnel who know animals and
the problems of San Francisco.

A visit to the shelter at 2500-l6th Street will impress
you with the humanity displayed by the staff. You would also be
impressed by an examination of the cost figures on their financial
front. The San Francisco SPCA will accept stray or owner-surrendered
animals at the Shelter, whether Injured or not, 7 days a week, 2*1
hours a day. In custody cases at the request of the owner, or the
police, the only charge Is minimal kennel fee. These monies are
deposited with the City, as are redemption fees.

Experts estimate that of the 1,000 puppies and kittens
that are born every hour in California only 1055 find a home. About
25,000 animals were received in the Shelter in 1976. Almost 30/5
of the strays - mostly dogs - were either reunited with their owners
or found a new home. These facts should be widely disseminated. The
public must also become more aware of the new low cost spay-neuter
clinic operated by the Society. Of the strays some 800-900 were
treated at the Shelter's infirmary at no charge.

In addition to the Shelter, with its staff of 31, the
Society operates a hospital, with its own staff of 26, including
several well qualified veterinarians. Twenty-seven thousand cases
were treated last year. The Shelter's staff conducted 1700 inspec-
tions and investigations in 1976 and hosted over 200 Humane Education
visits and tours. These services are made possible by the San
Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — a
non-profit charitable corporation with whom the City contracts to
operate the control center. The Society has acted as the Animal

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ANIMAL CONTROL CENTER (continued)

Control Officer in the City and County of San Francisco for the last
86 years. Last summer the renewal of this contract came into
question, but the Board of Supervisors believed that continued
contracting with the Society was in the best interests of the
animals and the City.

In its operation of the center, the Society obtains the
principal portion of its funds for both capital and operating
expenses from private sources and endowments . Pursuant to its
contract ($492,593 for the 1976-77 Fiscal Year) the Control Center
attends to all animal care, citations, house to house license
solicitation and leash law enforcement on behalf of the City. The
City in turn anticipates receipts of $40,000 in fees and $200,000
from the sale of licenses to offset the ad valorem tax allocation.
As no records are available to the SPCA regarding the disposition
of citations by the Municipal Court, these fines inuring to the City
can only be estimated at about $5,000 per year. Thus the net cost
to the City would be approximately $250,000 this year.

Initiated in 1976 was a new volunteer program and a new
lost and found telephone service. Mr. Austin Hills, President of
the Board of Trustees, states the community response to these programs
have been most enthusiastic. About a year ago the Board of Supervisors
set up the Animal Control and Welfare Committee as an advisory group of
such community responsiveness.

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

From November 16, 1976 and running through March 1, 1977,
the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco showed a special exhibit of
objects aca.uired since 1966 entitled "A Decade of Collecting".
Speaking not merely of the past decade but of the one to come,
Director Rene-Yvon D* Argence summed up that that exhihit "will measure
the growth of our Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Lamaist, South-
east Asian and Iranian collections". The entire second floor of the
Museum was devoted to objects donated by the late Avery Brundage ,
Asian Art Commission members, the Asian Art Foundation, members of the
Society for Asian Art and other generous patrons .

Mr. D'Argence has been the Museum's Director and Chief
Curator from 1959 when Mr. Avery Brundage donated the first 4,000
pieces of his fabulous collection to the City and County of San Francisco,
In 1969 the Asian Art Museum attained independence when he donated
a second collection to increase its total present value in excess of
$300 million, including 10,000 volumes on Asian Art and Civilization
to the Library over the last 10 years. Today, the Museum's holdings
are worth in excess of $400 million.

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ASIAN ART MUSEUM (continued)

Sophisticated techniques are required to protect these
treasures. Almost everything is under glass. The machinery required
for the appropriate temperature and humidity control is kept going
24 hours a day.

The Museum's biggest problem is space because it was designed
for the original 1959 collection. At present a viewer can see no
more than 10—15/5 of the Museum's treasures, the rest being kept in
storage in the basement.

Avery Brundage's goal that San Francisco become one of the
world's great centers of Oriental culture was reached in June of 1975
by the selection as host to an extraordinary exhibit of the Archaeo-
logical Finds of the People's Republic of China. In 9 weeks over
835,000 visitors viewed this magnificent collection which spanned a
period of time from about 600,000 years ago through the 14th century
A.D. We compliment the Board of Trustees and the Director of the
Museum for their success In this achievement.

Also part of Mr. Brundage's goal as originally contracted
by Ordinance with the City was that this center would "be furnished
with an independent staff and budget adequate to perform its
functions". In 1969 the Board of Supervisors complied by creating
an independent Committee of 27 members appointed by the Mayor to
take charge of the Brundage and other Asian Art contributions.

Due to the restrictions on ad valorem taxes, the Board of
Supervisors was only able to add one permanent employee — a
Librarian Technical Assistant — to its permanent employee staff of
15 this year. The use of CETA employees is seriously handicapped by
the technical curatorial qualifications required by this Museum.

We suggest that the Asian Art Museum, despite its laudable
contributions, receives very little recognition of its own. In
fact, there is almost no notice to the public at the entrance that
the de Young Building houses other than its own exhibits. As of this
writing a satisfactory separate identity of the Asian Art Museum
from the de Young Museum has not been found.

It is only through the continued efforts exemplified above
by the Asian Art Commission and by the generosity of the many other
benefactors of the City and County of San Francisco that these capital
prerequisites of Avery Brundage's goals can be more fully realized.

Miss Barbara A. Belling
Miss Kathleen M. Calkin
Wolfgang Hellpap

Frank L. Markey, Chairman

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DISTRICT ATTORNEY

The Office of the District Attorney, under the direction of
Joseph Freitas, Jr., is divided into several teams. Those upon which
we will comment are Family Support and Consumer Fraud.

FAMILY SUPPORT UNIT:

The Family Support Unit was established in January of 1976
under both State and Federal mandates. These new requirements pro-
vided for the mandatory recovery of support obligations owed to both
welfare and non-welfare families by absent parents. Since December
1976, the Division has been under the able Directorship of Nancy
Keane. At its inception 135 employees were requested for this unit,
but only OQ were authorized. This included attorneys, investigators
and clerical help.

The Family Support Unit is supported for the most part
through Federal funding. Approximately 75$ of the operating overhead
is from Federal sources. Under the State Incentive Program, for every
dollar recovered on behalf of those individuals receiving funds from
the Department of Social Services, the State and Federal governments
pay 27 cents to San Francisco. Additional funds are obtained through
responding to requests from other states to collect support on behalf
of families in their particular jurisdictions where the person respon-
sible for support has re-located in San Francisco. Through responses
to Petitioners under the Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support
Act (URESA), San Francisco retains 25 cents of each dollar it recovers,
Obviously, this Division not only supports itself, but also provides
additional funds to the City General Fund. An extremely important
aspect of this Division is that without the receipt of support by
responsible parents, some families would be forced to turn to public
assistance. In December of 1976, 918 of the cases being handled by
the Division were non-welfare families; 5,26l were receiving public
assistance .

CONSUMER FRAUD DIVISION:

At the request of the Department of Health, Education and
Welfare, the District Attorney's office set up a Consumer Fraud Divi-
sion under the able direction of Mr. Ray Bonner. This staff is well
supported by volunteers and law students who are active in processing
the Consumer Fraud complaints, thus providing a valuable service at
minimal cost to the City.

Investigations of this Division have been successful in
bringing to court a number of consumer actions against businesses,
including a convalescent hospital, a mortuary, a mail order company
and a major bank.

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DISTRICT ATTORNEY (continued)

In January, 1977, a settlement of the lawsuit against the
Bank of America recovered $250,000 for the City and County of
San Francisco. This was the largest consumer settlement in California
history.

In fiscal year 1976-77 this Division recovered $300,000 on
behalf of San Francisco citizens. We feel that with an operating
budget of $268,000 for that year the Division has provided a valuable
service to the City.

GRANT FUNDING:

The Office of the District Attorney has applied for four Law
Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) grants.

1. Corruption Control Unit:

This unit would investigate and prosecute corruption in
government, labor and business, as well as organized crime. The total
amount to be received is $329*616 over a period of 18 months. A small
portion of this sum would be matched by the City. The grant would
provide for an attorney, clerical employee(s) and criminal investigators.

2. Career Criminal Grant:

This discretionary grant, funded directly through L.E.A.A.
would permit an intensive prosecution of major offenders who repeatedly
commit serious crimes. This program has proved to be very successful
in other jurisdictions in identifying and zealously prosecuting persons
who derive their livelihood from violent and serious crime. The total
amount to be received is $362,426 and would provide for several attor-
neys, several investigators and clerical personnel. This grant would
be for one year and, again, the City would fund, in small portion,
this program.

3. Victim/Witness Assistance Project:

This project is designed to familiarize witnesses and
victims with the Criminal Justice System. It also seeks to aid the
victims and witnesses of violent and serious crimes in obtaining the
medical assistance, rehabilitation aid, State Compensation Insurance
Benefits, psychiatric counseling and welfare benefits to which they
may be entitled as a result of their injuries. Also, it would strive
to alleviate many problems involving transportation, language diffi-
culties, child-care and schedule conflicts caused by their partici-
pation in court proceedings. This project was proposed because of a
recognition that the manner in which victims and witnesses had been
treated by the Criminal Justice System in the past had not been such
to encourage their subsequent cooperation in reporting crimes to law
enforcement officials. Claims have been made that the criminal has

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DISTRICT ATTORNEY (continued)

often received better treatment than the victim. Because citizen
participation is essential if crime is to be detected and eventually
prosecuted, the project has value over and above its obvious humani-
tarian assistance to the specific individual beneficiaries of its
assistance.

An L.E.A.A. victimization study indicated that of major
cities in the United States, this City had one of the lowest percent-
ages of reported crime. It is the hope of the District Attorney's
Office that the project will engender more public trust and respect
for law enforcement and the judicial process.

The amount appropriated is $98,890 with the City matching
5# and the State matching 5%* The project has been approved by the
Mayor's Criminal Justice Council and the California Council on Criminal
Justice. For a period of one year, the program will have an executive
director, three staff assistants and two clerical personnel. Addi-
tionally, it is proposed that volunteers be used extensively.

4. Consumer Complaint Mobile:

This $36,000 grant will provide consumer complaint resolu-
tion for underprivleged neighborhoods. The project goal is to make
more accessible the District Attorney's Office with regard to persons
who have complaints concerning improper business practices. Chinese
and Spanish speaking assistants will be available, and TV and radio
will announce daily locations of the Consumer Complaint Mobile. This
grant, also, is for one year, and again, the City will match this sum
in small portion.

JUVENILE OFFENDERS

Under a recent law affecting juvenile prosecutions, minors
16 years of age or more can be prosecuted in adult courts for certain
violent offenses. The authority to investigate and file charges against
juveniles was removed from the Juvenile Probation Department and assign-
ed to the Office of the District Attorney. The D.A.'s office has
requested funds from the State to hire three additional attorneys and
two investigators due to these added responsibilities.

The effective reorganization of the office and the increased
emphasis on prosecution of crimes are worthy of praise. We commend
the District Attorney and his staff.

CITY ATTORNEY

This department represents the various City departments in
litigation, i.e., Workmen's Compensation, anti -trust, eminent domain,

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CITY ATTORNEY (continued)

violations of building, health, housing codes and ordinances.

This office handles all code enforcement; also handles
abatement proceedings for the Departments of Public Works, Fire and
Public Health. Personal injury actions against the City and County
of San Francisco are defended by the City Attorney. This office also
represents the Planning Commission concerning planning disputes. All
bond issues are prepared by outside firms as is the defense of some
Anti -trust suits. Workmen's Compensation cases have increased steadily.
The City Attorney's office has approximately 3*000 such cases pending
against the Municipal Railway which represents the greater part of its
work.

Attorneys in this department are not permitted to have private
practices.

The department definitely needs more office space. In City
Hall two or more attorneys are assigned to each office. No additional
staff was requested in 1975-76 due to this lack of working space. This
space condition is aggravated by many cartons of closed files stacked
in hallways awaiting transfer to the City storage center.

Mr. O'Connor stated that closed records could be microfilmed
to consolidate space. If funds could be obtained for microfilming
this space could be made into office space for the stenographic area,
and the space currently occupied by the clerks could be made available
for office space for attorneys.

It was the opinion of this committee that this department
was very well supervised, trained and managed. Because of the complex
and varied types of cases handled by this department it is felt that
the legal staff has to be highly specialized. Mr. O'Connor and his
staff are to be commended for their diligence and dedication.

PUBLIC DEFENDER

The San Francisco Public Defender's Office, under the direc-
tion of Mr. Robert Nicco, operates pursuant to the Charter of the City
and County of San Francisco and is governed by Section 27706, and
related Sections of the Government Code of the State of California.
In recent years the mandated services required by the Public Defender
have been and are continuing to increase as a result of local, State
and Federal Statutory Laws and as a result of State and Federal
Appellate Decisions.

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PUBLIC DEFENDER (continued)

LITIGATION DIVISION;

This Division handles felonies, misdemeanors and mental
health cases, and is staffed by permanent and CETA attorneys. One
permanent attorney is assigned to the Mental Health Division.

JUVENILE COURT:

I ■ M ■ ■■■■ I I ■ I 1 ■ i ■- I.

The Public Defender's Office staffs four courts at Youth
Guidance Center. Each attorney assigned there, including the head
attorney, Mr. Gregory Bonfilio, handles a caseload. Presently, all
but the head attorney are rotated every six months between Youth
Guidance Center and the Hall of Justice. With the increased workload
created by AB 3121, we recommend that the attorneys assigned to Youth
Guidance Center be permanent as they are with other Divisions of the
Public Defender's Office. This is a specialized area of the law and
demands the same expertise as other Public Defender functions. Knowl-
edge of unique legal problems involved in out of home placements and
other areas of juvenile representation can only be acquired through
long term exposure.

VOLUNTEERS AND INTERNS:

In order to make the attorneys as efficient and productive
as possible the Public Defender has used the services of volunteers,
interns and para-legals. These services have relieved the attorney
staff of many time consuming activities and increased the quality of
the services rendered to the clients. Part of the Volunteer Program
has been under the auspices of Northern California Service League and
student-interns from various Bay Area Colleges and Universities and,
also, some who volunteer on an individual basis. One law firm in
San Francisco provides a full time attorney, as it has for some years,
from their litigation team with a change-over every three months.
During the summer of 1976, the San Francisco Foundation, in conjunction
with Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, funded twenty law
students for 6400 hours. Also, during the year many attorneys rendered
services on a volunteer basis. This additional help aided the Public
Defender and his staff who were operating on a very limited budget.

MENTAL HEALTH:

The Lanterman, Petris, Short Act imposed added duties on the
Public Defender's office. Individuals currently confined to State
Hospitals and Mental Hygiene Homes require visitation and representa-
tion. These institutions are located throughout the State. Those
under Conservatorship must have their case reviewed every six months.
The investigators see approximately 700 to 800 individuals per year.
Inadequate provisions are made for automobile mileage reimbursement
to the people assigned to this function. Especially for this State
required responsibility, since long distance travels to the hospitals

-93-

PUBLIC DEFENDER (continued)

are required, it is recommended that sufficient automobile mileage
reimbursement be granted.

Since San Francisco has many transients, it is often required
to provide mental hospital facilities for people who are not legal
residents. The Public Defender and his staff are now making consider-
able effort to determine the legal residence for these individuals and
have the responsible jurisdictional authority assume the cost of care
and support.

PUBLIC OUTREACH:

Last year a pilot program, which involved the opening of a
statelite office at Potrero Hill, was initiated in response to commu-
nity demands to make the Public Defender's Office more accessible to
the public. After a few months, this program was discontinued because
so few individuals availed themselves of this service.

MOBILE VAN:

The Public Defender intended to apply for Federal Funds for
an unmarked mobile van. Recently, a used van was donated to this
department. This will enable the staff to obtain interviews with
people in areas away from the Hall of Justice, which some find forebod-
ing. It also aids those witnesses who are unable to travel. The van
provides 24 hour service.

SPECIAL DEFENSE PANEL:

Recently the Municipal Court proposed the creation of a new
special defense panel in the furtherance of its efforts to maintain
the high quality of service of the Public Defender's Office, and the
legal representation of defendants before the court in criminal cases.
The purpose of this panel would be to provide legal services to those
persons who cannot pay a lump sum retainer or the entire fee in advance
of the handling of their case, but who are regularly employed and have
the ability to make a modest initial payment, and regular periodic
payments to a private attorney. At the present time it is felt this
category of "borderline" cases is causing unnecessary and added work-
load on the Public Defender's Office.

This Department is badly in need of additional office space.
Through the ingenious acquisition by the Public Defender of unused
open hallway space he has been able to install a Word Processing Center
which will alleviate some of the backlog. With the addition of this
Center, and two additional stenographers, the time required to process
documents for Public Defender Attorneys has been reduced from twenty-
four hours to eight hours.

-94-

PUBLIC DEFENDER (continued)

This Grand Jury feels that Mr. Robert Nicco and his staff
have provided a very high quality of defense to those in need, despite
working under the adverse conditions of insufficient personnel, equip-
ment, lack of office space, and a very limited budget.

SHERIFF

This Civil Grand Jury recognizes that the Sheriff's Depart-
ment has been involved in a number of political altercations during
the past year about which we will not direct comment. We also rec-
ognize, however, that this department has a responsibility to the
citizens of this City and County to enforce the law. We believe that
the Sheriff did not perform these duties of his office when he refused
to carry out the Court order to evict the tenants of the International
Hotel. We do not object to his differing in personal opinion with the
Court but, in our opinion, his oath of office does not permit him the
privilege of the public action he took in his capacity as Sheriff.
Despite the fact that it apparently was motivated by the Sheriff's
stated concern for public safety and to avoid threatening riots, we
are critical of his performance in this specific situation.

ESCAPES;

There were 18 incidents of escape involving 20 prisoners in
the ten months prior to August 1976. The breakdown is as follows: 5
from temporary security wards used by the department, 5 from the
Courts, 3 from County Jail No. 2, two from County Jail No. 4, and 4
from County Jail No. 6. Three of the escapees were minimum security
immates who were trustees. Fifteen of the twenty inmates had been
apprehended. The numerous escapes were attributed to staff shortages,
poor physical facilities, employee negligence and their lack of exper-
ience, and lack of any written policies and procedures. As a result
of the escapes, the Sheriff implemented a fugitive detail which has
been fairly successful in apprehension of escapees. Memoranda and
directives have been sent to administrative staff and employees and
there have been more inspections by the Under sheriff. Additionally,
Manual of Policies and Procedures which defines in detail procedures
to be used in the handling of prisoners has been completed. During
the first half of 1977 » there have been no escapes.

JAILS:

County Jail No. 1, the men's facility located at 850 Bryant
Street, was found to be in very clean order. Food was properly stored,
premises in a very sanitary condition. Recently, portable telephones
were installed through a grant from the Federal Achievement Fund.

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SHERIFF (continued)

Inmates are permitted to make a limited number of telephone calls.
Food being served appeared to provide a well-balanced diet, and the
menu for the week appeared adequate. Because there are no central
dining areas in any of the men's facilities, serving of the food does
present problems in keeping the food warm by the time all prisoners
are served from wheel carts.

The institutions located at the Hall of Justice have no
facilities for exercise or recreation. County Jail #1 reportedly has
the lowest suicide rate in the United States for any correctional
institution. This has been attributed mainly to the system used in
placement of prisoners, and the rotating of them between the cells
alleviating boredom.

COUNTY JAIL NO. 2

This facility was found to be very clean. The storage area
for food was in very good condition and well organized. We were ad-
vised that, through a Federal Grant, the gun storage area has been
relocated. Laundry facilities were adequate. Food preparation was
done under the best of sanitary conditions. Plans have been discussed
for a new visitors room, but funds were not appropriated.

COUNTY JAIL NO. 3

This facility was found to be very clean and orderly. A
work and education furlough program for the Women's County Jail Pris-
oners at 850 Bryant Street was started. This is similar to the men's
Furlough Program. The women in the program are being given freedom
by day to look for employment, to work at their present jobs or to
receive further eduction in order to prepare themselves for the time
when they are released. They spend nights at the Hall of Justice
facility. The Women's Work Furlough Program is a segregated part of
the regular women's section. One tank" is now a living room. The
floor is carpeted, has a TV set, sofa, chairs, library, and draperies
hang on a window. This has been accomplished through the efforts of
volunteers. Another "tank" is a homey dining room. A former large
cell has been transformed into a comfortable dormitory with bunk beds
covered with colorful bedspreads. Inmates selected for this program
are very carefully screened by the Rehabilitation Director. Inmates
who have a history of violent crime, drug abuse, history of escapes
or assault are banned from participating in this program. Six deputies
supervise this furlough program with the assistance of additional
civilian personnel.

COUNTY JAIL NO. 4

This institution is badly in need of at least four showers.
The showers are now located on the ground floor and cannot be adequately

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SHERIFF (continued)

supervised because of their distance from other facilities. There is
presently no communication system between the shower area and the main
areas of the jail. In order to accomplish relocation it would mean
forfeiting two cells on each tier, but this would provide greater
supervision and safety for the inmates. The facility is immaculate,
and the cells are artfully decorated with curtains and bedspreads
which were made by the inmates.

COUNTY JAIL NO. 6

On July 1, 1976, the Sheriff's Department assumed respon-
sibility for the operation of the City Prison formerly under the
supervision of the San Francisco Police Department. The facility was
turned over in a most deplorable condition. Because of the build up
of grime the floors looked like asphalt; only after much scraping,
scrubbing and cleaning by volunteers did the painted floor show through,
Walls, lighting and plumbing were in dreadful condition. New lighting
should be installed. Upon assuming responsibility for this facility,
the Sheriff's Department was not allocated needed additional personnel.
The members of the Grand Jury had an opportunity to view slides of the
City Prison which verify the conditions existing prior to July, 1976.
Also badly needed are bedding, mattresses and clothing. Prisoners
must wear their own clothes and often have to remain in them for a
long period of time. If funds cannot be appropriated for clothing
for this facility, perhaps some appeal should be made to the public
for donations of used clothing.

A new system of booking slips was implemented in order to
avoid costly repetition when inmates are transferred to the County
Jail. Despite progress made many changes are still required in
processing prisoners which often takes up to 12 hours. Those people
arrested by the Police Department but who have not made a court appear-
ance are placed in a holding cell with only a concrete form bench for
their comfort. We found this facility appalling. Now that the
Sheriff's Department has assumed responsibility for this function we
hope that Intake will be handled with greater efficiency and that some
provision will be made for the comfort and safety of those individuals
who have been arrested but not brought to trial.

DEPUTIES :

The relatively low salary schedule of the Sheriff's Depart-
ment compared to other counties encourages deputies to look elsewhere
for employment after training by this department. Many people with
advanced degrees are now applying for positions as Deputies. This
Grand Jury feels that improvement in prisoner care during the past
several years has contributed to the interest of more highly educated
persons in the department. We cannot attract these qualified people.
The department has recruited a number of minorities and women.

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SHERIFF (continued)

FOOD;

The City Health Department earlier reported that jail food
quality had fallen below minimum State custodial standards causing
dietary deficiencies. The Health Director has implemented an in-
service training course for cooks and the Food Manager. Certain in-
mates require special diets which are prescribed for them by the Jail
Physician. Servings of milk and milk products, and meat and meat
substitutes were not available in the necessary amounts. A recent
decision by the City Attorney Thomas O'Connor rules that the Sheriff
can legally transfer food services in San Francisco's jails to a private
management firm. The Sheriff contends the proposal could be accom-
plished at no extra cost and would lead to better menus and management.
The next step would be to obtain approval from the Board of Supervisors.
In recent months food services have improved.

WORK FURLOUGH PROGRAM:

The Work Furlough Program has been funded through Federal
Grants which enables non-violent offenders to be employed in the
community and assisted in rehabilitation outside the environment of
the jail. The Sheriff states this has been a successful program.

PEST CONTROL:

Due to a cut by the Supervisors' Finance Committee, it was
necessary for the Sheriff to request supplemental funds for pest
control. The Committee's rationale in slashing the funds was that,
instead of having a commercial firm do the exterminating as in the
past, it could be done by the regular Stationary Engineers in the
various facilities. The Stationary Engineers did not have the nec-
essary spraying machines and it was discovered that they would require
a certificate from the State Pest Control Board. Originally the depart-
ment had requested $1100 for cockroach abatement at San Bruno Jail,
but this was slashed to $200 by the Finance Committee. Thereafter,
at San Bruno Jail, cockroaches were found in the cell tiers and on the
ceilings, would crawl over the inmates when they were asleep, and,
occasionally would be found in the inmates' food. The Sheriff requested,
an additional $2000 in emergency funds because the cockroaches had
reached epidemic proportions and the Board of Supervisors Finance Commit-
ee recommended the Sheriff's Department receive $1400.

MEDICAL SERVICE:

The Department of Public Health was assigned the responsibility
for the medical care of prisoners in March 1975* Medical services to
prisoners are provided by three separate but related units: the Jail
Medical Service, the Criminal Justice Unit, and San Francisco General
Hospital. The Jail Medical Service provides medical, nursing, pharmacy

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SHERIFF (continued)

and routine medical services to prisoners at the Hall of Justice jails
and the San Francisco County Jail at San Bruno. The Criminal Justice
Unit responds to court-ordered psychiatric evaluations and provides
psychiatric services to prisoners. San Francisco General Hospital
provides backup emergency, outpatient services and inpatient services
for prisoners. Dr. William Mandel, Director of Health Services at the
Jails, reports the attitude and cooperation of the Jail staff as
excellent.

Facilities for medical care are poorly equipped. The infir-
mary at San Bruno needs remodeling and funds have been approved for
this. Requests for funds for a psychiatric infirmary at the Hall of
Justice and remodeling the present infirmary at the Hall of Justice
were deleted by the Mayor's Office.

PRINT SHOP

Recently a Print Shop was established at San Bruno Jail #2.
With instructors from the Community College District, many forms used
in the department are now being printed there. This project provides
training for the inmates so that when they are released they have a
better chance of employment. While assignments to this project are
limited because of space and equipment, we were advised that ten men
had found employment through the training received at this facility.

RECREATIONAL EQUIPMENT AND LIBRARY

There is a total lack of recreational equipment at the mens '
facilities in the County Jails. This is a deplorable situation which
must be remedied. Funds for some of this equipment are available and
come from the Inmate's Welfare Fund rather than tax monies. This fund
is generated by profits from a small sundries store in the Jail.

There is also an inadequate number of library books. A
possible solution may be donations from interested community groups
of paperback books.

Miss Suzanne E. Perry
Carlos E. Xavier

Miss Irene G. O'Neill, Chairman

-99-

ASSESSOR

A substantial amount of criticism regarding real property
assessment procedure has been directed by the news media, or by
individuals representing the media, at the Assessor's Office. In
our opinion this criticism, and oftentimes abuse, is unwarranted
or at the very least misdirected. Properties are assessed by
methods generally accepted by professional appraisers. State law
requires that assessed value of property be placed at 25? of
reasonable market value. This is done. The activities of this
office appear, from our investigation, to be carried out in a
professional manner and in reasonable compliance with State law.

It is obvious that residential properties, particularly single
family dwellings that have a reasonably high turn-over rate, can easily
be appraised at a ratio to their current market value since that
value is established frequently. In general, this is done in the
Assessor's Office by review of sales or property on a continuing
basis. As a practical matter the review affects assessed value
several years after direct sales. In theory the process is
reasonable and equitable and lags sales for two reasons. It is
impossible to maintain the pace of review of market values and
adjustment of assessed values in all areas of the City equivalent
to skyrocketing transfer of property. It is also more equitable
to follow general neighborhood trends than to establish market
values in proportion to isolated individual sales. This reasoning
appears equitable to this Grand Jury and does provide some protec-
tion to the homeowner.

In the case of commercial and industrial properties, the
method of appraisal is somewhat more complex. Equivalent or even
similar property sales are not available for comparison. The
Assessor's staff became dependent — as was noted in a series of
newspaper articles — on the capital gain received by the operation
of the facility, and more importantly on the expertise of the
appraiser. The method Is a professionally acceptable one and has
provided resulting values close to, but usually slightly above,
sales prices of equivalent property.

Questions have been raised concerning the valuation of
vacant commercial property. In fact, a minimum value Is placed on
this type of property, by separately assessing the value of land
for which comparable market values can be obtained.

There Is continuing concern that the budgeting process
and the Civil Service does not allow for adjustment of inequities
in salary structure for employees on the Assessor's professional

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ASSESSOR (continued)

staff. There is equal concern for adequate training for appraisers.
The Department management feels that salary limitations make it
difficult to recruit trained appraisers. It has become necessary,
therefore, to establish a Real Property Appraisal Trainee Class,
a combination of formal appraisal education and on-the-job training,
to produce a competent staff.

This Grand Jury finds that the Assessor is conducting his
responsibility in accordance with his charge and up to the potential
of his staff. It is worthy to note that if criticism is necessary,
it should be directed to the State law that requires that single
family residences be assessed at the same rate as commercial or
industrial property, or to those that control the local spending
that is dependent upon property taxes. This Civil Grand Jury
encourages the City administration to work with State legislators
to modify existing laws in order that some property tax relief be
provided to all residential property owners.

TREASURER

Treasurer Thomas C. Scanlon, is accountable for the
safe custody of all money and securities belonging to the City and
County of San Francisco. His staff handles all daily receipts
and disbursements of City money and is responsible for deposit
and investment of public funds. Mr. Scanlon, Mr. Gin L. So, the
Chief Assistant Treasurer, and Mr. Gerald P. Richardson, the
Investment Specialist, were very courteous and helpful in the
investigation of this department by the Grand Jury.

We have viewed the operation of the computerized
Moneymax System and Telerate System. These systems offer, either
on video terminals or on typewritten output, up-to-date price
information from a current computerized data bank. They rank
alternative investments by rate of return and have the capability
to account for and report on investments. These systems are
considered as advanced as any cash management programs available
to City and County treasuries.

The Moneymax System has been in use since early 1976, and
under the able operation of Mr. Richardson, has produced excellent
results, reflected in increased earnings on investments from about
5. 3 % to about 5.8*. The Telerate System is a new addition,
donated for a free six month trial period by a Los Angeles brokerage
firm. It is now on rental at a rate of $350 per month for those

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TREASURER (continued)

months in which a specified minimum of transactions is not
recorded with that brokerage firm. The rental has not been a
determining factor in the business dealings with that firm.

As a result of our investigation, this Grand Jury believes
that this office is operated in a well organized and efficient
manner. There has been the suggestion made that an additional
teller-clerk might assist in reducing the long lines waiting to
cash checks and warrants, thereby increasing efficiency. Given
the current fiscal situation of the City, we cannot recommend the
additional position solely for the purpose of reducing waiting
lines for the recipient's convenience.

Stelios M. Andrew
Francis J. Murphy

Mary B. Donnelly, Chairman

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SUPERIOR COURT AND MUNCIPAL COURT

For a number of years, problems have arisen due to the lack
of adequate courtroom space in San Francisco. In 1971 > a part of the
California Hall on Polk Street was leased by the City, on a temporary
basis only, to house two additional courtrooms. This was necessary
because of the appointment of two Superior Court Judges whose services
were required due to the magnitude of criminal matters before the
Superior Court. This arrangement has proven to be less than desirable
for a number of reasons including the difficulty of coordinating poten-
tial jurors between the three buildings where trials are held. Four
courtrooms at City Hall were necessarily devoted to the hearing of
criminal matters. This has resulted in severe security problems. The
shortage of space has also required potential Jurors to wait, sometimes
for a full day, in hallways in the Hall of Justice and City Hall. Dur-
ing these delays, the only attempt toward making their wait comfortable
has consisted of the sparse placement of chairs through the halls. The
potential of harassment of those Jurors who, for lack of a Jury holding
room, were required to wait outside courtrooms, during recesses of
trials, was ever present. This situation has been a cause for concern
of several past Grand Juries. However, since several initiatives which
would have provided funds to build adequate courtroom facilities were
defeated at the polls, there has seemed to be no viable answer for the
dilemma.

In June of 1977, through the indefatigable efforts of Supe-
rior Court Judge Henry Rolph, Presiding Judge at the time, a grant was
finally obtained through the Public Works Act. The $4.8 million will
be used to build an additional two floors above one section of the Hall
of Justice building. This addition to the building was proposed when
the Hall of Justice building was originally designed and built and the
building will readily lend itself to the construction. The new section
of the building will house six courtrooms- four for the hearing of
criminal matters by the Superior Court and two for Municipal Court.
One section of the building will be devoted to the comfort and protec-
tion of those San Francisco citizens who are called for Jury duty. The
two Superior Courts presently in California Hall will be housed in City
Hall along with other civil courts; the four criminal courts now in
City Hall will return to the Hall of Justice where security can be main-
tained. The many problems which have existed for so long with regard
to courtroom facilities will be resolved.

SUPERIOR COURT

Jurors

During the latter part of 1976, a new system for the
selection of potential Jurors was instituted under the direction of
Frederick Whisman, Superior Court Executive Officer. Traditionally,
San Francisco Jurors have been selected entirely from the rolls of

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SUPERIOR COURT (continued)

registered voters. Although many citizens were more than willing
to serve in this important position, there were a few who felt that
jury service was a penalty which was given upon their voting regis-
tration. In order to broaden the selection base, Mr. Whisman began
a new policy of combining lists of registered voters with lists
obtained through the Department of Motor Vehicles of drivers'
license holders. It appears to this Grand Jury that the selection
process is a much more equitable procedure.

Court Calendar

During the early 1970* s criminal cases awaiting trial had
risen to an all-time high. In 1971, for instance, there were up to
750 cases waiting for assignment to the criminal courtrooms. In
criminal cases, the time for trial is statutorily imposed. Defen-
dants, being aware of the calendar problems, were demanding
immediate trial with the expectation that, if no courts were available,
their cases would necessarily be dismissed. It was as a result of
this congestion in the courts that two additional Superior Court
Judges were appointed. Presently, San Francisco has between one
hundred forty and one hundred sixty cases at any given time awaiting
criminal trials. It is now ranked among the best in California for
its smooth-running criminal calendar.

With regard to civil trials, there is a fifteen to
eighteen month waiting period after the filing of an At Issue Memo-
randum by either of the contesting parties. This waiting time has
remained constant for five or six years. Although this time seems
somewhat exorbitant, the Courts indicate that many attorneys file
their At Issue Memoranda substantially in advance of the time they
are actually ready for trial and then depend upon this long wait
to conduct discovery. In the case of personal injury cases, which
comprise fifty-five percent of civil cases heard in this County, the
attorneys require at least this amount of time for the injured
party's condition to stabilize so that the final effects can be
more realistically determined.

San Francisco's mandatory settlement conference assists
to a large degree in the disposition of cases. Presently, approxi-
mately ninety percent of those cases which are filed are settled
before trial. This provides substantial savings in court costs to
San Francisco taxpayers as well as to the litigants themselves.

Bailiffs in the Courtrooms

The l°75-76 Grand Jury pointed out some of the problems
inherent in the assignment of Bailiffs to the individual courtrooms.
Bailiffs were found to working extraordinary schedules — leaving
early if the particular Judge to whom they were assigned no longer
required their assistance, falling to report for other duties

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SUPERIOR COURT (continued)

if their courtroom was closed for a particular day — and, in all,
were not available for service during those hours required of other
Deputies in the Sheriff's Department or, for that matter, during
those hours required of City employees as a whole. Additionally,
there was some concern over the fact that the Bailiffs were perform-
ing clerical functions and other assignments not a part of the pro-
tection aspect of their Jobs which was the total reason for their
placement in the courtrooms.

Following criticism by the citizens, the Sheriff's
Department began to withdraw Bailiffs from some of the Courtrooms.
Under State Law, the attendance of a Sheriff's Deputy in all court-
rooms is mandated. A number of Superior Court Judges, upon finding
that their courtroom Bailiffs had been withdrawn, felt compelled
to close their courts.

It is the opinion of this Grand Jury that, until the
State Legislature sees fit to amend this law, it is the Sheriff's
duty to provide adequate Deputies to staff each courtroom. We feel
that the recent decision by the Sheriff's Department in response to
this dilemma is highly acceptable. The present system entails the
assignment of Deputies to the courtrooms on a rotating basis so that
the Deputies retain original responsibility for protection of the
Court, and those persons in the courtrooms, in their capacities as
Deputies of the Sheriff's Department. Then, if a courtroom is
closed early, or opens late, the Bailiff should have the responsi-
bility to assist with other functions in the Sheriff's Department.

MUNICIPAL COURT

Traffic Fines Bureau

During the past fiscal year, the number of parking
citations issued by the Police Department was reduced to an average
of 110,000 per month. This reduction was due to the reassignment
of those Officers formerly performing solo motorcycle detail. This
has not, however, had great impact on the revenue produced by
traffic citations. In 1975, it was determined that fines for park-
ing meter violations should be increased from $3 to $5. Other
parking violation fines were also increased. These increases were,
among other things, due to the number of people who found it less
expensive to park at a meter for the day rather than pay the parking
fees charged by private parking lots, especially in the downtown
area. This was really not the intention behind the provision of
street parking and, with the limited number of spaces available, we
feel that the increase in fines was Justified. Because of the
increases, San Francisco Municipal Court recovered $9,800,000 through
traffic violation fines during fiscal year 1976-77.

In 1973 a computerized system for the recovery of traffic

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MUNICIPAL COURT (continued)

fines was instituted. Prior to that time, the Municipal Court Clerk's
office was simply not able to process the citations and receipts
therefrom in a timely manner. A severe backlog resulted in the
delayed processing of fine receipts , the duplicate billing of persons
who had previously remitted the amounts required and a multitude of
other problems. The Electronic Data Processing center has alleviated
a number of the problems.

This year the Municipal Court was budgeted $25,000 to
retain an independent consultant to review its procedures, both in
its general office work and computer services. The consultant
retained has submitted a preliminary report suggesting, among other
things, radical changes and streamlining of the computer system.
For instance, it has been the procedure to enter all information
regarding each traffic citation. Since sixty percent of the
citations are paid within thirty days, the consultant suggested that
only a minimum of information need be entered into the computer
immediately. If the citation is not paid timely, information required
for collection activities could then be entered. Daniel Donahue,
Municipal Court Clerk, is quite enthused about the proposed organi-
zational changes suggested by the consultant and is working closely
with the company toward implementing them. Mr. Donahue estimates
that savings in the magnitude of several hundred thousand dollars
may- accrue to the City each year due to the new operations.

We feel that comment should be made on the superb organi-
zational and administrative talents displayed by former Presiding
Judge Albert C. Wollenberg, Jr. Judge Wollenberg served as
Presiding Judge for a short period of nine months, however, during
his term, a number of noteworthy changes were accomplished. Among
these was a revision with regard to those funds allocated annually
to the design and programming firm retained to set up and improve
upon the EDP system. Each year a blanket amount was designated for
its use in setting up new programs which were scheduled. There was
very little, it any, follow-through after that time to see that
programs were installed timely or that they were installed at all.
Judge Wollenberg instituted a program whereby, instead of the lump
sum being transferred immediately, only a portion would be delivered
at the beginning of the fiscal year. The remaining amounts would
be transferred only upon the submission of work orders setting forth
the modifications and changes. The Court then verifies that the
work has been done. During the last fiscal year, £35»000 was returned
to the City coffers for work scheduled to be performed but which
was not accomplished during the year.

Beginning in January of 1978, the EDP system will
coordinate with the Department of Motor Vehicles in Sacramento with
regard to unpaid traffic citations. It has traditionally been the
procedure of the Municipal Court to issue warrants for the arrest
of those citizens who had, for any number of reasons, failed to pay

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MUNICIPAL COURT (continued)

the citations issued. Under SB 192, the DMV will, after January 1,
1Q78, refuse to register any automobile to a person who has citations
which remain unpaid. In addition to the positive humanitarian aspects
of this procedure, this will also eliminate a large number of false
arrest suits which have previously been filed. Perhaps the State
should consider expanding this program to include withholding of
drivers' licenses, for people who don't own automobiles.

Small Claims

On January 1, 1977, the claim limit for the Small Claims
Division was increased from $500 to $750. Based upon the prior
response of citizens in filing claims when the amount was increased
from $350 to $500 (an increase of 205? to 25% in filings), the Small
Claims Division was relocated on the first floor of City Hall in
substantially larger quarters. Response to the 1977 increase,
however, has not been as significant. Small claims' complaints have,
thus far, increased only by 135? to lb% .

Some criticism has been made toward the implementation of
a small claims calendar for the hearing only of the complaints filed
by large corporations one afternoon a week. We feel, however, that
it is in the best interests of those citizens who wish to file small
claims to have their claims heard each morning, as is presently
done, without the delay imposed by the concurrent hearing of the
numerous complaints filed by some of the large corporations. We
suggest that this procedure is in the best interests of all concerned
as well as an effective organizational procedure.

Beginning in July of 1977, the Municipal Court will launch
its Saturday afternoon Small Claims hearing at the Hall of Justice.
Each of the Judges will rotate in hearing the matters presented.
This new calendar will be for the use of individual citizens and
small neighborhood businesses only and corporations will be excluded
initially. The Municipal Court is hopeful Saturday hearings will
open the Small Claims Court to many individuals who, because of work
or other weekday commitments, are presently excluded from presenting
their claims.

Numerous advances have been made by each of the Superior
and Municipal Courts during the last year and we commend the efforts
of those involved for their valuable contributions to the City of
San Francisco.

-IO7-

JUVENILE COURT

YOUTH GUIDANCE CENTER

The juvenile Justice system has been charged with one of
the most challenging and rewarding responsibilities in San Francisco
government. Between forty-five and fifty percent of the major crimes
committed in San Francisco are committed by Juveniles. Considering
the relatively small number of residents under the age of eighteen
and the even smaller number of those who become Involved in major
crimes, this figure is alarmingly disproportionate. One disquieting
aspect of this problem is that the children, as adults, may continue
to perpetrate criminal activity unless, in their formative years,
someone can get through to them. Giving acknowledgment and support
to those who might be able to influence the youth of this City should
go hand-in-hand with other law enforcement efforts. This, then,
would appear to be one way of attacking a major problem, that of
crime, at Its source.

Many of those working in the San Francisco Youth Guidance
Center are extremely dedicated, well-qualified individuals. A
majority of those in child probation have worked for years under the
demoralization of temporary employment status. (See details
regarding the history of the Probation Officers' Civil Service
Examinations in the report on the Adult Probation Department.)
Because of this series of events which has continued for so long,
overwhelming insecurity is felt in all levels of the Probation
Department. Much beneficial training has been postponed awaiting
the ever imminent appointment of permanent staff. Reorganizations
and innovative procedures have also been delayed. Those Probation
Officers who have been promoted by seniority only cannot feel security
in performing effective supervision when, within a short time, they
may find their supervisees their supervisors . We recommend that a
serious review of Civil Service testing and active listing be made
by the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of San Francisco
government toward an early resolution of this problem.

Automobile Crisis

The City's failure to respond adequately to numerous pleas
from Youth Guidance Center for a resolution of the automobile
problem seems to evidence a lack of necessary support from City Hall.
Substantial documentation has been presented to the Mayor and the
Board of Supervisors substantiating the desperate condition of the
vehicles. The Juvenile Justice Commission has pleaded for a review
of the problem. The Juvenile Court Car Crisis Committee has prepared
and submitted extensive reports. The defective automobiles are used
not only by City employees; they are used as well for transporting
youth - to out-of-home placement, to the airport, to hospitals, for

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JUVENILE COURT - YOUTH GUIDANCE CENTER (continued)

home visits and for other necessary movement in and out of the City.

Some of the mechanical defects of which we have been
advised include bald tires resulting in blowouts on the freeway;
defective steering mechanisms; defective brakes, resulting from
lack of preventive maintenance , damaging the brake drums (a very
costly repair, indeed); and disc brakes wearing to the point of
rupturing the brake cylinders. One of the many reports came from a
Juvenile Court employee who experienced a mechanical difficulty which
could have resulted in a disaster while transporting six boys to
Youth Guidance Center from Log Cabin Ranch. Fortunately, one of the
boys noticed a rattling sound coming from one of the wheels. Upon
examination, the driver found that three of the wheel studs and nuts
were sheared off. The wheel was being held on by only two studs.
This particular automobile must often carry up to seven passengers
on winding country roads. It really makes very little sense to
supply equipment and not provide adequate funds for its maintenance.

We recommend the following:

1. That, if the City does not intend to supply the Youth
Guidance Center with newer automobiles, it conduct periodic safety
checks including the brakes, tires, lights, signals, steering and
other potential hazards. Such checks are performed routinely in
other cities and could, in the long run, provide substantial savings.
Claims by injured individuals against the City could be devastating.
The entire automobile budget could be depleted by this negligence.
The Citv must, of course, insure against those accidents.

2. That action be taken to provide safe, dependable
vehicles through either lease or purchase arrangements. We under-
stand that, quite recently, some support has been given by the Mayor
toward obtaining State funds for the purpose of purchasing automobiles
If this request is not granted, the City must take the initiative.

Those of us serving on this Grand Jury are not unaware of
the plight of City government's finances. However, when it comes to
transporting minors, local government must accept the responsibility.
We are not talking about causing inconvenience, we are talking about
endangering lives.

Log Cabin Ranch

Turning now to another matter, we feel a duty to address
the charges made by the 1975-76 Civil Grand Jury with regard to the
Teledyne program at Log Cabin Ranch during 197^ and 1975. The
Juvenile Justice Commission, after having conducted an in-depth study
of the LEAA funded program, published its report charging poor
fiscal responsibility and mismanagement of funds. Having conducted
an independent investigation, we concur in that finding.

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JUVENILE COURT - YOUTH GUIDANCE CENTER (continued)

We do feel that new, innovative approaches to working with
Juveniles must be tried. Progress is often attained only through
trial and error. However, we have found that when funds are supplied
by sources outside the City, there is a tendency among management
to continue even unworkable programs. We do not see this as an
isolated case. We acknowledge that outside funding is often difficult
to obtain and that, once a grant has been finally obtained, manage-
ment may be reluctant to acknowledge that its efforts have been for
naught .

In this particular case, if the Youth Guidance Center
administration were not able to achieve any cooperation from the
Log Cabin personnel through whatever actions were necessary, we feel
that the program should have discontinued after the first year of
funding. However, it was not and we can only hope that the adverse
publicity given to this program will serve as a deterrent to others
embarking on the same road.

Jim Licavoli became the Director of Log Cabin Ranch on
October 1, 1976. Since that time, the Ranch has been operating in
a very successful manner. Of the youth committed to Log Cabin Ranch,
ninety-nine percent are eligible for commitment to the California
Youth Authority. This, then, is their one last chance prior to
referral to the Youth Authority.

The program at Log Cabin Ranch currently ranges from ninety
days to one year. During that time, the youth are counseled exten-
sively and intensive academic study is provided. When the youth
enter the Ranch, they are given scholastic achievement tests. They
are tested again at the end of their commitment. Of those detained
at the Ranch for the full period, many are able to improve their
scholastic standings by more that two school grades. Although both
Log Cabin Ranch and Hidden Valley Ranch (under the direction of
Don Carlson) are understaffed (compared with a 5 to 1 ratio in most
large counties, Log Cabin operates on an 8 to 1 ratio and Hidden
Valley at a 9 to 1 ratio), they are providing a very valuable service.
According to some of the boys at the Ranches with whom we spoke, the
quiet country setting gives them a chance to think about the dis-
advantages and potential hazards of a life of crime. It is a much
more positive approach to the problem than commitment to the Youth
Authority facilities.

Immediately upon commitment to the Ranches, a team con-
sisting of the child's Probation Officer, his Ranch counsellor,
the Assistant Director of the Ranch, a member of the school depart-
ment and, most importantly, the child himself, begin working on a
plan which envisages his release from the Ranch. Some of the boys
return to school after release, some opt to go into the armed forces
and some are provided with the opportunity of placement in a voca-
tional skill oriented program sponsored by the LEAA. Presently,

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JUVENILE COURT - YOUTH GUIDANCE CENTER (continued)

there are forty-five slots in four month basic programs for graduates
from the Log Cabin Ranch. There are three community organizations in
San Francisco which provide the graduates with Jobs and training
during that four month period.

Medical Care At The Ranches

One serious problem which has been brought to our attention
is the lack of adequate medical services at the Ranches and especially
the lack of emergency medical care. One doctor, located in San
Francisco, is presently under contract to provide medical services.
It is his responsibility to visit the Ranches once a week. On his
visits, he examines all new referrals, which is a duplication of the
examination given before placement. Those funds that are presently
allocated for the services of the doctor could be used to retain a
registered nurse who would spend several hours each day at each of the
two Ranches. The Directors of the Ranches feel insecure about having
to make medical decisions with regard to their charges and the avail-
ability of a nurse would alleviate this responsibility. When emergen-
cies arise (as they do with youth), someone with substantial medical
training should be immediately available. This matter has been brought
to the attention of the Youth Guidance Center administration and we
feel that they must rectify this situation.

Community Resources

Commenting on another point made by the 1975-76 Grand Jury
with regard to "The Battle Between Public Agency Resources and
Community Based Resources," we find that a much greater degree of
cooperation is being achieved presently. We have not been led to
believe that all differences have been resolved. There are numerous
community groups vying for positions working with, and concomitant
public funding of, youth services. Some of these groups have achieved
a high degree of expertise and ability and there is active competition.
We encourage the administration to continue with their efforts to
solicit the cooperation and assistance of those community organiza-
tions which are providing valuable services.

For some years, San Francisco has placed delinquents in
agencies throughout the State. A small number of children have been
sent to the Los Angeles area. Under a recent policy of Juvenile
Court, all youth will now be placed within a sixty-five mile radius.
There are several aspects of this policy which have been brought to
our attention and which we would like to summarize here.

1. Certain community organizations operating child
detention facilities in Los Angeles have proven themselves to be
extremely effective in their treatment of youthful offenders. Some
facilities outside this sixty-five mile radius have, in fact,
displayed much greater successes with certain types of children than

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JUVENILE COURT - YOUTH GUIDANCE CENTER (continued)
those nearby.

2. There is also some argument for removing certain
children for a time from those peers and adverse conditions that
have contributed to their present activities.

3. We suggest that the incorporation of the parents in
the decision-making process regarding their children's placement

is advisable. It is the parents who will be ultimately responsible
when the child is returned. If the parents were invited to confer
with the Placement Officer involved with the placement and were
informed of the alternatives, diminished dissatisfaction where
distant placements were advisable might be the result. Parents'
involvement in their children's futures, where practicable, should
be encouraged. The final determination for placement, however, must
rest with the Probation Officer and with the Court.

We do not advocate the wholesale shipment of our youth to
other vicinities. But we do feel that each child's future and
possibility of rehabilitation must be the ultimate consideration.
Therefore, we suggest that there remain some flexibility in the new
policy.

Organization

In talking with numerous individuals at Youth Guidance
Center, one recurring theme was the present organization regarding
the general assignemnts of Probation Officers. We have been presented
with many Justified grounds for a revised approach.

The present system involves the three separate functions
of Intake, Court Officer and Supervisory probation caseloads.
Initially, a Supervisor in Intake reviews each new case and assigns
it to an Intake Probation Officer. That Officer reviews the case,
prepares a report and submits it to a Court Officer. The Court
Officer presents the case to the Court. After a Judicial decision
has been rendered, if the child is put on probation, the file is
turned over to the Supervision unit. A Supervisor there reviews
the case and refers it to the Supervision Officer. That Officer
reviews the file and begins his/her supervision of the child. During
the entire process, the child has had three Probation Officers.

We recommend that serious study be given to a reorganization
of the department so that a single Probation Officer follow each
youth through the entire process with the exception of the duties of
Court Officer. Some of the bases for our recommendation of a review
and possible reorganization are as follows:

1. The Probation Officer who investigates the case and
prepares the initial report becomes somewhat familiar with a

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JUVENILE COURT - YOUTH GUIDANCE CENTER (continued)

particular child. He has interviewed parents and, perhaps, the
ward's peers and has certain impressions, as well as information,
which cannot always be accurately passed on in writing.

2. The retention of the case after Judicial determination
would eliminate the review of the case by one Supervising Probation
Officer and one Probation Officer in the Supervision Unit.

3. The child would feel a more stable relationship with
his Probation Officer. He would have one Probation Officer through
the entire procedure (and a Court Officer at the hearings only)
and could begin to develop a working rapport almost immediately.

*J. The Probation Officer who follows the case from Intake
through the end of the probation period would be more accountable to
both his client and to the department .

5. It is our information that Intake caseloads vary more
than do those of Supervision. This proposed revision would provide
a better balance.

Some at Youth Guidance Center have suggested that each
Probation Officer should perform the duties of Intake, Court Officer
and Supervision. There are some Justifications for this approach,
although we feel that there may be more organizational arguments in
favor of having the Intake and Supervision activities combined and
retaining the separate function of Court Officer. We might suggest,
however, that some thought be given to assigning the Court Officers
to each of the four units rather than having them isolated in a
separate department.

Those arguments which have been most persuasive with
regard to an independent function of Court Officer are the following:

1. With an independent Court Officer, there is less
anxiety between the child and that person who will ultimately be his/
her Supervising Officer. Having the Supervising Officer present the
evidence against a child in court, we feel, would result in unnec-
essary animosity.

2. Formerly, before Judge Mayer reassigned the types of
cases heard by each of the Referees and the Judge, there were problems
with predicting the times of the particular hearings and having the
Probation Officers available when their cases were to be heard. We
understand that the new system facilitates a smoother running calendar,
We do not, however, feel that having each Probation Officer function

as a Court Officer would provide the same efficiency as is presently
achieved. We can foresee problems with having Probation Officers
waste valuable time in the event that the preceding case were to
extend beyond its estimated time or being unavailable when his/her

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JUVENILE COURT - YOUTH GUIDANCE CENTER (continued)

case was called.

3. Court Officers should be trained specifically with
regard to Court procedure. Not all Probation Officers presently
have the same degree of training and expertise in this area and we
feel that their time may be better spent in other types of training
programs .

We recommend that, since this one aspect of the organiza-
tion of Youth Guidance Center was presented to us by so many, a
serious study be made of it with a view toward the change suggested.

The Grand Jury would like to commend the efforts and
assistance presently being provided by the Volunteer Auxiliary of
the Youth Guidance Center. As the first of its kind in the United
States, this organization has been operating for twenty-seven years.
Through grants, fund raising activities and dues, it is able to
provide approximately $20,000 annually to augment the budget of the
YGC. This fund provides the salary of a night coordinator for the
cottages, provides recreation and crafts, crisis needs, small
salaries for some of the youth who perform gardening duties at Youth
Guidance Center and numerous other forms of assistance. Additionally,
the auxiliary has been able to obtain volunteers from San Francisco
State Psychology Department to work on a one-to-one basis with the
status offenders at the cottages. The citizens of San Francisco
should be truly grateful that there are people such as these who so
willing give to help the youth of the City.

We do not feel that we should let this opportunity pass
without commending the dedication of the Juvenile Justice Commission-
ers. Time and time again, we have been impressed with the scope and
direction of their activities. Whenever the need arises for research,
long and short term planning or the general administration of Youth
Guidance Center and the Ranches, the Juvenile Justice Commission
rises to the cause. We laud their conscientious efforts in perfor-
mance of their duties.

During our year of service on the Civil Grand Jury, we
have received and reviewed reports from other Jurisdictions
nationally on innovative programs which are being implemented.
Among the most impressive of those was the report on a Mew Jersey
approach to Juvenile delinquency. The New Jersey Juvenile Court
ordered fourteen youthful repeat offenders to participate in a
program at the State Prison. The children were left alone with the
hardened adult offenders and were told about what to expect from
the adult prisons. Certain statements were made about the lack of
females in prisons and very blunt threats toward the boys, them-
selves, were made. Stories of violence and intimidation were
related. According to the report, of the fourteen boys who par-
ticipated in the initial program, not one had in the year following,

-114-

JUVENILE COURT - YOUTH GUIDANCE CENTER (continued)

been re-referred to the Juvenile Court for further offenses. We
understand that some of the inmates at the San Quentin adult
facility, with the approval of the administration, have initiated
a similar pilot program for selected youth.

San Francisco has, for many years, been viewed as one
of the more progressive cities in the United States. Perhaps
by the very nature of the beast, San Francisco can also become a
leader in child rehabilitation. Programs such as the one in New
Jersey mentioned above, while obviously of minimal cost might
serve a very useful purpose. While this is only one of several
experimental programs which have been brought to our attention,
we feel that it is significant. The administration of the Juvenile
Probation Department is undoubtedly aware of many others. The use
of volunteers in this regard could be of great assistance. We
would strongly urge San Francisco to try to implement some of the
more promising new programs in aid of our ongoing fight against
the juvenile crime in this City.

-115-

ADULT PROBATION DEPARTMENT

The San Francisco Adult Probation Department has a primary
responsibility for overseeing the activities of those persons who
have been found quilty of committing crimes in this City and who
have been referred to the Department by the Municipal or Superior
Courts. In addition to this surveillance activity, it is involved
in crisis intervention for its charges and their families where
the crises might have an effect on the rehabilitation of the probationer!
It also oversees the collection of fines imposed by the Courts and
any restitution which may have been ordered. In those cases where
alcohol or substance abuse counselling is required by the Court,
or where the Probation Officer sees the need, the Department works
as a resource referral agency. Counselling is provided to those
individuals who are receptive to, or in need of, that service. One
additional responsibility lies in the preparation of "pre-sentence"
reports for the use of the Courts.

Temporary Status Of Probation Officers

Perhaps the most significant factor affecting the activities
of the Probation Department has been the lack of a resolution of
the temporary employee problem. In May of 1977, of the 40 Probation
Officers, 29 were temporary; 16 of the 29 Senior Probation Officers
were temporary to that position and 6 of the 9 Supervisors were
serving under a temporary status. The threat of loss of employment
or demotion was further compounded by the extraordinary number of
individuals competing for the available positions: 422 competing for
29 Probation Officer slots; 54 testing for 16 Senior Probation
Officer positions and 60 applying for the Supervising Probation
Officers' 7 positions. Having vested up to seven years as temporaries
awaiting results of Civil Service tests, none of these people have
known if they would still have Jobs when Civil Service lists were
finally posted. It is not surprising that among some, morale was
low. Such position insecurity could not have been conducive to active
and effective supervision by Supervising Probation Officers who,
at any time, might be replaced by their subordinates. Perhaps a
brief history of the Civil Service examinations for the various
classifications of Probation Officers in both Adult and Juvenile
Probation departments is appropriate.

Beginning in 1970, certain jobs became available on a
temporary basis only, because of temporary leaves or temporary promotions i
within the departments. There was a Civil Service list at this time.
Under Civil Service rules, if no one on the list wishes to fill a
temporary vacancy, the Department itself can fill the position with
whomever it chooses. Inadequate attention was given during this
time to the hiring of minority personnel which later prompted the
filing of affirmative action lawsuits. By September of 1973, the list

-116-

ADULT PROBATION DEPARTMENT (continued)

had been exhausted. At that time, announcements were sent out for the
positions of Probation Officer, Senior Probation Officers (promotive)
and Supervising Probation Officers (promotive). There were protests
filed with Civil Service regarding the terms of each of these
announcements. The protests and appeals were acted upon by the Civil
Service Commission and, by May 197^, necessary announcements were
reissued. On July 3, 197^, three Probation Officers, Scarlet Gordon,
Santiago Rodriguez and Calvin Booth, filed a class action suit delaying
action on all Probation Officer examinations. That litigation
continued for one and one-half years and, finally, in January of 1976,
the case was settled by Consent Decree. In April of lojf, , all
examination announcements were reissued. From April until the first
of August, protests were received and hearings conducted. Shortly
thereafter, in October, 1976, the written examinations were held and
protests and counter-protests to these examinations were filed. The
Civil Service eliminated a relatively large number of questions
from the tests because of their ambiguity and other problems and accepted
multiple answers on others. Also during this time, two additional
suits were filed - one by the promotive Probation Officers at Juvenile
Court and one by the temporary Probation Officers also at Juvenile
Court. During the period from January 31 through March 17 , 1977,
oral examinations were given. On February 1, a suit was filed by
the Human Rights Commission contesting the passing point require-
ments in the promotive examinations. We understand that, in order
to facilitate the affirmative action program for the Departments,
an adjustment was made. Additional protests were filed by the
participants in the oral examinations which were ruled on by Civil
Service .

In the latter part of May, 1977, Civil Service was ordered
by the Superior Court to advise all Black and Spanish surnamed
applicants that they were entitled to retake the oral examinations.
This Order was made on the basis of a serious oversight by the
Civil Servie Commission in its failure to provide the Plaintiffs
in the Scarlet Gordon case with lists of oral board examiners as
previously ordered by the Court. This defect in the testing procedure
has again extended the time which will lapse before permanent staff
in this one category can be selected. However, with regard to the
other job descriptions, the morass has been brought to an end.

Because of the time involved in the resolution of the
temporary employment problem, a majority of San Francisco's Probation
Officers had a vested interest in retaining positions they had assumed
thereby resulting in the numerous appeals. Another contributing factor
was the appointment of temporary employees without adequate regard
to affirmative action policies. This situation was necessarily corrected
in the Civil Service examinations, however it left a number of well-
qualified minority Probation Officers, who had long worked as
temporaries, without jobs.

-117-

ADULT PROBATION DEPARTMENT (continued)

This long-term battle toward the appointment of permanent
Probation Officers for each of Adult and Child Probation Departments
suggests to us that some revision in employment practices for the
City should be adopted. In this regard, we advance the following:

1. It is imperative that testing for a new eligibility
list be conducted before Civil Service lists expire
or are depleted.

2. The City's policy of allowing employees to take
unnecessary extended sick leave at the end of their
City employment tenure requires the hiring of
temporary personnel. If positions are required, as
in this case, they should not be left vacant. Perhaps
the City should look toward the example set by other
cities which pay a percentage of the sick leave accrued
prior to retirement or, as is done in the private
sector, the City should regard sick leave as Just
that - not as additional vacation leave or a bonus.

3. We would also note that an extraordinary amount of
time has been spent by the administrations of Juvenile
and Adult Probation as well as by other departments -
Civil Service, City Attorney and the Courts - toward
a resolution of the problem. This was a further
waste of funds and talent.

4. San Francisco's Civil Service must look at the City
appeals provisions with a view toward revision more
in line with those other cities. San Francisco has
among the most liberal of appeals policies and some
revision in this regard is necessary.

Clerical Personnel

In the Adult Probation Department , there remains a dearth
of supporting clerical personnel. Probation Officers continue
to type some of their reports - a very poor use of their time,
indeed. The situation has improved somewhat due to an infusion of
CETA personnel into the Department. However, clerical assistance
continues to be lacking. We would suggest that, based upon the
repetition inherent in preparing pre-sentence reports and petitions
to the Courts, thought be given to leasing word processing typewriters
on an experimental basis. We suggest that use of these systems
may result in substantial savings in additional personnel requirements
and increased quality in their work product.

In May of 1977 a new position of Senior Stenographer was
acquired through the forfeiture of one line Probation Officer position.

-118-

ADULT PROBATION DEPARTMENT (continued)

The Senior Steno assigned to this position has responsibility for
overseeing the work product and performance of a majority of the
clerks and typists in the Department. We feel that this position
will be a great asset to the clerical functions of Adult Probation.

Pre-Sentence Reports

One of the responsibilities of the Probation Department
is the preparation and submission to the Courts of pre-sentence
reports. These reports integrate information regarding the prior
offenses of the defendant, his/her legal status (whether currently
on probation, parole or under the Jurisdicition of another State),
family and employment status and other data required by the Courts
for use in properly sentencing the defendant. Because of the past
poor quality of some of the reports, and varying requirements of
each of the Judges, the Courts' former lack of reliance upon the
reports may have been Justified. A number of changes are being made
which we believe will encourage the greater use of pre-sentence reports
by the Courts .

1. Under new State laws, the pre-sentence report format
will require substantiation for every statement. The
reports will no longer be based on hearsay (any second-hand
information will necessarily be attributed to its

source) and more factual reports will be produced.

2. Under the reorganization recently accomplished in
the Adult Probation Department, one division has
responsibility for compiling the information and preparing
all reports . Those Probation Officers who have formerly
had difficulties in formulating lucid, accurate reports
will work in other divisions where their particular
talents may be better utilized.

3. Better systems for accumulating necessary data

are being formulated. Among these is a new procedure
wherein requests for information and the preparation
of basic pre-sentence reports are begun on all defendants
upon their placement on the arraignment calendar.
This new system provides an additional three to five
weeks to accumulate information. Since sentencing
will occur in many of those cases in which arraignment
takes place, this is an excellent way to improve the
quality and validity of the reports .

^4. A new short form has been devised for use in the Superior
Court where prison sentences will not be considered
or ordered because of the nature of the offense or the
status of the defendant.

-119-

ADULT PROBATION DEPARTMENT (continued)

5. Chief Adult Probation Officer Walter Morse recently

served on a committee of the State Chief Adult Probation
Officers' organization. A pre-sentence report format
was prepared. It has been accepted and recommended
by the State Judicial Council. Once Probation Officers
have been adequately trained in its use, content validity
and efficiency will result.

The Department's Future

Under the able leadership of Walter Morse, the Department
has begun its reorganization and refocus on the responsibilities
assigned to it. In his relatively short time as Chief Adult
Probation Officer, a number of new programs and revisions to old
procedures have been adopted. A few of these, we feel, deserve
mention.

1. Department reorganization. The major component

of the Department's reorganization was the reassignment
of caseloads. As mentioned earlier, a separate pre-
sentence report division was created. Additionally,
cases are now assigned through a geographic district
format. Although some problems exist with this type
of assignment with regard to those very transient
individuals , this program has validity . Community
input can be better utilized with a specific view
toward problems which are prevalant in each district.
Specialized caseloads, according to the needs of the
area, become more manageable and individual Probation
Officers can become more familiar with the community
resources in their particular areas.

2. Training. The 1975-76 Grand Jury recommended

that training be instituted. Now that new personnel will
be hired and existing personnel reassigned, we feel
that training is not only advisable - it is imperative.
The Probation Department recently requested 5% in matching
funds from the City in order to receive a $15,000 LEAA
training grant. The Board of Supervisors originally
refused to grant the $750 required to obtain the
training money but later conceded. This new program
will provide training for the new Probation Officers,
new techniques and procedural training for journeymen
and supervision and management training. Each of
these functions is absolutely necessary to the
operation of the Department.

•120-

ADULT PROBATION DEPARTMENT (continued)

3. Probation Officers in Court Capacities. Probation
Officers have traditionally been assigned to each of
the Superior and Municipal courtrooms where criminal
cases are heard to advise the Probation Department of
the judicial orders. This procedure became necessary
because of the inaccuracy and sporadic reporting to
the Department of orders involving their services.

The Probation Department has now removed its Officers from

most of the courtrooms and reassigned them to caseloads.

It is working with the Courts to improve the quality

and accuracy of the reports submitted to the Department

by the Court Clerks. We recommend that a simple form

be utilized specifying the length of probation, conditions

required for the granting of probation, i.e., substance

abuse or alcohol counselling, orders of fines, resititution,

etc. If it is determined that incorrect or inadequate

information is derived by this method, we suggest

that Probation Department clerks research Court records

or that CMS be used to verify the information.

Defendants, themselves, should no longer be responsible

for reporting the fact of their ordered probation to

the Department , nor should Probation Officers' valuable

time be spent in duplicating the efforts of the Courts

Clerks.

4. Resource Unit. There has traditionally been a
mistrust of the Probation Department by community
agencies. The Probation Department has recently assigned
two Officers to develop a liaison with agencies which
may be of assistance to their charges. The Officers'
assignments include the assessment of the strengths

and weaknesses of community agencies and the relaying
of this information to the Probation Officers. Probation
Officers will make use of this information in matching
their clients' needs with available services and in
making recommendations to the Courts in pre-sentence
reports. A resource manual will be prepared with annual
reviews and updates incorporated.

The 1976-77 Civil Grand Jury feels that this Department has
made great strides in the last year toward resolving a multitude
of problems. We trust that, through its continued efforts, the
Department will achieve the efficiency required to provide those
services required of it.

-121-

LAW LIBRARY

The Law Library has been operating in San Francisco since
1870. It has a self-electing, self-perpetuating Board of Trustees,
which Board appoints the Librarian. Operating costs are provided for
the most part (80*) by a Law Library fee which is added to the
Municipal and Superior Court filing fees. The remaining twenty percent
is provided from the City General Fund. This twenty percent amounts
to $70,000 to $80,000 and pays for three salaries with the remaining
amount being allocated to the lease of copying equipment. The City
also furnishes space at two locations for the Library.

Through the years, the Law Library has been increasingly
used by the general public which now makes up approximately fifty
percent of its clientele. For both attorneys and non-attorneys, it
provides an invaluable source of legal materials including volumes
of case law and statutory law as well as copies of all briefs submitted
to the Supreme Court. Despite its general population use, there is
very little problem with book loss. In fact, less than ten volumes
per year require replacement due to their non-return.

Presently, the Law Library is operating efficiently at its
present level of funding. If, however, additional funds become
necessary, we concur with the Librarian's suggestion that a minimal
Law Library fee should be added to the San Francisco Bar Association
dues. We feel that this would provide an equitable source of funds
since the general public already pays $6.50 through court filing fees.

Leslie Evans
Aileen McCarty
Carlos Xavier

Suzanne Perry , Chairman

-122-

SPECIAL REPORT ON PERSONNEL AND MANAGEMENT

One overriding difficulty which concerned this Grand Jury
was the civil service personnel system as presently constituted.
V.'hile the Jury feels that the Civil Service Commission is dclng a
creditable job within the confines of the Charter imposed restric-
tions, we would recommend a thorough study of the Civil Service
system as it presently functions in the City and County of San
Francisco.

The Civil Service Commission reported receiving few
complaints from the City departments and accordingly the Commission
feels the City departments are satisfied with the oresent system.
In contrast, City department heads have experienced great difficulty
in Civil Service and yet have failed to report those shortcomings
to the Commission. That breakdown in communication is striking.

Even more alarming is the breadth of the Civil Service
problem. One City department is almost completely staffed with
temporary personnel. In the event permanent personnel are ever
designated for that department it is apparent that the present
supervisor-worker hierarchy may not exist, but rather workers may
become supervisors and vice-versa. Thus there is and can be no
innovation; the lack of stability is unnerving to the employees.

Another department underwent a wholesale reorganization
with a new department head and new or transferred employees. The
final result was that not one person in the department had prior
experience or training in the proper operation of the r'enartment ' s
functions .

Accumulated sick leave remains a major obstacle for
effective management. A retiring individual can apparently take
sick leave with pay immediately prior to retirement based on a
formula which can produce up to 6 months time off. During this
period this position Is deemed filled until retirement Dut the desk
is empty. In one case an heir was paid for accumulated benefits
and the position had to remain vacant for nearly 8 months.
Frequently the position itself is eliminated in the next budget thus
leaving a department with a heavy lower echelon of clerks and a
rapidly diminishing upper end of the pyramid of experienced and
presumably higher paid individuals.

Another problem frequently experienced is the 6 month
probationary period. This is felt to be much too short for any but
the most rudimentary positions. Many City Jobs require more than
6 months experience and training Just to learn the basics. It is
unfair to both the employee and employer to expect an accurate
performance evaluation before being fully trained.

-123-

SPECIAL q^PORT ON PERSONNEL AMD MANAGEMENT (continued)

There is no uniform system in the City for department heads
to reward outstanding performance, to provide more rapid increases
in salary progression or to have any genuine degree of flexibility
in hiring, firing or promoting. From a management point of view
it is frustrating. From the viewpoint of the typical City employee
there is no incentive to perform their tasks in other than a cursory
manner. That some City employees do make outstanding contributions
to their departments and to the public is a product of their
individual nature; it is not something the City fosters.

These same comments apply to the middle management deficit.
There is currently no uniform mechanism to routinely measure the
nerformance of the managers. Department heads are chagrined at the
experience level of middle management; middle managers honestly
evaluate their recent promotion as an overwhelming challenge because
of their necessary training; Civil Service stands ready to prepare
a training and education program for departments which request such
programs; department heads are reluctant to seek Civil Service
assistance in establishing such programs. Again, department heads
request added flexibility in hiring, firing and promotion of
management .

In sum, a thorough study is recommended of the personnel
and management systems including the underlying Charter provisions
with a view towards simplification, management flexibility and the
rewarding of a job well done.

For and on Behalf of the 1976-77 San Francisco County Civil Grand Jury

ROBERT E. GRAHAM, FOREMAN

-124-

f

107

1977-78

CIVIL

GRAND JURY
REPORTS

CITY AND COUNTY OF
SAN FRANCISCO

CALIFORNIA

FINAL 1977-78 CIVIL GRAND JURY REPORTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS

V Foreman's Letter to the Presiding Judge

VI Introduction

102 Adult Probation Department

45 Aging, Commission on the

55 Agriculture and Weights and Measures, Department of

31 Airport

86 Animal Control Center

25 Art Commission

84 Asian Art Museum

100 Assessor

81 California Academy of Sciences

48 Chief Administrative Officer

88 City Attorney

42 City Planning, Department of

1 Civil Service Commission

28 Community College District

17 Controller

51 Coroner

63 County Clerk

90 District Attorney

53 Electricity, Department of

21 Electronic Data Processing

-I-

TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

32 Emergency Services
83 Fine Arts Museums

33 Fire Department
2 Health Service System

39 Hetch Hetchy Water and Power Department

45 Human Rights Commission

109 Law Library

10 Mayor

12 Mayor's Office of Employment Training

105 Municipal Court

37 Municipal Railway

43 Parking Authority

6 Permit Appeals, Board of

35 Police Department

6 Port Commission

56 Public Administrator - Public Guardian
92 Public Defender
64 Public Health, Department of

7 Public Library

76 Public Works, Department of
78 Purchasing Department

77 Real Estate Department

57 Recorder
42 Recreation and Park Department

58 Registrar of Voters

-II-

TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

3 Retirement System

93 Sheriff

M Social Services, Department of

103 Superior Court

80 Supervisors, Board of

59 Tax Collector

101 Treasurer

27 Unified School District

8 War Memorial

38 Water Department

1*6 Women, Commission on the Status of

107 Youth Guidance Center and Juvenile Court

-III-

MEMBERS OP THE 1977-78
CIVIL GRAND JURY
IN AND FOR THE
CITY AND COUNTY OP SAN FRANCISCO

Mrs. Helen I. Abbett
Robert D. Au
James K. Broderick
Thomas J. Cook
Willie J. Crosby
Joseph McKinley
Michael J. O'Brien
Miss Jane P. Reeve

Reynold T. Rey

Mrs. Lucinda M. Romaneck

Steven H. Rosen

Howard L. Ross

Ronald P. Rubia

Robert G. Smith

Edward J. Sosa

Miss Margarita V. Tallerico

Mrs. Naomi Hansen, Secretary

Gordon A. Caswell, Foreman

Impaneled, July 27, 1977

Discharged, June 30, 1978

-IV-

City and County of San Francisco
GRAND JURY

OFFICI

Room 163 City Hall
telephone: 558-5010

Honorable Lawrence S. Mana
Presiding Judge, Superior Court
City and County of San Francisco
Room 1*35, City Hall
San Francisco, California 9*1102

Dear Judge Mana:

On behalf of the members of the 1977-78 Civil Grand Jury,
the reports of Grand Jury are enclosed.

I would like to thank you for your counsel and guidance
throughout the Year, and the assurance that you were available
if needed.

The Jury's particular thanks are due Mr. Michael Tamony ,
Grand Jury Consultant, for his constant support and encourage-
ment. We would like to thank also members of his staff for their
willing clerical assistance.

My special commendation and thanks goes to all the members
of the Grand Jury who worked so well and so faithfully during
the past twelve months. Our Jury was a cross section of the
City comprising many ethnic backgrounds and age groups, from
students to retired persons. Most of the Jurors had full time
Jobs, and it was not easy for them to put in the countless hours
necessary to perform these investigative duties. I am most grate-
ful to them for their devotion to duty, their cooperative spirit,
and the support given to me .

We have tried to take a positive approach in our reports,
and hope that our findings and recommendations will be of benefit.

Sincerely ,

Gordon A. Caswell, Foreman
1977-78 Civil Grand Jury

-V-

INTRODUCTION

The Investigative phase of the Grand Jury was nearly
complete prior to the passage of Proposition 13 on June 6, 1978.
Most of our reports were written and many were approved while
revisions to the 1978-79 Budget were being made. During that
period it was not possible to determine from one day to the
next what cuts were coming. We regret that some of the reports
will not reflect the latest situation with regard to funding.

During the past year, the Grand Jury met almost
weekly to discuss the findings of various sub-committees. On
these occasions certain problems that are common to many
departments repeatedly came to our attention. We would like
to include here our conclusions and recommendations in these
matters.

Supervision and Personnel

The largest item in all budgets is for salaries.
In Public Works it is 85* , in the Fire Department it is about
9755. Any reduction in the cost of running the City can only be
made by reducing salary costs. The Mayor and the Board of
Supervisors should show the strongest possible leadership in
developing an efficient and productive work force. They should
ascertain that every employee is necessary and productive. All
employees should have in their possession a description of
their Job and of the performances required. They should be
evaluated on a regular basis and counselled as to their
performance .

There is laxity in basic supervision. Members of the
Grand Jury were told by the Chief Administrative Officer sub-
sequent to the parking meter scandal that time keeping was
known to be lax in many areas , and it was not unusual for
employees to leave their Jobs early. This situation is
intolerable. The least to be expected of a supervisor is that
he knows where his employees are. Supervisors at all levels
from top to bottom should check to see that their employees
work a full day. Graveyard and week-end shifts should not be
overlooked. The practice of submitting "anticipated" time
rolls should be ended.

Civil Service

The Civil Service Regulations should be reviewed and
revised. The problems created by these antiquated rules are
well known to all. The Mayor should lean on the Civil Service

-VI-

INTRODUCTION (continued)

Commission to get prompt action for a complete overhaul.

Although mentioned elsewhere, the City and County
is out of line in the number of disability retirements. All
possible measures should be taken to reduce this abuse. City
officials should encourage the passage of the Lanterman Bill.

Charter Revision

Everyone knows that the City Charter needs revision.
It fragments the responsibility and authority of the Mayor and
the Board of Supervisors, and grants powers to boards and
commissions that are not responsible to the voters. This
results in inefficient and expensive government. Responsi-
bilities should be clearly defined, with sufficient authority
given to the responsible elected official.

Everywhere the Grand Jury went complaints were heard
of the problems caused by the Charter. We recommend that the
Mayor and Board of Supervisors actively support the efforts
which will soon be started to rewrite the Charter.

Consolidations

Serious consideration should be given to consolida-
tions of departments, thereby increasing efficiency and
eliminating duplication of effort. For example, the tax
collecting function could be combined with the Treasurer with
many obvious advantages. The Grand Jury Report of 1975-76
stated that $500,000 yearly was lost in interest at tax
collection time because it took three weeks to get the tax
receipts from the Tax Collector to the Treasurer. Fifty-two
counties in California have already combined these functions.

Another example would be placing the County Clerk
under the Superior Court for which most of his work is performed.
The Court' 8 interest in the efficient operation of the County
Clerk's office would be much greater than that of the Director
of Finance and Records, and it would have the authority to
make changes .

It appears quite feasible to eliminate the Job of
Director of Finance and Records. With the position vacant,
this is a painless time to do it.

The 1975-76 Grand Jury recommended a consolidation
of fiscal officers: the Controller, the Budget Analyst to the
Mayor and the Budget Director of the Board of Supervisors. We
believe the central fiscal office would be most effective

-VTI-

INTRODUCTION (continued)

reporting both to the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor. In
the light of the emergency created by Proposition 13 » and the
unfounded predictions of disaster, we recommend careful con-
sideration of the creation of a Central Fiscal Office.

Implementation of Reports

Each year the City and County spends hundreds of
thousands for audits by private experts, surveys by Mr. Harvey
Rose, audits by the Controller, and audits by the Civil Grand
Jury. In all too many cases, the advice is challenged, refuted
or ignored. There is little or no follow-up to insure imple-
mentation of that part of the advice that was accepted. The
Bcandal in the Tax Collector's office could have been prevented
with better folow-up of an audit report, and there are many
other examples. We recommend that procedures be established
for better follow-up. A lot of money is being wasted if
we buy advice and don't use it.

Budget - Proposition 13

Long before Mayor Moscone declared the emergency, the
Grand Jury was concerned about the annual increases in the
Budget. As a result of the passage of Proposition 13, next
year's Budget has been reduced $M.5 million, from $868.9
million to $824.4 million. This is about $6 million less than
for the current year. During this difficult revision period,
considering all the pressures, the Mayor and the Board have
worked well together, and did a commendable Job.

As mentioned elsewhere in this Report, we would have
favored an increase in the MUNI fares to assure that the City
will be eligible for State aid. However, if MUNI can qualify
without a fare increase, and still give acceptable service,
so much the better.

With the expectation of less money to work with in
the future, the Mayor and the Board will now need to establish
priorities and eliminate waste and duplication at all levels.
We hope that some of the recommendations contained in the
following Report will be helpful.

-VIII-

CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION

By far the largest single Item In the City and
County Budget is the cost of salaries. Overall, it is about
70J over $600,000,000. For such a major expense, the most up
to date personnel management methods should be sought out and
practiced. According to Mr. John Walsh, General Manager of
Personnel, he is trying hard to bring the procedures of the
Civil Service Commission into the twentieth century.

The following are some of his goals:

1. Changes in the Charter that will give him flexibility to
meet current situations.

2. Updating of Civil Service rules.

3. Extend the probationary period for new employees.
5. Speed up the process of filling vacant positions.

5. Fuller Implementation of the performance evaluation system.

6. A reward system for outstanding Job performance.

7. Conversion of time roll audit and certification to electronic
data processing.

8. A training unit which can provide training to all depart-
ments of the City.

9. End the practice of "anticipated" time rolls.

10. Pre-employment physicals for all new employees, including
temporary and CETA employees .

Several of these goals are within sight. There is
a good chance that several Charter revisions will be on the
November ballot. The Health Department is slated to take over
pre-employment physicals. A training program across depart-
mental lines is being worked out with the Community College.

The Jury feels that the practice of "anticipated"
time rolls should be stopped. Most departments are paid so
shortly after their payroll cycle that it is the common
practice to anticipate the hours worked In the last few days
of the cycle. If an employee does not work as "anticipated",
then corrections are sent in to adjust the time roll. This
situation could be solved simply by moving pay day back a
few days. This one-time inconvenience to the employee is
minor as compared to all the problems created, as well as the
possibilities of overpayment, under the present system.
Certainly no official should be expected to certify that an
employee will work at some future date. Particularly in the
aftermath of the recent time roll problems in the Tax
Collector's office, the need to end this practice should
escape no one.

CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION (continued)

There should be a centrally located personnel file
containing all the essential records of an employee. If
records are Incomplete or missing, it can be very expensive
for the City in certain situations of legal action by an
employee.

Although this is not directly a responsibility of
the Civil Service Commission, it is most important that the
number of employees be kept at the lowest possible level.
Close supervision and productivity standards are essential in
achieving this.

The yearly cost to the City for the Civil Service
Commission is now $2,500,000, with a staff of Just under 100
employees. For this expenditure, it is reasonable to expect
up to date personnel programs which will result in efficient
and productive employees.

Mr. Walsh spoke to the entire Grand Jury, and we
were favorably impressed with his plans for improving the
System.

HEALTH SERVICE SYSTEM

The Health Service System, under the direction of
Mr. Philip J. Kearney, is designed to facilitate the health
program of San Francisco city employees.

The staff appeared well coordinated and performed
their duties efficiently. Mr. Kearney pointed out that his
staff is well integrated racially. The operation of the pro-
gram places considerable stress on upgrading the system.

There are three major plans under the system. They

are :

Plan 1 - City Administered
Plan 2 - Kaiser Foundation
Plan 3 - Children's Hospital

Blue Cross priced itself out of the system and it was replaced
by the Children's Hospital Plan.

Mr. Kearney stated that there was need for more
space which was quite evident as boxes of records were stacked
on top of the file cabinets.

.o

HEALTH SERVICE SYSTEM (continued)

In conclusion, we felt much progress had been made
in the past year, but the optimum has not yet been reached.

RETIREMENT SYSTEM

The Retirement System is administered by a Board
consisting of seven members : the President of the Board of
Supervisors, three City employees, and three members appointed
by the Mayor. For the past twenty years, Mr. Dan Mattrocce
has served as its General Manager and Secretary.

Although the Fund, which totalled $785,^00,065 at
the end of FY 1977, is sound and well managed, the yield has
not been outstanding. The yield was 3.2* from stocks which
is nearly 25% of the investment portfolio. The yield from
bonds was 8.93* • In February 1977, Budget Director Harvey M.
Rose made a study of the Retirement System and made several
recommendations for increasing the revenue. Some of these
have been adopted.

In FY 1977, the Fund Income was $153,000,000, of
which $9^,000,000 was contributed by the City, $22,000,000
was from the employees, and $37,000,000 was from earnings of
the Fund. The amount paid out in retirement benefits was
about $77,000,000.

The retirement payments continue to increase
annually and this will be a concern, particularly if there
is a sharp increase in the number of employees who take early
retirement.

In December 1977, the San Francisco Chamber of
Commerce published a twenty month study of the Retirement
System. Their report should receive attention from the Mayor,
the Civil Service Commission and the Board of Supervisors.
Many administrative and clerical errors, oversights and loop-
holes were noted in that report.

The following are some examples:

1. Proposition L, as passed in November 1976, will not attain
the projected $21,000,000 savings until the year 2000, and
none until at least 1986. However, changes could be made
which would bring immediate cost savings to the City.

2. By working a great deal of overtime in one year, an
employee can greatly increase his retirement pay, which is
based on his highest salary for one year. For example,

RETIREMENT SYSTEM (continued)

one MUNI employee with base pay of $11,585, with overtime
made $23,330 in 1973, or 101* over his base pay. The
estimated increased cost to the Fund in lifetime benefit
payments is $70,470.

3. There is a high number of "late career promotions" which
result in higher salaries and higher annuities. There were
67 in a group of 564 employees, statistically many more
than would happen by chance .

4. A Charter provision calls for paying uniformed employees
who are given temporary promotions at the higher wage rate
even though they are not qualified or appointed to the
position. One policeman was promoted temporarily for two
days, resulting in an estimated extra $3,900 in retirement
benefits.

5. Inadequate pre-employment physicals which overlook abnor-
malities can cost thousands. In the cited report, an
example is given that is expected to cost the Retirement
Fund in excess of $150,000.

6. CETA employees and temporary employees are not given pre-
employment physicals. In the Street Cleaning Bureau, CETA
employees were 12? of the work force, and had 42* of the
disabling injuries in FY 1975-76.

7. The Administrative Code permits "presumptions" that certain
diseases are job related if the employee has been on the

job for five years. These can be very costly "presumptions",
An attempt should be made to change this law to require the
employee to provide proof of his claim.

There is much more in this Report that will bear
careful reading. The Jury is grateful to the Chamber of
Commerce for making it available to us.

Another report which we would suggest for review by
the Board of Supervisors is the Grand Jury Report of 1975-76
(see page 223), which contains recommendations of a similar
nature .

The Workers Compensation Division paid out $5,968,796
in benefits in 1976, which is 11% more than paid in 1975, and
39% more than in 1974. Obviously, all departments of the City
must work to keep these claims as low as possible.

Departments with the highest claims in 1976 were:

Police $1,355,446

PUC (MUNI, etc.) $1,049,013

Fire Dept. $ 862,909

Dept. of Pub. Health $ 740,315

School District $ 644,631

-4-

RETIREMENT SYSTEM (continued)

The Jury concludes that the Retirement System Is In
sound condition. Its Investment Income will not Improve until
the Stock Market Improves, and until It can convert to higher
paying bonds. The City and County will have to continue to
Increase their contribution, particularly If the number of
retirements Increase, and possibly the number of employees
decreases. Outlined above are several suggestions that could
greatly reduce costly and unnecessary payments out of the Fund.

Steven H. Rosen
Edward J. Sosa

Willie J. Crosby, Chairman

_t^_

BOARD OF PERMIT APPEALS

The Board of Permit Appeals, Philip Siggins ,
Executive Director, is an administrative hearing board. Its
work brings contact with various city departments, for example,
Public Works, Health, City Planning and Fire. It has a staff
of three and a 1977-78 budget of $58,352.

As mentioned in a prior Grand Jury Report, Philip
Siggins has taken great pains to assist the appellants in the
administrative process dealt with by this Board. Additionally,
Mr. Siggins' efforts to streamline the administrative process and
consolidate files on San Francisco housing merit commendation.

Considering the large number (approximately ^50) of
cases the Board hears yearly, the Board should receive one
additional employee. Specifically, this should be a clerical
employee with court reporting skills to assist the Board during
official hearings.

Lastly, the offices of this Board are deplorable.
As another Grand Jury recognized, that while staff performance
outweighs the condition of facilities, this committee found no
improvement in the shabby and poorly kept offices.

PORT OF SAN FRANCISCO

The Port of San Francisco Is at a crossroad. Acting
Port Director Edward L. David manages an important service
agency which provides the entire San Francisco region with a
maritime transportation center.

Technological innovations such as containerization,
have left the San Francisco Port with a small number of up-to-
date piers. At the same time, the Port is developing non-maritime
facilities which are economically beneficial to San Francisco.

Newly developed Pier 96 (LASH facilities) provides
$2 million annual revenue, according to Deputy Director
Anthony J. Taormina. Pier 9^> with one berth and two cranes,
together with Pier 96 will be established as the San Francisco
Public Container facility. Pier 80 (at Army Street) is the
only grain terminal In the Bay region. Together, these up-to-
date facilities enhance the future of the Port.

•b-

PORT OF SAN FRANCISCO (continued)

The financial situation of the Port is a complex one.
A report (for years 1976 and 1977) entitled Examinations of
Financial Statements of the Port prepared by Touche Ross and
Company shows that current assets have increased compared to
liabilities. This is a favorable development and hopefully the
trend will continue.

Complicating the financial situation is the matter of
Bond debts. Since 1969 the Port assumed the responsibility of
retiring the debt on State of California Bonds. Currently,
the Bond debt payments are almost half of the Port budget.
These future payments hamper the Port staff's current programs
and future development.

The Port budget currently includes the fireboat
Phoenix. The 70 foot vessel has an assigned crew of 21*.
During fiscal year 1977-78, the San Francisco Fire Department
and the Port have Jointly maintained the fireboat. If the
Port's share of $1 million were borne by the Fire Department,
that sum of money could be devoted to future development of
Port facilities.

The Port management must maintain two sets of
personnel records dating from the agency's years as a state
agency. Investigation of ways to eliminate this double duty
should be made.

Finally, the problem of a permanent port director
must be solved. The Port Commission and management should
rectify this as soon as possible. Then the Port staff could
focus its attention on the development of maritime facilities
for the Port.

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY

The San Francisco Public Library, including 27
branches, provides services to a cross section of San
Franciscans. Headed by City Librarian John Frantz, who has
three major subordinates (Chief of Branches, Chief of Tech-
nical Services, and the Chief of the Main Library), the
system had a 1977-73 budget of $3.^ million.

This committee found the Library relying heavily
on CETA employees, who form 20* of the staff. Additionally,
the Civic Center facility is strained; it is overaged,
overflowing and inadequate for the level of current operations

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY (continued)

The City Librarian has initiated a master plan with
the draft to be completed in mid-1978. Hopefully, this master
plan will attack the problems of over-reliance on CETA employees
and the antiquated and overburdened facilities.

The staff is instituting an Automated Circulation
System (supplied by Computer Library Systems, Inc.) at the
Business Branch. The same system is to be installed in the
near future at the Main Library. Not only saving time and
being more efficient, the new check out system should cut
book losses due to theft.

The services of two watchmen at the Main Library
are inadequate. The City should examine the idea of outside
contracting for guard services.

Within existing financial limits, the Library should
expand its foreign language collection catering to the diverse
language group of this City.

During the past year the study Library Services in
San Francisco was conducted by the Friends of San Francisco
Public Library. The report's findings should play a role in
future staff planning for future library services in San
Francisco.

WAR MEMORIAL

The War Memorial, located in the Civic Center,
consists of the Opera House and the Veteran's Building which
contains the Museum of Modern Art.

Upon inspection the plant was found well kept.
Despite construction and remodeling, performances and programs
were presented throughout the year. The major construction
project is a 38,000 square foot addition to the Opera House
facing Franklin Street. Costing $5 million, it will enlarge
the stage and provide additional office space. The Managing
Director, Donald Michalske, informed us that the project is
to be completed by mid-1979.

The major remodeling effort is the Herbst Theater
to be reopened in mid-1978. Here the staff has taken great
care to provide access for wheelchair patrons.

The Performing Arts Center, currently under con-
struction, is the focus of the Managing Director's staff.

-8-

WAR MEMORIAL (continued)

Hopefully, the Center's garage will serve as a catalyst for
discussion by all departments regarding an overall parking
plan in the Civic Center district.

The snack bar, currently a Greyhound concession, is
a profit-making enterprise. This venture might serve as an
example for other City and County managed enterprises to be
contracted to the private sector.

In sum, the War Memorial staff is to be praised for
successfully managing both current operations and the
construction of the Performing Arts Center.

James K. Br ode rick
Willie J. Crosby

Steven H. Rosen, Chairman

-9-

MAYOR

Mayor Koscone waded through this fiscal year in politi-
cal waters that tested his effectiveness as Chief Executive of
the City. In addition to his continuing efforts in lowering the
crime rate, curbing unemployment, promoting economic development,
etc., Mayor Moscone was given two major challenges. On January
9, 1978, eleven new supervisors elected by district were sworn
into service. This changed the political complexion of the City
because the supervisors come from districts of differing and com-
peting interest. The threat of the Jarvis-Gann Initiative and
the subsequent passage of Proposition 13 was yet another challenge
for the Mayor.

The Mayor and his budget executives have become aware
that their skill and knowledge in finance management and account-
ability is a major concern of the people in the City. In order
to manage the distribution of revenue in a more meaningful and
rational way than that of the past, a system has been developed
and implemented by Mayor Moscone. The system is FIRM (Financial
Information and Resource Management ), a multi beneficial performance
budgeting system, enabling a better understanding of a particular
department's fiscal needs. FIRM is covered in detail in the re-
ports on the Controller and EDP.

By request of the Mayor's Office, San Francisco Plan-
ning and Urban Renewal (SPUR) was asked to study City department
fiscal statements and to offer any suggestions as a result of
their findings. SPUR found that accounting for all departments
was handled differently, resulting in confusion. The Controller's
audits of City functions by his office and by private CPA firms
were combined separately in his annual report , and there was no
one place where a person could find a total of revenues with a
listing of total expenditures. The Mayor's Office with the help
of SPUR, the accounting firm of Arthur Young & Co., and invest-
ment bankers White, Weld & Co., developed a proposed redesign of
the Annual Report. The new report will contain the City's income
statement, balance sheet matching assets against liabilities, and
a ten year tracking system of various revenue and expenditure
items. This annual financial report together with detail infor-
mation through FIRM should keep the Mayor and his fiscal team
aware of the economic condition of the City and eliminate the
embarassment of "not knowing".

During this fiscal year two major issues of concern by
Mayor Moscone are underway after being in suspension. The Yerba
Buena Project, its completion a definite goal of the Moscone
administration, will finally begin construction. The Simmons

-10-

MAYOR (continued)

Project received final approval and will also get underway.

A policy position by the Mayor was made this year con-
cerning privacy of an individual. In the form of a veto, the
Mayor disallowed the authority to check for criminal records of
Job applicants in the State Attorney General's files, excepting
peace officer Jobs. He feels that "once a person has been con-
victed of a crime and has paid a debt to society, he should be
free to apply for a Job and to become a useful member of society
once again."

Through the Mayor's Office of Employment and Training
6,600 persons were placed in a regular unsubsidized Job, con-
tributing to a reduction in unemployment. The Comprehensive
Employment and Training Act (CETA) funded program received much
criticism as a result of monitoring a report by the Budget Analyst
of the Board of Supervisors, Harvey Rose. Oddly enough, his moni-
toring staff were CETA employees . It is stated as a fact, that
retention rates of those in the CETA Program who after training
remained on the Job, are close to 90%. A separate report on the
Mayor's Office of Employment and Training (MOET) follows this re-
port.

In light of the probable passage of the Jarvis-Gann In-
itiative, Mayor Moscone on March 16, 1978, declared a hiring
freeze on filling vacant City positions. We believe he exercised
"good Judgment" at a crucial time. But we criticize his lack of
good Judgment during his European jaunt, with the purpose being
to promote San Francisco, at a time when wasteful government
spending was the issue.

There is no doubt in anybody k mind that the passing of
Proposition 13 put our City into a funding crisis. During the
budget revision, the Mayor and his finance team worked very well
with the Board of Supervisors in order to meet the deadline. The
crisis situation proved again that people can work together. It
is said that the Mayor shall coordinate and enforce cooperation
between all departments of the City and County of San Francisco.
We hope that Mayor Moscone will establish a meaningful and pro-
ductive relationship with the new Board of Supervisors.

Proposition 13 has benefited big business in San Fran-
cisco. Their savings in property tax, as reported, runs in the
millions. This has opened the door for the Mayor to persuade
businesses to establish and expand in the City.

With the expected $100,000,000 from the state and the
"miraculous" discovery of hidden City money, it seems as if the
massive budget cuts and personnel layoffs will not occur. It is
obvious that the state cannot be expected to help us again with
$100,000,000, nor is it probable that we'll find misplaced
millions again next fiscal year. Very serious consideration to

-11-

MAYOR (continued)

executive staff cuts must be made. Working under the rules of
Jarvis-Gann, Mayor Moscone's Job as Chief Executive of the City
assumes greater importance than ever.

In conclusion we commend Mayor Moscone in his show of
leadership during this crisis year, and we hope that he exercises
"good Judgment" on the overall needs of the City operating on a
constricted budget.

MAYOR'S OFFICE OF EMPLOYMENT TRAINING

The Mayor's Office of Employment and Training adminis-
ters the CETA program under the direction of Ms. Eunice Elton.
Ms. Elton indicated that this Grand Jury was the first to visit
her office. Rather than explaining CETA, she provided us with
the following program description, after which we conducted our
interview:

COMPREHENSIVE EMPLOYMENT
AND TRAINING ACT (CETA)

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA)
was passed by Congress in 1973 and became effective
in July, 1971*. CETA provides federal money to create
training and employment opportunities for unemployed,
underemployed and economically disadvantaged people.
The Act requires that these programs be planned and
managed on a local level by 'Prime Sponsors' desig-
nated by the U. S. Department of Labor. The City
and County of San Francisco is one of these prime
sponsors. In San Francisco, the CETA Program is ad-
ministered by the Mayor's Office of Employment and
Training (MOET).

CETA is aimed at helping different groups with differ-
ing employment problems. Titles I and III are the
'employability programs' with emphasis on training
people to prepare them to move into Jobs not sub-
sidized by CETA monies:

-12-

MAYOR'S OFFICE OF EMPLOYMENT TRAININQ (continued)

Title I - provides training programs and ser-
vice s—for—pe op le unemployed, underemployed, econo-
mically disadvantaged or who have limited English
speaking abilities. Some of the kinds of training
currently being offered in San Francisco include:
entry level clerical, advanced secretarial, Journey-
men chefs, home health aides, licensed vocational
nurses, draftsmen, psychiatric technicians, welding
and others. In addition, Title I also provides for
work experience and affirmative action programs.
Other programs serve the elderly, the handicapped,
and other special groups .

TITLE III - serves special groups such as youths,
Native-American Indians, etc. MOET presently conducts
these programs under Title III:

Skills Training Improvement Program (STIP) -
a new program which began in January and is
intended to provide long-term training in
highly-skilled professions leading to high-
paying Jobs. In San Francisco, STIP is pro-
viding training for jobs such as medical
clerks, paramedics and engineering technicians.

Youth Employment and Training Program (YETP) -
another new program as of January, 1978, pro-
viding a flexible range of training and employ-
ment services to in-school and out-of-school
youths ages 16-21.

Youth Community Conservation Improvement
Program (YCCIP) - also new as of the first of
the year - provides community improvement and
conservation work for youths ages 16-19, with
the provision that they must return to school
(half time work; half time school).

Summer Youth Employment Program - provides
summer Jobs (and some remedial education and
training) for economically disadvantaged youths,
ages 14-21.

Titles II and VI are the 'employment programs'; they pro-
vide for the creation of subsidized jobs (Public Service
Employment) where none previously existed:

Title II - provides funds for employment primarily
in government agencies, with preference given to persons
from the various training programs, the economically dis-
advantaged, and veterans. Provides a means of access to
jobs to persons who might otherwise not be eligible for
them, as well as interim transition between manpower

-13-

MAYOR'S OFFICE OP EMPLOYMENT TRAINING (continued)

training programs and employment in private industry.

Title VI - much the same as Title II, except
that it is basically aimed at the long-term cycli-
cally employed and the program is intended to create
Jobs to stimulate the economy. Some of the Title VI
funding is for "projects" (lasting only 12 months).
Some public service Jobs are with government agencies;
others are with private non-profit agencies.

Examples of some kinds of Public Service Employment Jobs
in both titles: various clerical and secretarial posi-
tions, various positions in the health fields, account-
ants, attorneys, security guards, field conservation
aides, positions in the performing and graphic arts
and many others .

The total budget for this fiscal year was $5^,000,000.
CETA is funded through the federal government including two
grants , one from the State and another from the Department of
Labor. An allocation of $600,000 from Community Development was
also given in order to provide 250 Jobs in the private sector
with hopes for permanence. In addition, CETA received $122,910
from the Community Service Program for the recreational activi-
ties of 8-13 year olds. This money is used to provide for
special events, transportation for the children to such activi-
ties and to purchase supplies for recreation.

Since CETA began, and up to February 1978, more than
6,600 persons were placed in regular unsubsidized Jobs. Reten-
tion rates on these Jobs, six months after termination of CETA
funding, are close to 90 J. Presently, CETA operates through
five different locations:

1. Employment and Training
17^8 Market Street

2. CETA - Public Service Employment Center
45 Hyde Street

3. CETA - Public Service Employment Center
1182 Market Street

4. Training

1276 Market Street

5. Youth Service Center
762 Fulton Street

-14-

MAYOR'S OPPICE OF EMPLOYMENT TRAINING (continued)

There is a possible new location at 1453 Mission Street under
consideration by the Board of Supervisors. This would house all
five offices in one building. The building would be leased with
the lease renewable every 3 or 4 years, and paid for with CETA
money .

Administrative staff for CETA numbers 35 persons. The
staff is CETA funded, acquired through EDD. It is under con-
tractual services, in essence, state employees working for the
City. Because of this situation, this department's administrative
accountant may make the same salary as a City accountant but is
not entitled to raises or fringe benefits.

The use of CETA employees in public service Jobs by
government agencies or private non-profit agencies is 35% of
the total number of CETA workers. Salaries for these employees
have a ceiling of $10,000 a year, and the balance is picked up by
the employer. The skill level of the Job determines the length
of subsidization, which can be a minimum of 6 months to the maxi-
mum of one year. After 12 months the employer cannot use CETA
funds .

On February 6, 1978, the Board of Supervisors* Budget
Director and Analyst, Harvey M. Rose, released his monitoring
report of the CETA Title VI Public Service Employment Projects,
operated by private non-profit organizations (subcontractors).
The report states that of 202 monitored subcontractors , the pro-
gram failed to reach those it was intended to reach, including
the hard-core unemployed and Vietnam veterans and also failed to

keep proper records. The report concluded "the management

control exercised by MOET and the private non-profit subcontrac-
tors has been insufficient, relative to the amount of funds ex-
pended and the number of persons served." (Board of Supervisors
Bureau of the Budget, Monitoring Report of the Comprehensive
Employment Act (CETA) Title VI). This was followed by a list of
recommendations .

In a letter dated March 28, 1978, Ms. Elton wrote a re-
sponse addressed to Supervisor Quentin L. Kopp, Chairman of the
Finance Committee of the Board of Supervisors. In this response
were numerous references to errors in the Bureau of the Budget
Report, supported by new figures from an EDD study.

The report closes thus:

Concluding Statement

MOET staff has worked very hard in setting up and de-
veloping the Special Projects, and management within
MOET wants to recognize that to be the case. It has

-15-

MAYOR'S OFFICE OP EMPLOYMENT TRAININQ (continued)

been a difficult Job, and, since issuance of the BOB
report, a thankless one. It is, further, management's
position that we can learn from the BOB report, and
should do so.

We do not feel that the recommendations made by Mr.
Rose at this time need be followed implicitly; some
problems have been identified and are being resolved,
but none that requires punitive action against more
than a very small handful of subcontractors. Those
few that cannot be brought to reasonable performance
will be defunded.

We would like to get on with the Job, preferably in
conjunction with the work of the BOB monitors; we
cannot afford to spend time engaging in hostility
and name-calling. And surely the present adversary
relationship must be ended, for the benefit of both
staffs.

If program changes are to be made, they must start at
the policy-setting level; the new Manpower Planning
Council will have its opportunity for in-put.

Ms. Elton said that Mr. Rose's initial response to her
letter stated that he continued to stand by his original find-
ings and that the information was correct.

On March 30, 1978, Mr. Rose, in a letter addressed to
the members of the Board, listed corrections to his CETA Moni-
toring Report. Mr. Rose stated, however, that the "report's
conclusions and recommendations are not affected by these correc-
tions."

Ms. Elton still maintains that the report, despite
corrections, is not entirely valid. Therefore, she stands by her
concluding statement, as noted above.

Originally, the CETA Monitoring was intended to deter-
mine whether MOET had mishandled CETA jobs for political patron-
age, a violation of the Hatch Act. With this intent, MOET gave
Mr. Rose 10 CETA personnel to conduct the monitoring.

MOET, benefitting from the BOB report, now has its own
monitoring staff. They use a 5 page checklist, which includes
entries such as: separate bank accounts for CETA funds and Jobs
filled by veterans. In addition to the staff, two accountants
are assigned to assist in the monitoring. Quarterly reports are
sent to the Department of Labor.

-16-

MAYOR'S OFFICE OF EMPLOYMENT TRAINING (continued)

MOET, as of June, 1978, will be using computers in all
of its operations on a time-sharing basis. This should enhance
its goal for up-to-date records, keeping and retrieval of neces-
sary information for better administration.

It must be noted that MOET is under political pressure
not only from the Board but also from the federal level.

Legislation signed by President Carter, funding more
CETA Jobs for San Francisco, is part of his economic stimulus
program.

MOET has been under heavy pressure from the Department
of Labor to hire more quickly. For example, between February 2nd
and February 28th, 1978, MOET had to meet a quota of U36 persons,
an increase of 10J, in order to meet the hiring schedule set
forth by the department. This deadline was not met until March
30, 1978.

The result of this push to hire people quickly, within
a given time period, is that other work falls by the wayside.

We feel that Ms. Elton is a dedicated, extremely com-
petent administrator who has been the victim of some unwarranted
criticism.

Recommendation ;

If the desired new location of MOET at 1^53 Mission
Street is not approved by the Board of Supervisors , MOET should
persist in seeking approval.

CONTROLLER

The purpose of the Controller is to financially plan,
control and manage the City and County of San Francisco.

The Controller's Office is under the direction of Mr.
John C. Farrell, Controller, and his executive assistant Mr.
Frank Byrne. Operating on a budget this year of $19, 258, M6, this
office has a personnel compliment of 129 persons covering seven
divisions. A breakdown of divisions and their staff are:

-17-

CONTROLLER (continued)

DIVISION

PERMANENT

PART TIME

Accounting * Records

U

2

Budget

9

It

General Office

3*»

12

Audits

9

0

Grants

6

6

Payroll 25 6

Legal 1 1

The above figures were obtained through the budget
division of the Controller on June 16, 1978. Part time employees
for the most part are CETA, and a number of the permanent staff
are working outside of the office in conjunction with FIRM
(Financial Information and Management System).

The General Office Division, under the management of
Mr. Tom Nerney, handles dispersements and receipts. Mr. Nerney
stated that two years ago this division had a very high turnover
rate but in this fiscal year the rate is low. An approximate
percentage of turnover is stated to be 20J.

Turnover is generally the result of low salary. In
this division, as in many others in the City, salary levels for
clerical personnel as compared to equivalent positions in private
industry are quite low. The decrease or increase in turnover is
also relative to the economy and job availability. A low Job
availability market seems to be the indicating factor for this
department's reduction in turnover because the salary level is
still quite low.

The Grants Division, under the management of Mr. Bob
Mast, now handles $600,000,000 in grants procured by the City
through various departments. Grants, now a separate division,
has enabled the combined Audits Division to eliminate its back-
log.

The Audits Division, under the ranagement of Mr. Jim
Porter, conducts audits of several City departments as required
by the City Charter or by the request of a department. Since the
combination of the Utility and General Audits Divisions, this
division has caught up with its backlog. This will enable the
division to do more work on auditing non-profit corporations, re-
volving funds and concessions.

-18-

CONTROLLER (continued)

Other functions of the Audits Division are: supplying
information on impact on the budget of proposed charter amendments,
insurance sohedules and gathering of information for bond state-
ments .

Relative to bond information and the issuance of an of-
ficial statement of the City, we asked Mr. Parrell about San Fran-
cisco's financial situation in reference to an article published
by New West Magazine in its October 24, 1977 issue. The article
was entitled, Bond Crisis for San Francisco? Its Foreclosure Than
You Think. Mr. Farrell said that many statements in the article
were taken out of context and some Information used in the article
was not current. In conclusion, he said the article was very mis-
leading, i.e., the statement that San Francisco is closer to a
financial crisis similar to New York City, is not correct. Mr.
Farrell said that San Francisco, unlike New York City, does not
borrow funds to finance its current operating expenditures and
that San Francisco has a cash reserve of $32,600,000 for use
until the property taxes and other revenues are received. If,
for some reason, actual revenues do fall short of estimated rev-
enues, Mr. Farrell reserves expenditures instead of asking the
taxpayers for additional sums of money. He pointed out, because
of these precautionary measures, the City runs on a balanced
budget.

We were given the Official Statement of the City rela-
ting to the $55»000,000 Sewer Revenue Bond. We were also given
a municipal bond report by L. F. Rothschild, Unterberg, Towbin
which states: "In view of the high quality of San Francisco's
City Management, a good official statement and the important
participation of the federal government in requiring and helping
to finance the project, we suggest a very good bank quality in-
vestment rating (A-l or A+) for the bonds despite this being a
construction project." Moody and Poorfe gave this bond an A
rating.

Also in relative importance to bond statement informa-
tion is the City's implementation of FIRM (Financial Information
and Resources Management System) . FIRM will greatly enhance the
City's accounting systems, budgetary controls and resource allo-
cations. Policies derived and set forth will be more rational.
Improving the financial management of the City supports positive
attitudes toward those considering investing in our bonds.

At the moment this office and the other City financial
departments, in both management and policy making, are going
through the first steps of changing over to the FIRM System. The
changeover is an overwhelming task requiring re-education and
reorganization. As difficult as it may seem, the rewards will be

-19-

CONTROLLER (continued)

substantial. As outlined in the Mayor's Office Departmental
Instructions of FIRM, the system is intended to:

1. Substantially enhance the City's basic
financial accounting capability.

2. Provide a mechanism for results-oriented
program/performance budgeting.

3. Improve the budget administration process.

** . Strengthen program management of the de-
partmental level by providing an improved
management information capability.

5. Establish a more rational basis for re-
source allocation and policy development.

6. Facilitate public participation in the
resource allocation process.

Starting on July 1, 1978, all departments, with the ex-
ception of Recreation and Park, will be preparing their time
roll on a modified version of the existing payroll system (CAA).
It has been modified to accommodate the FIRM coding structure.

Judy Johnston, Senior Project Manager at EDP, said that
the pilot department, Park and Recreation, will begin implementa-
tion of the FIRM System with the new MSA (Management System
America) payroll package. MSA has also been modified to accommo-
date the FIRM coding structure, and to pass labor distribution
information to FAMIS (Financial Accounting Management Informa-
tion System) . This detail activity reporting will begin on July
7, 1978, for the pilot department. All departments will be on
dual implementation of payroll procedure which is unique to the
FIRM project.

Through the various steps of the MSA/FIRM, labor dis-
tribution files from the modified CAA and MSA Systems will be
merged and interfaced. The interface will then be passed to
FAMIS both containing detail and summary records.

Eventually all departments using the modified CAA pay-
roll Bystem will convert over to the MSA System. The FIRM System,
to be completed and fully operational in 1981, will probably add to
EDP user frustrations. We hope that Mr. Farrell will avail him-
self and his FIRM team In solving any problems that might even-
tually build up and hold up the much needed system.

The 1975-76 Grand Jury Report on the office of the
Controller expressed a need for one Central Fiscal Office, and

-20-

CONTROLLER (continued)

not three as now exist. When asked about this situation Mr.
Parrell stated that there were still three separate independent
financial offices. He said that the Mayor's Budget Analyst and
the Budget Analyst to the Board of Supervisors are financial
policy makers and that the Controller's office is non-policy
making. He expressed a feeling that the existing separation
was an important and beneficial one. The Orand Jury's thoughts
on this subject are expressed in the Introduction to these
Grand Jury Reports .

We wish to commend Mr. Farrell and staff on their well
organized, smoothly run operation and their complete cooperation
with the committee in our investigation of the department.

ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING

The Electronic Data Processing Complex is located in
City Hall and is headed by Mr. Henry Nanjo, Managing Director.
Administration of EDP is the responsibility of the Controller,
under whose office this department functions . Implementation of
EDP's projects and functions, however, is the responsibility of
the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

The priorities of EDP projects, determination as to
which projects should be undertaken and which ones should be set
aside, are set by the Priority Committee, of which the CAO is
chairman. On this committee are computer experts from private
business contributing technical knowledge to the City members who
are primarily interested in finance and accounting, i.e., Budget
Analyst to the Mayor and Budget Analyst to the Board of Supervi-
sors.

The computer system consists mainly of two IBM 158' 8
back to back, handling a total of four million units of informa-
tion. Due to the limited number of channels into the computer,
EDP requested the purchase of an IBM 3033 which would provide
more channels and more memory. The EDP Priority Committee turned
down the request and instead leased two memory units capable of
four million units of information. As a result, storage capacity
has increased by four million units but the number of channels
remain the same, therefore, the number of transactions that the
computer can handle simultaneously remains the same. The cost of
leasing the new memory system is $3,000 per month.

-21-

ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING (continued)

The computer system services some 17 departments and
runs at nearly 100J5 capacity . Use of the computer has more than
doubled since 1973 » from some 300 Jobs to the present number of
650.

The high priority users of EDP are the Police and Fire
Departments. The Police Department's CABLE system is operating
21 hours a day providing access to information at a moment's
notice. Following in priorities are departments in Public Finance,
followed by Human Resources and finally departments in Physical
Development.

The rate of services to the City are as follows:

Teleprocessing 3l0 Terminals

16,700 Transactions Daily
21 hours a day

Batch

Time Sharing Option

650 Jobs daily

21 hours a day

22 users

9 hours a day

In addition to the current rate of service by the com-
puter, a new burden will be placed on the computer's system. This
burden is the comprehensive Financial Information and Resources
Management (FIRM) system. The first phase will be implementation
of the MSA payroll package to tie in with the FIRM project. The
Recreation and Park Department will be the first department to
change over to the MSA payroll package. This will take place on
July 7, 1978, when the basic financial accounting and management
information system becomes operational in the Controller's office.

The FIRM system, when fully operational in 1981, will be
a valuable tool in the budget process and in program management.
Results of departmental activity will be quite detailed, therefore,
policy and resource allocation will be handled on a more rational
basis rather than political.

The impact of the MSA/FIRM system on EDP will be tremen-
dous. Taking into consideration prior commitments of EDP, an
additional upgrading of the system is inevitable.

FUTURE APPLICATION COMMITMENTS

1978-79
BASIC

1979-80
ALL DEPT

FIRM

(3.5 M Documents)

MSA

(2.5 M Transactions) BASIC LABOR DIST

-22-

1980-81
PERF BUDGET

INTEG PERSONNEL

ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING (continued)

VOLUME INCR

WASTE WATER MANAOEMENT
($2 Billion project) PCS

COPE
T/S SUPPORT

VOLUME INCR

HOSPITAL

(2 M Documents)

TRAFFIC CITATION

ADMISSIONS PHARM ORDER APPOINT
PHARM INV CTL SCHD
MED REC ABSTR MED ORDER
ENTRY

RES PKG

ST CLEANING

VOLUME INCR

DIST PROC

FUTURE TELEPROCESSING REQUIREMENTS

1977-78 1978-79 1979-80
DAILY TRANSACTION TOTAL 46,700 68,800 116,700
PEAK HR TRANSACTION TOTAL 5,600 8,250 11,004

1980-81

155,700

18,680

The increase of on-line or teleprocessing means a reduc-
tion of "key stroking" as a separate operation for data entry.
Problems occurring in this change to teleprocessing are: an in-
crease in demand of immediate response and a higher level of up-
time.

The consequences of the future additional traffic could
be an overload in the Bystem, incurring a delay of services and dis-
ruption of departmental operations within the City.

The problem that confronts EDP service capabilities are
currently under study by the Priority Committee. One proposal by
the Municipal Court is to install mini-computers and institute a
decentralized method of handling traffic fine information.

The use of mini-computers, according to Mr. Nanjo, is
perfectly fine if the 'mini* meets the EDP requirements and
standards. If consultation with EDP prior to purchasing a 'mini'
does not occur, the action might prove wasteful. This is not un-
usual considering the expertise of computer sales representatives
in selling their product.

•mini' is:

The procedure used to determine the need to purchase a

1. Requirement analysis by EDP staff (Extensive)

2. Systems Design (cost analysis)

-23-

ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING (continued)

3. Approval by EDP Priority Committee and budget process

4 . Programming

If a requirement analysis is not made by EDP, the move
could be a waste of money, as noted in the report of Laguna Honda
Hospital.

Mr. Nanjo purposely keeps the record systems separate
for reasons of privacy. He is very strong in his conviction and
arguments for keeping personal information in tight security.
For one department to request personal information belonging to
another department, is a definite "no-no".

During our first visit to EDP Mr. Nanjo demonstrated the
security of personal information function, private information
of one department requested by another. Mr. Nanjo asked the com-
puter for any outstanding warrants attached to one of the members
of this Grand Jury. The computer answered to the effect that,
he was not authorized to receive information requested. Mr. Nanjo
stated that the following morning he would be asked why he had re-
quested such Information.

Until policy is legally established determining the re-
lease of information, Mr. Nanjo will stand by his privacy conten-
tion, with which we concur. Assistant Director Tom Gerughty has
been given the responsibility of reviewing all pending legislation
in this area. On the local level, he and City executives along
with legislative officers have been formulating definite policy.

EDP has been operating on a flat budget for three years
of $8.3 million. In Fiscal Year 1978-79 it will again operate on
the same amount of money.

We have found Mr. Nanjo to be very competent and know-
ledgeable in his Job as Managing Director of EDP. He is a valu-
able source of information to departments in the City who are
considering use of EDP systems.

In conclusion, we hope that any presentation of Mr.
Nanjo's ideas pertaining to EDP, are taken seriously, i.e.,
Recommendation to Increase Central Site Computer Capacity,
December 1977. We also hope, that with the growing computer de-
mands, EDP's budget will increase in order to meet the future
scope of services.

For a more detailed report on EDP, refer to the Evalua-
tion Report on EDP conducted by Arthur Aschauer and Co., Inc.,
November 19, 1977.

-24-

ART COMMISSION

The Art Commission Is under the direction of Mr. Martin
Snipper with Joan Ellison as Assistant Director and Secretary.
All other staff are CETA employees. They number 130.

The main responsibilities of the Art Commission are to
bring the arts to the public through the annual arts festivals,
the pops concerts, and the promotion of artistic expression
through the Neighborhood Arts Programs and Community Cultural
Centers .

Other responsibilities include reviewing and approving
(or disapproving) designs of new buildings, the licensing of
street merchants, and the care and maintenance of public works of
art.

An ordinance allowing up to 2% of construction costs on
new capital projects of the City and County for artistic embellish-
ment, provided a mechanism for the purchase of art at the San
Francisco General Hospital and will provide in excess of $1.7
million for the purchase of art in the expansion of San Francisco
International Airport.

The Community Cultural Centers of the Neighborhood Arts
Programs were created to reach out into the City's communities
and organise all those interested in displaying their art, as well
as those concerned with play production. The Neighborhood Arts
Program is the first and most effective program of its type in
the nation.

There are Bix Community Cultural Centers, four of which
are City owned. Those are:

1. Western Addition

2. South of Market Street
Mission
South City Opera House

I:

The remaining two cultural centers are under lease.
These are:

1. Chinatown Cultural Center

2. The Intersection in North Beach

The cost of running these cultural centers 1b $500-
$600 per month.

-25-

ART COMMISSION (continued)

The grant of $500,000 a year from Federal Revenue Shar-
ing will come to an end on June 30, 1978. With this loss and the
vulnerability of the Community Cultural Centers to budget cuts and
the current rate of inflation, we share the concern of Mr. Snipper
regarding the future of the centers .

In the area of reviewing architectural design of public
buildings, the concern of the Art Commission is blending of de-
sign with the surrounding area. Upon receiving notification of a
developer's plan to construct a public building, the Art Commission
sends a three-step procedure form that must be completed in order
to receive final approval. These steps are:

1. A schematic drawing of the building

2. Development plans (layout, primary working draw-
ings)

3* Final working drawings

If any of the three steps are not done, the architectural
design proves not to be in compliance with the commission and con-
struction plans are halted. A problem which may arise and is not
covered by the three-step procedure is the possibility of an un-
authorised design change after final approval.

A problem has emerged in the licensing of street mer-
chants. The license indicates the category of art to be sold but
there is no follow-up to be sure this is adhered to.

In summary, we hereby recommend:

1. A fourth rule be added to the three-step procedure,
i.e., no changes in design will be permitted after final approval
by the Art Commission. If the rule is violated we recommend that
a penalty be imposed.

2. One permanent full-time employee to handle licens-
ing of street merchants.

Joseph McKinley, Jr.
Lucinda Romaneck

Ronald Rub la, Chairman

-26-

SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

In March, 1976, after extensive community
participation, the Board of Education adopted a plan for
improving the San Francisco Public Schools.

School Superintendent, Dr. Robert Alloto, this year,
proposed an Educational Redesign for the City's public educa-
tion system and It Is scheduled to be Implemented this
September.

The Educational Redesign Is:

Elementary Schools : K-5 grades

Middle Schools: 6-8 grades

High Schools : 9-12 grades

The Initial Implementation of many of the recommen-
dations contained in the Redesign has resulted In some
dramatic progress in the area of reading achievement at the
primary level.

The public schools have had a decrease of
approximately 30,000 students in the past decade. Projections
indicate this decline will continue. The present school
population is 66,000.

The Redesign callB for the closing of certain
sohools and the merging of others with students being reassign-
ed to other buildings . Some of these buildings will be used
for other educational purposes, i.e., magnet centers and
alternative schools.

One such program utilizes Oalileo High School for
the enrollment of 350 students and will use an extended day.
The school will be in the new commerce center and major
industry in San Francisco will be involved in its development.

As a result of this Redesign 11,000 students and
hundreds of staff will be reassigned. Busing will be reduced
by approximately 50$.

The Redesign represents an effort to provide the
City's students with an education that will prepare them for
higher education and future employment. It will mean a return
to a strong emphasis on the basic skills of reading, writing
and mathematics; it will signify the end of social promotions
and meaningless diplomas.

-27-

SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (continued)

This plan will save the district, in a five year
projection, $7.6 million: in buildings closed ($5.6 million),
reduced busing ($1.6 million) and rental costs ($ .4 million).
Coupled with this is the income that will be received from
building leases and rental ($3.5 million). The cost of
implementation will be $2.7 million and the net savings will
be $8.1 million.

Dr. Allot o stated that every effort will be made to
have a smooth transition into the Redesign especially in the
area of the relocation of students and teachers, curriculum
changes and the prompt delivery of textbooks.

On the subject of violence, there have been two
students slain this year and assaults on teachers have
increased. Each of the seven high schools has an assigned
City policeman. This has reduced these acts of violence.

The schools* vandalism repair bill last year was
$1.4 million - $1.2 million of it due to arson. Broken
windows cost $200,000.

The budget for 1977-78 was $194 million. In 1977-78,
there were 22 fewer administrators (-W) and 157 less .teachers
(-4*) with an enrollment decrease of 2,700 (-H) .

Dr. Alioto has had a difficult and controversial
year; there has been and will be a certain amount of problems
in the implementation of the Educational Redesign with some
of the students and staff. We feel that in the long run it
will greatly improve the quality of education for the majority
of the students of San Francisco. Dr. Alioto has received
excellent support from the Board of Education and he has
shown remarkable skill under difficult circumstances in
implementing the change and he deserves assistance in his
endeavors .

SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

The San Francisco Community College District provides
for the continuing education of all adults, 18 years and older.
There are two separate systems to facilitate their educational
goals: City College and the Community College Centers.

City College, under the presidency of Dr. Kenneth S.
Washington, offers the first two years of college work, tuition

-28-

SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT (continued)

free, to students who wish to continue with a four year college
education. Over 25,000 students attend City College both day
and night. It also offers 45 courses in occupational educa-
tion, most of which lead to an Associate degree and Job
opportunities at the end of two years. Forty percent of the
students are in vocational classes. Thirty-three percent of
the students are in night school, which now provides a
counselor and a nurse. The majority of the students come to
school during the hours of 9 A.M. to 1 P.M. To better utilize
the classrooms, the school offers a matinee course for people
over 50 years of age (not especially senior citizens) who would
come to class at 2 P.M., 3 P.M., or 4 P.M. At present, there
are 200 students.

There is also a weekend college where a student can
earn one unit by taking three hours of instruction on a
Friday evening and three hours on the following Saturday morn-
ing for three weekends .

We were Impressed with two particular services, among
others, offered: The Enabler Program and The Extended Opportu-
nity Program. The Enabler Program extends free services to
students with physical limitations, some of which are 1) gen-
eral medical conditions, such as post-surgery, asthma,, heart
condition, cancer and diabetics; 2) sensory impairments, such
sb blindness and deafness; 3) mobility impairments, such as
post-polio, paralysis, cerebral palsy, amputation, neurological
damage; and 4) emergency and temporary physical conditions.
Services to these people include: registration priority
ticketB (early enrollment), elevator keys, lockers, shuttle
vans (pick up and delivery anywhere on campus, or to MUNI and
BART stops, and in emergencies, home pick upb), medical park-
ing permits (closer to classrooms), notetakers (for those with
partial use of their upper limbs) advocacy (for students who
suspect discrimination on a basiB of being handicapped),
resource library (magazines dealing with issues affecting the
handicapped which are available on loan), referral (to other
services on and off campus) and wheelchair accessibility.

The Extended Opportunity Program is a State funded
program geared mainly toward low-income or minority students ,
unemployed or unemployable. Usually, Vietnam veterans and
those exoluded from college are involved. Those whose adjusted
income is $7,500 or less for a family of four qualify and are
provided concentrated counseling, peer advising and tutoring.

The most popular programs and, therefore impacted,
are the Airplane Mechanics, Hotel and Restaurant and Nursing
courses.

-29-

SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNITY COLLEQE DISTRICT (continued)

There is a need for space which will be alleviated
by the new downtown eight-storied campus at 4th and Mission
Streets and the rental of space in the old Sears building at
Army and Mission Streets. However, the library at City College
was built to accomodate 3,000 day students. There are now
16,000.

The Community College Centers, under Dr. Calvin
Dellefield, offer over 200 courses to 55,000 adults through
their seven centers. There are a variety of classes available.
Teaching English as a second language (ESL) is an important
facet of the centers. Special classes are offered for the
handicapped, senior citizens and persons seeking an elementary
or high BChool diploma.

The San Francisco Community College District should
be proud of its operations. Mr. Herbert Sussman, Chancellor,
and the Board of Directors, with Peter Finnegan as Chairman,
have consistently done an outstanding Job with adult education
in San Francisco.

Helen I. Abbett

Michael J. O'Brien, Chairman

-30-

AIRPORT

Ranking sixth in the world for passengers and fourth
for freight, the San Francisco International Airport is big
business. The estimated passenger traffic for this year is
20,300,000, with an increase to 31,000,000 by the year 1990.
The San Francisco — Los Angeles flight is number one in the
world in inter-city volume. Over twenty airlines use the Air-
port, and average 950 flights daily.

Needless to say, this operation has a beneficial
effect on the economy of San Francisco and the Bay Area. About
30,000 people are employed by the airlines, including 11,000
at the United Air Lines maintenance shop. There are nearly 600
employed by the City at the Airport. The total economic Impact
is estimated at nearly 2 1/2 billion dollars a year.

The new North Terminal and Parking Garage is sched-
uled for completion this autumn, with Phase 2 programmed for
completion in 1982. Phase 2 consists of the industrial waste
disposal plant, boarding piers, revamping older buildings, and
the people mover system. This will be financed by the $90
million bond issue which was approved in the November 1977
election (Proposition C) .

By Charter provision, the Airport is run on a break-
even basis, the using airlines being charged only enough to
offset operating costs after all non-airline revenues, such as
concessions, have been estimated. Because of this, the fees
have been among the lowest in the nation. Even with increased
fees which will be necessary to repay the new bond issue, the
rates will compare favorably with those of other major air-
ports.

During the past six years, the Airport has repaid to
the General Fund $18,000,000 of the $24,388,104 which was the
original cost of the Airport.

Excellent leadership is provided by the Director of
Airports, Richard R. Heath, and his immediate staff. The
orientation which the Jury received was well organized and
complete. With the completion of the new North Terminal and
Phase 2, San Francisco should take pride in its Airport, and
the manner in which it is operated.

-31-

EMERGENCY SERVICES

The Emergency Services is the agency responsible for
developing the emergency preparedness plan which would be used
in the event of a wide range of possible disasters. It coor-
dinates this plan with other County, State and Federal agencies.
It also instructs officials who would participate in the plan,
and the general public.

The emergency plans are in a continual process of
review, and have been fully approved by State and Federal gov-
ernments. The operating cost for this fiscal year is estimated
at $255,672, of which $121,000 is provided by State and Federal
sources.

The Director, Mr. Edward Joyce, is highly qualified
by background, experience, and personality to provide good
leadership to these important Services.

For many years, the Emergency Services has recommended
the construction of an underground Emergency Coordination Cen-
ter, atop Twin Peaks, to provide for an ultimate disaster. This
location is selected because it would provide, among other rea-
sons, optimum radio communication. This construction would cost
over $3,000,000, plus a $50,000 preliminary study, plus an unes-
timated annual operating cost.

The Emergency Services presently has excellent office
and garage space at 6221 Geary Boulevard at an annual rental of
about $17,000. The Emergency Services is scheduled to move its
offices to 8l4 Mission Street at the end of June.

This jury was favorably impressed with the operation
of the Emergency Services, and its present location. It would,
therefore, assign only a low priority to the proposed construc-
tion at Twin Peaks, in view of the many existing alternative
sites, and the fact that adequate emergency communication is
already available by augmentation from the many radio systems
in the City.

-32-

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Chief Andrew C. Casper and his staff are providing
good leadership to this important Department. Through em-
phasis on Fire Service Education in the schools, and a Home
Fire Safety Survey to increase public awareness in fire preven-
tion, there has been a significant decrease in fires. The
latest Annual Report of the Fire Department lists the following
encouraging statistics for 1976-77:

Total Fires

down

14.8*

False Alarms

it

24.1*

Civilian Fire Deaths

ii

14.6*

Firefighter Injuries

it

25.0*

Lost Work Days, Injuries

ii

27.0*
26.5*

Vehicle Accidents

it

Assistant Chief John Sherratt, who heads the Public
Education Program, reports that total fires are down another
10* this fiscal year, and the Department has a goal of reduc-
ing the total number of fires 50* in 5 years.

Arson is a crime which calls for action by the Mayor
and Board of Supervisors. Although legally a felony (clas-
sified as part 2, and not reported in the Uniform Crime Statis-
tics), it too often becomes homicide if lives are lost in the
fire. Last year, San Francisco had 545 arson fires, an increase
of 800* in the last 15 years. Our arrest rate is 6*, our convic-
tion rate, 3*. Sentences are often as little as 2 years. Many
convicted arsonists serve only 5 months, some receive suspended
sentences. We urge the Mayor and the Supervisors to allocate
more manpower and equipment to combat the increase in arson
fires, and to seek state and federal legislation to increase
the penalty for arson.

Firemen may retire at age 50 with 25 years of service.
For each dollar paid in salary, the City also contributes $.71
toward their retirement. Retirements usually average about
2 per week, but there have been 50 in May and June due mainly to
Proposition 13. About 33* go out on disability retirement. Chief
Casper hopes to reduce this high rate with a physical fitness
program, which should maintain the men in better physical shape.

As this report is written, the effect of Proposition 13
on the Fire Department's budget is unknown. The budget for 1978-
79 is $70,477,830, including $6,000,000 for anticipated salary
increases. The employment level is 1,686. The Mayor and
Supervisors are reluctant to make any cut; however, this Grand

-33-

FIRE DEPARTMENT (continued)

JUry believes some cut should be made, perhaps 10$. It is
reasonable to expect some savings are possible in a budget
of this size, and a work force of this number. With a 10$
cut, our Fire Department would still have a much larger budget
than most cities of similar size in the United States.

With good reason, San Franciscans have long been
proud of their Fire Department. It has been traditional for
the firemen to respond promptly and bravely to fires and
other emergencies often far outside their range of duty.
This Jury has seen many letters of gratitude indicating aid
and comfort generously given in time of need. We have every
reason to expect that this tradition of excellence will
continue despite the possibility of a reduced budget.

Howard Ross
Ronald Rubia

Gordon A. Caswell, Chairman

-34-

POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Police Department , under the leadership of Chief
Charles Gain, has been In the news many times this year. Law-
suits filed by the police unions (Officers For Justice and
Police Officers Association) are coming to a climax. The
Decoy Program instituted this past year, has received a great
deal of praise and criticism by the public, as has the Golden
Dragon Incident.

The rate of serious crime, with the exception of
rape and robbery (up 29* and 3% respectively), has decreased
in the past year. We feel that this is in part due to the use
of the decoy system. At the outset of our investigation we
did view the program with some skepticism. The biggest
criticism of the system is entrapment. However, after being
presented with the fact that 91* of the arrests were re-arrests,
and a full explanation of the system, it is our opinion that
entrapment is not a valid issue.

It has been said by some officers that middle and
upper level management personnel have been very lax (a news-
paper article referred to it as Endemic Racism) in their
responsibility to encourage officers to be fair and discourage
cultural harassment of citizens.

Charges of blatant racism in the department, among
the ranks, have also been made. There are many incidents to
back up these charges. Suits have been filed in the past
charging promotional discrimination, failure to recruit
minorities, and denial of equal opportunities. There also has
been cruel personal harassment of some minority officers. We
are not accusing the entire department of racist activity, but
we do feel that a more thorough investigation should be under-
taken by Internal Affairs to apprehend the perpetrators of
the actions.

Perhaps the low number of minority sergeants is
partially responsible for the racial friction in the department.
Out of 166 permanent sergeant positions, 158 are filled by
White officers, 5 by Spanish-surnamed officers, and 3 by
Black officers.

There have also been complaints from the Chinese
American community about representation. The Chinese For
Affirmative Action (CAA) filed complaints last Fall when,
after the Golden Dragon incident, police officials accused
the Chinese community of not giving assistance in their
investigation. The CAA claimed that part of the problem was

-35-

POLICE DEPARTMENT (continued)

due to the fact that of more than 1600 officers on the force
only 14 or 3/1* of II were Chinese.

The complaint spurred an investigation by the Law
Enforcement Assistance Administration, which subsequently made
an agreement with the San Francisco Police Department, to
provide more adequate protection in the Chinese-American
community. Since that time the number of Chinese-American
officers has risen to 23.

The Crime Lab, criticized in recent reports, has
improved its space problem somewhat by storing some evidence
in another location. The Lab also acquired an office on a
separate floor and in January three persons were assigned to
full time fingerprinting analysis. This has doubled the
normal output of information.

The physical space limitations of the Lab are still
serious. We forsee the problem becoming acute with the
addition of 20 personnel as Field Evidence Technicians in the
near future.

The emergency 911 phone number is yet to get off the
ground. The law says that it does not have to be put into
effect until there are sufficient funds. At this time a 1/2$
tax on telephone bills is the only revenue for the project.

We would, in closing, like to commend the Police
Department for solving the Golden Dragon massacre and their
overall fine protection of the City. We would like to indicate
that it is our belief that only a small minority of officers
are responsible for the harassment of certain groups and also
the poor leadership referred to above. It is with this thought
in mind that we express appreciation to the many officers who
go forth to protect us each day, leaving their individual
prejudices and egos at home.

Thomas J. Cook
Jane F. Reeve

Joseph McKinley, Chairman

-36-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY

The Municipal Railway, which has been plagued with
numerous problems over the years, appears to have made consider-
able progress toward Improving the transit system. The first
complete survey of the MUNI system was released in 1977, re-
flecting major changes in all aspects of its operations. The
POM (Planning Operations and Marketing study, conducted by Wilbur
Smith and Associates) had been going on since late 197 ^ and is
currently under review by the City Public Utilities Commission.
Also established was the creation of a permanent Planning Divi-
sion within the MUNI and the completion of the MUNI 5-year plan
for transit development.

Fundamental to the POM study is a complete restructur-
ing of the present transit lines away from the "radial-downtown"
existing format to a "grid-city wide" operation. This would
facilitate the possibility of one-transfer riding between points
in the City. Although the plan recommends a cut of 32 mid-day
routes, it has projected an increase of 53*000 daily passengers
at increased revenues of $2 million. The transit line proposals
by the POM study concur with the MUNI's Planning Department's ob-
jective to increase service on trips within the City where the
destination is not downtown. Although the major part of the tran-
sit market is for downtown commuting, there is a large portion of
trips within the City which would benefit the citizens and pro-
vide additional revenues. The total cost of the capital improve-
ments recommended is $237.7 million, of which $8.64 million would
come from the City's General Fund, with the remaining costs borne
by state and federal agencies . Of the total amount of these cap-
ital improvement recommendations, $15b.3 million represents work
already taking place.

MUNI has been active in presenting public meetings to
neighborhood and special interest groups on the proposed schedule
changes. Although the Grand Jury backs this action, it also pre-
sents what has been an ongoing problem to MUNI with respect to
scheduling changes. Public hearings, a vote of the PUC, and con-
currence of the Board of Supervisors is needed for every schedule
change. We support MUNI in changing this requirement especially
in view of the route changes as proposed in the POM study.

The question of another fare hike has been the subject
of much discussion with numerous solutions having been presented.
The POM study noted that MUNI operating costs were 68* higher for
fiscal year 1975-76 than for fiscal year 1969-70. During the
same period, passenger revenues decreased 3% , producing a 163$
increase in non-fare box subsidies. The operating cost increases
were not caused by increases in service but rather from salary

-37-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (Continued)

increases, and the higher costs of fuel, parts, etc. The Metro-
politan Transportation Commission (MTC) is expected to contribute
$7 million to MUNI in the coming year. Under MTC policy, however,
MUNI must meet 33$ of its costs through fare-box revenues or not
qualify for the funding. Presently, MUNI fare-box revenues ac-
count for only 27$ of its costs.

With the passage of Proposition 13, the ad valorem
funding to MUNI will be reduced by 20# to 40#. This will make
a fare increase imperative.

One of the problems facing MUNI has been the security
of passengers and operators on the vehicles. Recently the PUC
approved $1.7 million to equip the City's buses with ultra-high
frequency radios and silent alarms to instantly notify MUNI
Central Control when a driver is in trouble. All 3^5 Flyer
electric trolley coaches and the 100 A.M. General diesel coaches
will be equipped with radios. The system (including the con-
struction of transmitter stations) is expected to take one year
to install. The past Grand Jury had reported that such a system
in use in three major cities had reduced transit related crime by
85$ to 95$. The installation of the equipment should also im-
prove poor driver morale and attitude.

We found the General Manager, Mr. Curtis E. Green, Sr.,
and his staff optimistic about the task of correcting the prob-
lems of the MUNI. With the support of the Mayor and the Board of
Supervisors, the MUNI can strive to achieve the planned goals and
improvements necessary. With the loss of a large portion of ad
valorem revenues, MUNI will be facing financial difficulties dur-
ing the next year.

WATER DEPARTMENT

The Water Department received much publicity during the
year following the release of the Bureau of the Budget's critical
review of its operation. The department has rebutted at some
length the audit's statements and recommendations and it is clear
that in some cases the auditors did not have full understanding
of the issues and in other cases overstated potential savings or
increased revenues. This is not to say, however, that the audit
did not disclose several important areas that the Water Depart-
ment could improve upon.

-38-

WATER DEPARTMENT (Continued)

One of the areas under current examination by the de-
partment and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is its land
management operations. While much of the leasable land owned by
the department is restricted by federal easement to development,
a more uniform program of review of existing leases is needed to
insure maximum dollar return. Specific reference to the Peninsula
Division's property on El Camino Real in Millbrae was highlighted
as an example by the auditors of a situation where the land was
not being managed to full potential.

The department has been considering bank processing of
the water bills for several years. Under the best proposal re-
ceived, the department has determined a total net cost benefit of
approximately $58,000. While this figure may be considerably
under the auditor's disclosure of lost revenue and savings, im-
plementation of such a system should be pursued as quickly as
possible.

During the year, the Water Department received approval
from the PUC for a flat water rate of 37 cents per water unit of
100 cubic feet. This reverses prior policy of allowing large con-
sumers to pay less than smaller consumers. Bills for hotels and
apartment complexes are likely to rise 30% to ^0%. The flat rate
will mean a smaller water bill for about 95* of San Francisco
residents. The flat rate does not affect suburban customers in
San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Alameda Counties who have received a
court injunction preventing the department from charging the high-
er rates.

One of the areas of continual concern has been the re-
placement of water mains. While the Distribution Division has
Just about completed work on its program of reconstruction and
replacement of service connections from the mains to and in-
cluding the meters, the 1200 miles of mains are still not being
replaced at a reasonable rate. Many of the mains are over 100
years old. While we recognize the fiscal restraints being placed
on the City, this type of "deferred maintenance" can only lead to
false economy when the frequency of main breaks increases.

HETCH HETCHY WATER AND POWER DEPARTMENT

The Hetch Hetchy Water and Power Department operates
the three main water storage reservoirs and three hydroelectric
generating stations on the Tuolumne River basin on the western

-39-

HETCH HETCHY WATER AND POWER DEPARTMENT (continued)

8 lope of the Sierra. The department is responsible for the oper-
ation and maintenance of the 116 miles of water tunnels and pipe-
lines carrying the water to the Crystal Springs Reservoir (under
the Water Department) in the Coast Range in San Mateo County.

Hetch Hetchy, through the Transit Power Division, is re-
sponsible for the Overhead Lines and Motive Power sections of the
Municipal Railway. Included in Hetch Hetchy is the Bureau of
Light, Heat and Power which administers contracts for furnishing
electric, gas and steam services to municipal departments. The
Bureau also administers contracts for furnishing street lighting
services and for operation and maintenance of City-owned street
lighting. The Bureau is financed by payments from municipal de-
partments and from gas tax funds .

Hetch Hetchy water and power revenues have not only
been sufficient to cover the department's operating costs,
capital improvements and bond interest and redemption, including
those of the Transit Power Division, but have also contributed
significantly to the support of other City departments and the
General Fund.

The figures representing the contribution to the City
welfare for the prior three years are as follows :

1974-75 1975-76 1976-77

Support to MUNI $3,063,125 $4,147,083 $3,688,878

Discounted Power 3,300,000 3,200,000 4,000,000

Interest on Utility Funds 1,516,562 716,849 494,764

Surplus transferred to

General Fund 1,000,000 5,150,000 2,500,000

The Hetch Hetchy Water and Power Department is currently
involved in litigation with both the San Francisco Airport and the
Turlock - Modesto Irrigation Districts concerning its power sales.

As a result of a recent court decision, Public Utili-
ties Commission charges to the Airport for power will be estab-
lished at June 1975 levels on a temporary basis pending appeal.
This decision has had serious effects on the capital improvement
requests in the department's 1978-79 budget and in expected
revenues to be transferred to the General Fund.

The dispute with the Turlock-Modesto Irrigation Dis-
tricts resulted when the City, in an effort to increase revenue

-40-

HETCH HETCHY WATER AND POWER DEPARTMENT (continued)

from power sales, tried to exercise its contract option to with-
draw Hetch Hetchy power to the Districts and replaced it with
purchased PG&E power (at the higher PG&E rates). By doing this,
Hetch Hetchy power could then be resold at the higher PG&E rates
to assigned customers bringing in significant additional revenues,
The Irrigation Districts, however, filed suit in Federal District
Court in Sacramento and received an injunction stopping San Fran-
cisco from selling power at rates other than those approved by
the Secretary of the Interior. The Secretary of the Interior
has contended that Hetch Hetchy power is intended by the Raker
Act to be sold at cost plus a small rate of return, not at the
prevailing market, or in this case, PG&E rates.

The City Attorney's office has informed us that the
Airport and the Irrigation District's appeals have been combined
into a single action. We recommend that all possible concentra-
tion and efforts of that office be directed toward a favorable
decision since significant revenues stand to be gained or lost.

Lucinda M. Romaneck

James K. Broderick, Chairman

-41-

DEPARTMENT OP CITY PLANNING

Ttte Department of City Planning under the direction
of Mr. Rai Okamoto has run smoothly and efficiently during
the 1977-78 fiscal year. The department seemed to be adequately
staffed. No mention was made of any severe staff shortages;
there was no apparent wide scale morale problem; nor were there
any glaring problems that require immediate attention.

RECRBATION AND PARK DEPARTMENT

The Recreation and Park Department provides a great
diversity of recreational facilities available to people living
and visiting in San Francisco. This department provides a wide
range of services. The Recreation and Park Department is
responsible for fulfilling the many policies presented in The
Plan for Recreation and Open Space. This department not only
has to maintain the existing park and recreation areas under
its Jurisdiction, it must also make plans to acquire parks for
areas that may be lacking the necessary open space required by
the master plan. One example of the enactment of this policy
has been the acquisition of several hilltops in the City to
preserve the feeling of open space and the geographical contour
of the City. Other examples of good planning are the new parks
in the Hunters Point area, the award winning renovation of the
Children's Park located in Golden Gate Park, the miniparks that
have added much needed open space in many of the City's most
congested areas, and the several large natural style exhibit
areas that are under construction at the San Francisco Zoo.

At the present time a new master plan for the future
uses of Golden Gate Park is near completion. Public input was
invited for this project through a series of public hearings.
The new plan will reflect the residents' ideas for use of
Golden Gate Park.

In order to combat the problem of deferred mainten-
ance, the Recreation and Park Department has put most of its
180 CETA and 60 Title II employees to work in the areas that
suffered from lack of maintenance. This is helping to restore
many of the rundown areas in the various parks . The Recreation
and Park Department should continue to combat this deferred
maintenance.

In spite of the many achievements of the Recreation

-42-

RECREATION AND PARK DEPARTMENT (continued)

and Park Department, there are still a few areas that need
critical attention. Top priority should be given to plans to
establish a park In the highly populated Chinatown area. The
Inner Mission district also lacks adequate recreational areas
and facilities. The field at Candlestick Park has to be
replaced as soon as possible.

At the present time no one is quite sure what effects
the passage of Proposition 13 may have on the Recreation and
Park Department. We were Informed by the Assistant Director,
Mr. Mallory, that the department Is determined to give the
best service possible despite potential cuts by maximizing
the Internal cuts rather that the external cuts. This public-
spirited attitude Is commendable.

PARKING AUTHORITY

The Parking Authority is one of San Francisco's few
financially self supporting departments. Including the
director Margaret L. Brady, the Parking Authority has a staff
of 3 full-time employees which is apparently enough to run this
department efficiently.

The main purpose of the Parking Authority is to
provide adequate parking for motor vehicles particularly in
the congested commercial areas of both downtown San Francisco
and in the outlying districts. The revenues collected by the
Parking Authority for the off-street parking fund can only be
used to alleviate parking problems. Thus, there is no risk of
losing these special funds for parking developments to the
general fund of the City.

In the downtown area the Parking Authority has
structured the rates in the City-owned parking garages to
encourage the short term user and to discourage commuter park-
ing. This policy can fulfill two goals: (1) providing for
the short term parker will stimulate the economy by insuring
the shopper a place to park, (2) the commuter may turn to
public transit as an alternative.

No glaring problems seem to exist in this department.
The passage of Proposition 13 will probably not have much of
an effect on the Parking Authority.

James K. Broderick

Margarita V. Tallerico

Thomas J. Cook, Chairman

-43-

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

Despite the completion of an ultra-modern building at
170 Otis Street at a cost In excess of $8,500,000.00, the
Department of Social Services will still be unable to offer the
City's population a "one stop" service operation. The depart-
ment operations are too vast to house in one structure, and will
still be spread out over a wide area. Previously housed in
five locations, the new Social Service complex will offer a
wide field of services from four locations. The new structure
at 170 Otis will house the administrative and accounting offices,
and handle Aid to Families with Dependent Children, General
Assistance cases, and Child Welfare. Medi-Cal and some General
Assistance will be available at 150 Otis Street, Adult services
at 1686 Mission Street, and Food Stamp service at 1360 Mission
Streets. Despite the fact that considerable planning went into
setting up access routes for handicapped persons, apparently no
concern was given to the citizens that have to cross the street
from 150 Otis to 1680 Mission Street. Consideration should be
given to providing a crosswalk with controlled signal lights
to assist those citizens or City workers who have to conduct
business within both structures.

Under the very capable leadership of Edwin S.
Sarsfleld, General Manager, the department has undergone a
series of structural and operational changes, which have in-
troduced many new concepts, and a more effective delivery of
services to the City's population. Mr. Sarsfleld should be
commended for the positive results which have been achieved in
the AFDC program, the drastic reduction in the error rate, and
the savings of millions of dollars in undue claims. The in-
troduction of the "team concept" in child welfare cases, and
the creation of the Family Reunification Unit, clearly evidence
the department's approach to reducing potential caseloads through
preventive measures, and assuring that payments are awarded to
those that truly need assistance. The introduction of the "on
the job training" program leading to a master's degree in
psychology, and related subjects, can only result in developing
skilled specialists in tune with the varied problems, a keener
understanding of the caseload, and a more efficient delivery of
service.

Recommendation :

That a crosswalk with controlled signal lights be .
installed on Otis street between 150 Otis and 1680 Mission
Street.

-44-

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

The purpose of the Human Rights Commission Is to
promote the rights of every citizen for equal economic, polit-
ical, and educational opportunity; for equal accommodations in
all business establishments in the City; for equal service and
protection by all public agencies; and eliminate prejudice and
discrimination because of race, religion, age, sex, or sexual
preference. The commission, which was created in 1964, handled
over 844 rights complaints last year in areas involving employ-
ment, housing, education, and a new element, namely the problems
of the gay community. There were over 73 documented gay -oriented
complaints, and for the first time, the commission established
a Gay Advisory Committee. There is also a gay representative
on each of the standing committees.

Under the capable direction of director Grant Mickens,
the commission has been developing programs and creative approach-
es to achieving maximum impact to getting public jobs and con-
tracts for minorities. Minority outreach programs have achieved
worthwhile success because of the commission's continued efforts
to strengthen community and neighborhood imput. This is evidenc-
ed by the continued delivery of health case service to many low
income families. The commission implements and monitors an
affirmative action program for the City. Because of this program
minority balance is maintained in government procurement, and
awarding of job contracts.

The Commission is made up of 15 commissioners, who
represent a broad cross-section of city groups, namely, employer,
labor, religious, racial, ethnic, gay, etc. In San Francisco
where minorities are nearly a majority of the population, the
Human Rights commission presents a well defined representative
group reaching out for maximum impact.

COMMISSION ON THE AGING

Since its creation in 1972, the Commission on the Aging
has made substantial progress in its' programs of providing
service and assistance to the elderly citizen. A keen aware-
ness of the problems of the senior citizens caused the commis-
sion to introduce its1 most successful program to date, that
is, the "walk-in information center, and referral service". As
a result of this program, information vital to the needs of the
elderly is disseminated to all areas of the City. Information

-45-

COMMISSION ON THE AGING (continued)

on the many senior citizen centers, active programs, nutrition
centers, etc., is readily available. A senior citizen informa-
tion telephone service is also provided on a 24 hour basis.
This telephone service enables senior citizens to have access
to many programs and activities previously unknown to them. It
also provides the elderly with one central number to call for
a wide range of health issues, housing assistance, and permits
better utilization of existing services. The commission also
arranges for seminars and workshops targeted towards helping
senior citizens to help themselves, and also provides for pos-
sible job opportunities.

An amendment to the original ordinance is under study,
which proposes to abolish the existing Commission on the Aging,
and establish a Senior Citizen Affairs Authority, with a Senior
Citizen Advisory Council. The proposed S.C.A.A. would consist
of seven members appointed by the Mayor, with the advice and
consent of the Board of Supervisors. Pour of these members
must be 55 years of age at the time of their appointments, and
must have demonstrated knowledge of the problems and needs of
the elderly.

The Senior Citizen Advisory Council shall consist of
twenty-two members, eleven of whom shall be appointed by the
Board of Supervisors, and eleven of whom shall be elected. All
twenty -two must be at least fifty-five years old. The balance
of the council will be the same ex-officio members as specified
in the original ordinance. All members of the council shall
serve without compensation.

The programs of the commission are administered by
the Area agency which has been temporarily headed by Mr. Larry
Simi. A new executive director, Mr. Glenn McKibbin, has been
appointed, and will take office in July. Mr. McKibbin is a
former professor at Syracuse University. We congratulate Mr.
McKibbin on his appointment, and encourage him to exert a
determined willingness to fight for the rights of the elderly.

COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN

The commission was created in 1976 with an original
staff of two permanent employees, and three CETA employees,
working with a $66,000 budget. Today they have two permanent,
and nine CETA employees, with an Operational budget of $82,000.
The commission has eight standing committees, some of which are

-46-

COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN (continued)

sub-divided into task forces. These committees dedicated to
the pursual of the rights of women, are working in the areas
of criminal justice, education, employment, health and child
care, housing, legislation, media and public information, and
varied special projects. All of these committees are made up
mostly of volunteer women citizens, dedicated to establishing
the rights and equality of women. A new task force was recent-
ly established to pursue minority outreach, targeting in on
Third World lesbians, disabled, and elderly women.

The commission, under the very capable direction of
Mrs. Susan Heller, is now involved in trying to disseminate
information about the commission activities in as many lan-
guages as possible in order to reach non-English speaking
women.

The work of the commission has become so involved and
diversified, that the only two permanent employees cannot handle
all the varied aspects involved. The addition of two more per-
manent employees would enable the commission to expand its
activities, and present a more experienced approach in address-
ing the needs of the woman citizen.

The building which now houses the commission, is owned
by HEW and is being turned over to the New College of Law. As
a consequence the commission is looking desperately for a new
home. The commission is interested in renting property within
a four block radius of City Hall, so they can easily appear
for hearings, establishe better communications with other City
departments, and facilitate mail pick-up. The quarters must
also be in an area which affords a fair degree of safety to the
women.

Recommendations ;

1. That two permanent employees, be added to the
staff to enable the commission to pursue their activities with
experience and expertise.

2. That suitable quarters be established for the
commission which adequately suit their needs.

Jane Reeves
Robert Smith

Edward Sosa, Chairman

-47-

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) is appointed
by the Mayor and is subject to confirmation and approval by
the Board of Supervisors. Mr. Roger Boas was appointed during
the 1976-77 fiscal year and his term runs for 10 years. The
CAO is responsible to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors
for the administration of all affairs of the City and County
of San Francisco that are placed under his Jurisdiction:

Department of Public Works
Department of Public Health
Department of Electricity
Department of Finance and Records
Office of the Coroner
Purchasing Department
Real Estate Department
California Academy of Sciences

As can be seen from above, the CAO bears tremendous
responsibility for an extremely large number of City depart-
ments with a broad range of governmental business matters.
Besides performing the many faceted duties involved with a
bureaucracy of this size, Mr. Boas must busy himself with:

1) Coordinating the planning, design and building of the
Yerba Buena Convention Center;

2) Disbursement of the Hotel Tax;

3) Administrating the massive Waste Water Project;

4) Consulting continually with the Mayor, Board of Supervisors,
various Commissions and participating in various Board
proceedings .

This office obviously requires a high-energy person
with a capable and dedicated staff. The hard-working
Mr. Boas and his staff do their best to keep all departments
and projects running as smoothly as possible.

It was difficult for this committee to communicate
extensively with Mr. Boas because of the heavy schedule he
keeps and the manner in which business is conducted in his
office. However, Mr. Boas introduced us to the knowledgeable
Paul Scannell, his executive assistant, who together with
Mr. Boas assisted us with our questions. The unavailability
of Mr. Boas, caused by having to divide his attention in so
many directions, has been expressed by some department heads.
Department heads are met with frustration when attempting to
contact Mr. Boas with a matter needing immediate attention,

-48-

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (continued)

and being told that Mr. Boas has his hands full with the Yerba
Buena Project.

It seems that these inevitable gaps in upper-level
management communication surfaced this year as one of the
factors in the deplorable situation in the Tax Collector's
office. While this Grand Jury commends Mr. Boas for prompt
action taken in the aftermath of the Parking Meter Division
arrests, we are concerned with the "blind faith" and "quasi-
honor system" used in upper and middle management down to first
level supervision. When asked in what manner department heads
report to his office, Mr. Boas replied that weekly written
reports are submitted for his perusal. Mr. Boas then delegates
to his staff any action to be taken that he does not see to
himself. In light of now known short work days of some
employees, and general laxity of supervision; it is apparent
that guidelines of better communication and closer supervision
are in order.

We recommend the possibility of frequent meetings
between department heads and the CAO or his staff. As
opposed to weekly submitted status reports, these face to face
airings of needs and problem points of individual City depart-
ments should close the communication gap as well as promote
closer supervision.

In short, Mr. Boas should re-direct some of his
relentless energy from the time-consuming Yerba Buena project,
or the long range Waste Water project to the administrating of
the eight City departments directly under him, in order to
best serve the residents of San Francisco.

Yerba Buena Convention Center

As stated earlier, Roger Boas has concentrated much
of his administrative talent toward the completion of the
Yerba Buena Center (YBC). After some 15 years of discussion,
debate and legal contention, the YBC is close to being a
reality. This year the Board of Supervisors voted overwhelming-
ly in favor of going ahead with the project. We congratulate
Mr. Boas and staff for their success in compiling the complex
reports needed to prove the project economically feasible.

Initially approved by San Francisco voters in a
1976 election, the YBC is considered necessary because of the
conventions and tourism it will attract, which are major
factors in the economic foundation of San Francisco. Consul-
tants to the YBC state that the project would produce 873 to
1,680 permanent Jobs directly, and an equal number of

-49-

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (continued)

permanent Jobs indirectly.

The costs of building the facility are calculated
as $100 million. By category they are as follows: land
purchase, $6 million; construction, $82 million; design and
administration, $12 million. The source of these funds is
the Hotel Tax which was raised this year from 6t to 8%. Half
of the 8% is ear-marked to fund the project.

The design of the center is underground. Except for
the above-ground lobby entrance, the center will have a profile
similar to that of Union Square. The construction is slated
to begin in August or September this year, with completion in
mid-1981. Mr. Boas expressed hopes of no more delay.
Opponents of the project, however, are threatening more liti-
gation.

Proposition 13 threw gloom over the project because
while all City departments were undergoing massive budget cuts
affecting basic vital services and employee layoffs, the funds
allocated for YBC remained untouched. This resulted in the
San Francisco resident seriously questioning the priority list
of City officials who favor the tourist from Two-Dot, Montana,
over a laid-off City employee resident who must wait half an
hour to Jam on an overcrowded bus due to a 20? reduction in
Muni service.

Waste Water Project

San Francisco is plagued with the serious problem of
an antiquated sewage system that has one conduit for both
sewage and rainwater. During wet weather the system is over-
whelmed by billions of gallons of runoff that mix with raw
sewage, overflow the plant reservoirs, and through 39 over-
flow outlets are dumped untreated into the ocean and bay.

The Federal Waste Quality Act of 1972 prohibits
the discharge of municipal sewage into the ocean unless it has
received secondary treatment. Hence the Waste Water Project
was created to correct the dangerous situation. Since the
project is by Federal mandate, the funding will be 75* federal
funds, 12-1/2% state funds and 12-1/255 City funds, reflected
in the sewer charge on water bills. The immense project will
hopefully be completed by 1987 with a possible cost of
$2 billion.

The original master plan calls for the collection of
rainwater from all over the City to be piped through a cross-
town sewer line to a large processing plant that will be

-50-

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (continued)

located south of San Francisco Zoo. From there the treated
wastewater will be discharged through an outfall *♦ miles off
the coast Into the ocean. Richard Sklar, Manager of the
Waste Water Program, predicts the plan could be done for $1.5
billion by considering alternatives that eliminate the need
for a cross-town sewer line by building two more plants in the
southeast and northeast ends of the City, thus dumping primary
treated sewage into the bay and ocean.

So the project is presently bogged down in controversy
with the City having to provide evidence that dumpage of
primary treated sewage in bay waters is not harmful to water
quality or disruptive to the marine biological food chain —
all in the interest of saving money on the overall cost of the
plan. In the 1950 's air pollution was not considered a long range
damaging hazard. No monies were invested in a massive plan to
solve the situation which resulted in the disgusting air pollu-
tion problem Los Angeles must deal with today. We do not want
the same occurence In our beloved bay waters. Since many San
Franciscans do not put a price tag on our bay, Mr. Boas should
urge Mr. Sklar and the consulting firm of Met calf and Eddy to
comply with federal and state recommendations of secondary
treated dumping in ocean waters and not to attempt to cut costs
by primary treated dumpage in bay waters.

Summation

Mr. Boas told the Grand Jury that he will direct his
attention to solving the problems of the following departments:
Tax Collector, Public Works and Public Health. In examining
the CAO it should be noted that Mr. Boas replaced the able
Mr. Thomas Mellon in 1976 after his 12 years of service In the
difficult office. Mr. Boas spent the first year in office
acquiring a competent staff and listing many old problems
inherited from Mr. Mellon, as well as new problems to be faced.
His newness to the Job of city administrator over 3uch a
conglomerate of departments and projects must be considered
when aiming criticism. The Grand Jury is impressed with
Mr. Boas' boundless energy and dedication of his staff. We
look forward to seeing that energy and dedication work for
making a better San Francisco in the future.

CORONER

Under the capable direction of Boyd G. Stephens, M.D. ,
the Coroner's office is responsible for diagnosing the cause
and manner of death of 2,500 death cases reported to his office.

-51-

CORONER (continued)

The Coroner's office has authority of search and seizure,
autopsy and inquest. Since it is not uncommon to receive cases
from outside the City, state or country, the staff works with
health departments and consults world-wide.

The Coroner may be called to testify in Court as an
expert witness, detailing what happened, when and how.
Autopsies sometimes result in diagnostic studies where communi-
cable diseases are discovered, giving valuable information for
the living. One example of this: a fireman involved in a
resuscitation attempt who then goes home to his family. These
factors contribute to a basic problem at the Coroner's office:
an increasing work load, with the necessity to be completely
thorough in conducting autopsies and unbiased in interpreta-
tion because of the direct effect on Judicial decisions,
insurance, licensing, surgical practices, and worker's compen-
sation.

While doing an admirable job in dealing with the
increasing work load, Dr. Stephens is faced with a budget
problem. Since the budget is line item, there is no considera-
tion of scientific advances in equipment, price increases or
long range planning. Certain items of sophisticated new
equipment needed to improve the quality and cababilities of
this office have been requested in the budget repeatedly.
Dr. Stephens feels it is essential to have a computerized
inventory of property, evidence, diagnoses and supplies. This
could be shared with the Police Department Laboratory. Because
of budgetary lines the staff is limited in what they can do in
clinical and forensic pathology.

The office has five vehicles which includes three
ambulances, one newly acquired this year. A copy machine,
which was recommended by the last Civil Grand Jury, was finally
budgeted. Dr. Stephens' request for a full-time forensic
pathologist has been cut from the budget. At the date of
writing this report, the aftermath of Proposition 13 has caused
a proposed budget cut of 17?, bringing the $910,652 budget down
to $757,171. This type of budget cut is not conducive to the
high standards expected from the Coroner's office.

An important aspect of the Coroner's Job is close
and cooperative communication with the Police Department. For
the last six years, Dr. Stephens has not been asked to lecture
to the graduating police cadets. This lecture would be
beneficial to their training regarding homicide procedures.

The Grand Jury would like to thank Dr. Stephens
and staff for their cooperative assistance.

-52-

CORONER (continued)
Recomaendatlons :

1. Devise a computerized Inventory system, to be used Jointly
with the Police Department.

2. A review of scientific equipment be made, and the necessary
steps taken to update outdated equipment.

3. Authorization for a full-time forensic pathologist.

*» . In spite of the passing of Proposition 13, no budget cuts

be made in the Coroner's office.
5. Dr. Stephens should give lectures to graduating police

cadets.

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICITY

This department is responsible for inter-communication
of the Police and Fire Departments, and the installation and
maintenance of parking meters and traffic signals. Under the
leadership of the General Manager, Mr. Burton H. Dougherty, the
department operates through four divisions : Administrative
(including Accounting), Mechanical, Radio and Electrical. This
year the previous division of Fire Alarm Operation was included
with the Electrical Division, thus increasing efficiency in
administrative and operational control.

The much needed 911 Emergency Telephone Service has
been promised to residents for many years. The reason for the
delay is said to be the lack of state funding. Now, in light
of Proposition 13, reliance on state funds seems impractical.
Mr. Dougherty will know by October 1978, if state funding is
realistic or not. Since many major cities in the United States
have this system in operation, alternative sources of funding
should be sought to insure San Francisco residents the safety
and convenience of a common phone number for Police, Fire and
Health assistance.

One of the department's major problems is the damage
done to traffic signals by vehicles. Nineteen percent of the
1977 budget was used for traffic signal maintenance. The
repair or replacement of equipment causes a drain on the budget
as funds recovered from the responsible parties are returned
to the General Fund.

During this committee's tour of facilities we were
impressed with the quality of the electricians* and technicians'
work and the dedication of their foremen. All divisions keep
concise records of all work performed.

-53-

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICITY (continued)

The department has an excellent mechanical division.
Besides routine maintenance and repairs, the mechanics are
engaged in the design and manufacture of special mechanical
apparatus and fixtures when needed. This is necessary to
replace obsolete parts of old equipment.

The painting section is employed at painting fire
alarm and police control boxes , traffic signals and other
miscellaneous equipment. Due to a shortage of personnel, they
are on a *l — 5 year painting cycle rather than the recommended
2 year cycle.

The Administration/Accounting Department, under
direct supervision of Mr. Dougherty, maintains an orderly system
of recording costs and revenues which are compiled and reported
to management in timely periodic reports.

In the aftermath of Proposition 13, the department
with a budget of $3, 217, M6 was cut by $152,000. Mr. Dougherty
predicts no layoffs, but routine maintenance and employee
morale will be affected.

The Grand Jury thanks Mr. Dougherty and employees
for their cooperative assistance.

Recommendations :

1. Accelerate action to install the 911 Emergency phone system.

2. Route funds collected from responsible parties who damage
City-owned electrical equipment to this department since
it is responsible for repair and billing.

3. Hire additional painters to get the department back on a
two year painting cycle.

JJ . In spite of the passage of Proposition 13, no budget cuts
be made that directly affect the quality of the services of
this department or employee morale.

Helen I. Abbett
Howard L. Ross

Robert G. Smith, Chairman

-54-

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

The Department of Agriculture and Weights and Measures
is under the direction of Mr. Raymond L. Bozzini and is composed
of three units .

1. Agriculture

2. Parmer's Market

3. Sealer of Weights and Measures

AGRICULTURE

This department is responsible for the enforcement of all
state laws, rules and regulations pertaining to agriculture. It
inspects fruits, vegetables , eggs and other products in wholesale
and retail stores. It also conducts pest surveys in an effort to
detect pests before they become established in a particular area.

FARMER'S MARKET

The market is located at 100 Alemany Boulevard. It is
operated by the City and County and fees are charged to the growers
having a booth on the premises. It has shown a profit every year
in addition to earning its own operating expenses. Only growers
are permitted to sell on the grounds.

Recommendations :

1. There should be two left turn lanes at the exit at
Alemany and Crescent. This would allow for easy exit by shoppers
and neighborhood residents.

2. The cyclone fence at the rear of the parking area
should be relocated to the curb-line. This would prevent the public
dumping garbage on the hillside.

3. The stalls should be painted. The area has a very
shabby appearance .

WEIGHTS & MEASURES

This department is responsible for making certain that
all scales and measuring devices, and also packaged goods, show
the proper net weight, measure or count. In addition, it is

-55-

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND WEIGHTS AND MEASURES (continued)

responsible for testing the meters on taxicabs by use of a fifth
wheel. Since there are over 900 taxicabs, this is a very slow
and cumbersome process and as a result it is impossible to test
all of them properly each year.

Mr. Bozzini has requested special testing equipment for
use on electric sub-meters. He has requested this equipment for
three years. There are over 15,000 sub-meters, some of them dating
back to 1910. Many are undersized, incorrectly wired and consequently
do not give accurate figures. As a result considerable money is
lost to the citizens of San Francisco because of incorrect readings
from these meters .

Recommendation:

Mr. Bozzini 's request for special equipment for read-
ing the electric sub-meters should be recognized. He would then be
able to read these meters on what he calls a "complaint" basis and
in that fashion he would be able to perform this service without
additional personnel.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR - PUBLIC GUARDIAN

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR

James R. Scannell is the Public Administrator. He takes
over the administration of the property of those deceased persons
having no executor or administrator. In some instances he will be
ordered by the Court to administer estates .

In some cases his office will have to take charge of and
continue to run a business when the owner has died and the heirs
are unknown. He will handle this procedure until either the heirs
are known or the estate is liquidated.

His office also pays the estate taxes and funeral expenses.

A recent law change has resulted in a lower case load for
the office and as a result they have been able to catch up with the
backlog. A change in the Probate Code now requires that most estates
opened after January 1, 1977, be completed within one year. At the
present case load level they do not anticipate an increase in staff
will be necessary.

-56-

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR - PUBLIC GUARDIAN (continued)

PUBLIC GUARDIAN

This is also under the direction of James R. Scannell
and in which capacity he serves as a guardian to persons or es-
tates when needed. He is appointed by the Court in each case and
must represent the ward of the court in all actions.

The social worker in the office has a case load of 150
and her duties include visits to nursing homes to verify that they
are up to standards and that the wards are well taken care of.
The recommended case load is 75.

One of the functions of this office is the preparation
of tax returns for more than 500 estates, within the one year time
limitation required by the statute. If the office fails to com-
plete the return within the time allowed, the court may deduct
additional fees from the Public Guardian's fees. This function
really is within the capabilities of a tax attorney. If the Public
Guardian had such services the attorney would use 50% of the time
in research and preparation of the tax returns and the other 50%
to work on guardianship cases. It is anticipated that this posi-
tion would generate enough additional revenue to cover 90? of the
salary .

Recommendation :

Employment of one additional social worker to assist the
social worker now in the department .

RECORDER

The County Recorder, Mr. Thomas Kearney, is required by
State and County laws to receive, record, index and preserve papers
such as property documents, tax liens, death certificates, and to
issue certified copies upon request.

He operates with 19 people which he considers to be ade-
quate. His total budget for 1978-79 is $369,982. At this writing
he does not know how he will be affected by cuts due to Proposition
13. He has no significant operating problems.

-57-

REGISTRAR OF VOTERS

Mr. Kearney also serves as Registrar of Voters, operating
a department which has the following functions:

1. Registration of Voters — the number of registered
voters is presently 351,211.

2. Preparation and dissemination of voters' handbooks
and sample ballots at least 10 days prior to an election.

3. Hiring and training temporary voting precinct em-
ployees. About 3,644 temporary employees are needed for the 911
voting places.

4. Renting premises for use as polling places.

5. Storing voting equipment and materials.

6. Registering candidates for office.

7. Conducting the election, counting and tabulating the
ballots.

Federal laws require the printing and distribution of
voting materials to the non-English speaking population whenever
that particular language group achieves 5% of the population. At
the last election on June 6, 1978, the cost for the Chinese lang-
uage materials was $11,435, and for the Spanish language, $12,170.
The increasing Filipino population may shortly require voting
materials in their language. Many counties in California are taking
the position that the federal government should bear the added cost
of this recent law, and are seeking reimbursement. We recommend
that the Registrar take the necessary action to see if this County
can recover the added cost of these printings.

At the last election, there were 911 polling places. The
cost of each is as follows:

Rental of space $ 25.00
Salaries, 4 people 140.00
Rent of voting machines 165.00
Moving expense 8 .00

TOTAL $338.00

The cost to operate 911 polls at $338 each is $307,918.
If the number of polls were cut in half, about $150,000 could be

-58-

REGISTRAR OF VOTERS (continued)

saved at each election. In a county of this size, voters would
not have to go far even with half the number of polling places.
Serious consideration should be given to a substantial reduction
in polling places.

The rental cost of the voting machines, at $150,000 per
election, is excessive. The City should decide quickly what
machine it wants to buy, or obtain through competitive bidding
a better rental price.

TAX COLLECTOR

The Tax Collector's principal function is to collect
taxes and license fees. In fiscal year 1976-77 this amounted to
$508,475,711. There are about 135 employees, plus a few temporary
and CETA workers. For the past seven years, Mr. Thad Brown has
been the Tax Collector. His immediate supervisor is the Director
of Finance and Records, who in turn is supervised by the Chief
Administrative Officer.

In 1972, the Grand Jury authorized Main LaFrentz and
Co. to make a study of the Parking Meter Division. Their report
warned of many possibilities for misappropriation of funds. The
findings were turned over to the Mayor and Tax Collector. The
1973 Grand Jury followed up on the matter and were assured that
corrective action had been taken.

On March 26, 1978, sixteen employees of the Parking Meter
Division, including the supervisor, Norman Coates, were arrested
and charged with embezzlement of funds.

At the same time it came out that employees of this Di-
vision, which is located in an isolated area of the City Hall
basement, only worked about four hours each day. That this situa-
tion had gone on for years was common knowledge to employees up-
stairs in the Tax Collector's Office, and could not possibly have
escaped the notice of the Collector or his Assistant.

The CAO, Mr. Roger Boas, stepped in over the head of Mr.
Virgil Elliott, then Director of Finance and Records, and promptly
suspended Mr. Brown. Mr. Tom Miller, for many years Assistant
CAO but now with Waste Water Management, was installed as acting
Tax Collector. Arthur Anderson & Co. was authorized to make an
operational review and analysis of the Tax Collector's Office.
Shortly after receiving a preliminary report of their findings,
in late April, the CAO returned Mr. Brown to his position as Tax

-59-

Errata:

Due to a typographical error the
pagination skips from Page 59 to Page
61. In addition, because of a printing
error two pages appear blank in the
report on the Tax Collector.

Despite these errors the report
on the Tax Collector is complete as
approved by the Grand Jury.

TAX COLLECTOR (continued)

Collector, but on a six months probationary status. The Anderson
report made about 100 recommendations, most of which have been
accepted and are in process of implementation.

Losses to the City in meter collections have been es-
timated between $2,000 and $5,000 daily, or perhaps from $600,000
to $1,200,000 annually. Further, the preliminary report states
that throughout the Tax Collector's Office there are major high
risk areas and a significant absence of controls which are neces-
sary to provide reasonable and prudent assurance that all collec-
tions will be made and safeguarded from intentional or inadvertant
loss.

The deficiencies listed in this report reflect seriously
on the competency of Mr. Brown and his staff. After the tip-off
by Main LaFrentz & Co., with better supervision, the situation in
the Parking Meter Division could have been stopped at least five
years ago. The potential for thievery should have been apparent
to more alert supervisors. In fact, it would be difficult to de-
sign a better layout for theft than the work area of the Parking
Meter Division. Even the safe was not large enough to accommodate
one day's coin collection.

Supervisors up the chain of command have tried to place
considerable distance between themselves and this crime. It has
been said that Mr. Brown lacked supervisory experience; but he had
been on the Job for seven years. Experienced or not, his superior
Mr. Virgil Elliott, since retired, said he had so much faith in
Mr. Brown that he gave him little or no supervision. So far as we
could find out the Chief Administrative Officer did not take action
to give Mr. Brown better supervision. Mayor Moscone authorized the
police action which lead to the arrests, but thereafter maintained
a hands-of f policy .

In addition to the loss of meter receipts, thousands of
salary dollars have been paid to employees who did not work a full
day. There is also evidence of inaccurate time keeping in other
areas of the Tax Collector's Office. Like so many other City de-
partments, this Office "anticipates" its time rolls — yet another
example of this bad time keeping practice.

Before this scandal is laid to rest, it would be fitting
to hear some words of regret from the Tax Collector and the other
supervisors all the way to the top. Also welcome would be a sign
that they have learned a lesson. Improved supervision will only
come with some show of it at the top.

-61-

TAX COLLECTOR (continued)

This Grand Jury will go out of office before the final
Anderson Report is written. That report will contain their rec-
ommendations and the reforms that have been instituted; therefore,
further comment by us would be premature.

Reynold T. Rey
Robert G. Smith

Howard L. Ross, Chairman

-62-

COUNTY CLERK

In the County Clerk's office Mr. Carl M. Olsen Is
the ministerial arm and record keeper for the Superior Court.
He receives, indexes, files and retrieves legal documents.
These documents serve the needs of attorneys and the general
public .

Budget requests made during the fiscal year will
result in indexing procedures by electronic data processing
for all new civil and probate cases at City Hall. This change
was sponsored by his office and successfully passed through
the California Legislature (SB 507, Chapter 225). The legisla-
tion provides that an additional $2.50 charge be added to most
filing fees in civil and probate actions and will result in
$50,000 additional revenue per year. The effective date for
this change was January 1, 1978. In the first two months his
office has realized $11,000 in revenue from this sytem as well
as many saved man hours.

During the year Civil Service examinations were
requested because of position turnovers and the exhausting
of the Civil Service lists adopted in 1976. With the increase
of work over the prior years and the District Attorney's
Family Support Bureau, which has increased its filings by nearly
10055 over the previous year, Mr. Olsen has fallen back in other
operations of his department.

With the adoption of the new Civil Service list Mr.
Olsen has been able to fill 30 vacant positions that he needed.
With the new personnel and the training program of new employees
he feels that his department will run more effectively in the
future .

He would like to see a twelve-month probationary
period for new employees instead of the present six months. He
would then be able to better evaluate new employees. The Grand
Jury concurs .

Reynold T. Rey
Robert G. Smith

Howard L. Ross, Chairman

-63-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Introduction

Dr. Mervyn Silverman became the Director of Public
Health for the City and County of San Francisco in May, 1977. As
the Director, under the Chief Administrative Officer, he is re-
sponsible for the overall administration of the Community Public
Health Programs, Community Mental Health Services, Hospital ser-
vices (San Francisco General Hospital and Laguna Honda), the Emer-
gency Medical Services and also the Jail Medical Services. It is
his responsibility to provide to the citizens of the City and
County, the best health care available.

The Department of Public Health in San Francisco is very
extensive and very complex and until recently very disorganized.
As the Grand Jury visited the different institutions and facili-
ties, it became apparent that a sense of order was being restored.

Community Public Health Services

Dr. Lorraine Smookler is Assistant Director of Public
Health for Public Health programs .

San Francisco is divided into five district health cen-
ters (Northeast, Southeast, Mission, Westside and Sunset-Richmond).
Each center implements programs of the Public Health Department by
providing specific services adapted to the differing needs of each
district. The services, all of which are too numerous to mention
here, include pre-natal classes, well-baby clinics, school nursing
and pre-school exams, immunization and T.B. tests and home visiting
by the public health nurses.

It is interesting to note, at this time, that San Fran-
cisco leads the State in venereal disease. There are 300 to 400
people seen daily at the V.D. Clinic. Tuberculosis is two and
three times more prevalent in San Francisco than in other cities,
such as Los Angeles and New York.

Approximately 12% of the budget is allotted to this area
of the Department of Public Health which is low, indeed.

Since the passage of Proposition 13 and at the writing
of this report, it has been decided to close all five centers in
the names of "savings"! In essence, the definition of public
health is the promotion of health and the prevention of illness.
It is difficult to show in dollars the value of health education

-64-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (continued)

or "an ounce of prevention is worth the cost of a pound of treat-
ment" but to those with insight, it is readily apparent that this
is a step backwards and a very expensive one 1

This Grand Jury condemns the closing of the health cen-
ters and doubts very much whether the citizens of San Francisco
will abide by this decision nor are they deserving of it.

Community Mental Health Services

In 1969 the state mandated local services to treat the
mentally ill in facilities near where they live, instead of placing
them in distant mental hospitals. By law, all patients admitted
to state hospitals must first be screened locally. As a result
of the effort to develop alternatives to hospitalization, state
hospital admissions have declined markedly and local programs have
grown. The concept is good but there have been problems implement-
ing it.

San Francisco is divided into five mental health dis-
tricts. Each district or center is a system of mental health
services in several locations, within each district. Four dis-
tricts are county-operated (Mission, Southeast, Northeast, Sunset-
Richmond), the fifth (Westside) is privately-operated under con-
tract.

Each center provides five essential coordinated services:
1) inpatient care, 2) outpatient care, 3) emergency service, **)
partial hospitalization and 5) consultation and education.

There are also specialty services. These programs serve
the entire City and deal with special problems such as drug and
alcohol abuse, sexual identity, retardation, etc. Fees are based
on the ability to pay.

The Mental Health budget is approximately $32,000,000.
The passage of Proposition 13 does not seriously affect this program
as it is 80-90? federally funded and these funds cannot be trans-
ferred to other departments. The City is responsible for the ad-
ministration of the program and, therefore, is responsible for the
quality of these services. About 35,000 San Franciscans received
mental care last year.

Dr. William Goldman who has been Acting Director for
nearly two years, appears to have brought some semblance of order
to a chaotic situation. The administrative capacity in the Cen-
tral Office has been strengthened by the addition of a Contracts
Manager and a Mental Health Planner. Accountability, cost effec-
tiveness, productivity and performance evaluation have all been
stressed as an important part of providing quality care.

-65-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTh (continued)

The implementation of a complete Management Information
System is scheduled to go into effect this year. This was sadly
lacking as virtually all of the City's mental health statistics
have to be qualified because San Francisco did not have central
data collection capacity.

An adequate billing system has not, as yet, been imple-
mented. However, the manual billing system has been replaced by
an automatic billing machine. Dr. Goldman believes that in the
near future, after a standard form has been developed, they will
then go to contract billing.

Community Mental Health Service operates on the premise
that overreliance on hospitalization, particularly state hospitals
for mentally disturbed patients, results in prolongation of depen-
dency. It is their conviction that usually non-hospital treat-
ment services, crisis intervention, outpatient care and partial
day care, which are flexible and immediately available provide
benefits to the patient and ultimately to the community.

Centralization vs. decentralization has long been an
issue of concern and controversy. There are approximately 285 San
Franciscans in Napa State Hospital. Many do not belong there. It
is cruel and expensive to keep them there. Dr. Goldman has a
three year plan in which he hopes to reduce this number to 150.
It will take that time to acquire community based facilities.
There will always be a need for an institution such as Napa as,
for some, there is no alternative. Dr. Goldman also stated that
out of 100 clients he had brought from Napa to the Urban Community
Mental Health facility at 121 Leavenworth Street, lH were working
and self supporting. This is a victory not only for the individuals
but a great asset to the community as they pay taxes and are no
longer supported by the government. The Grand Jury visited this
facility and can truly appreciate the situation.

Difficulties have been experienced in procuring suit-
able sites for the various community based facilities. This was
evidenced by the neighborhood "revolt" when it was decided to es-
tablish the Youth Campus for emotionally disturbed adolescents.
This is now in litigation. It is sad when we, as a community,
cannot accept our own children.

In our society today, stigma is still attached to mental
illness. We cannot see mental illness, as we can readily observe
a broken leg. People fear the unknown and what is strange to
them. To allay these fears, it will take time, patience and above
all education. A major portion of this responsibility rests with
the health department itself and their Advisory Boards. They must

-66-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (continued)

get the communities involved. It is, then, their onus to convince
the policy makers that this is the right course and therefore their
duty to support the worthy programs so that everyone's rights are
upheld — even the mentally ill!

Recommendations :

1. Programs be carefully evaluated. Some are excellent
— others should be discontinued. Pouring money into a problem
does not necessarily cure it.

2. Streamlining the awarding of contracts. The layers
of bureaucracy they must go through before approval is frustrating
and very time consuming. The endless delays can cause crucial
hardship on the non-profit private agencies .

3. Diligent monitoring of all contracts. The .Grand
Jury was impressed with the monitoring methods used by Larry
Meredith, Ph.D., Director of the Bureau of Alcoholism.

4 . Implementation of an adequate billing system. This
would bring an increase in third party payments .

5. Remove the "freeze" on Ward 7B at San Francisco
General Hospital. It is fully funded, staffed and ready to oper-
ate and the beds are desperately needed. When the Grand Jury
visited the Jails, it was appalled at the number of inmates who
needed mental therapy but remained in jail as there was no other
place to put them. Others, who needed mental therapy were let go
without treatment — only to be picked up again in a short time
and so it becomes a vicious circle.

Dr. Goldman has shown remarkable skill, under adverse
circumstances, in implementing the transition of state hospital
care of the mentally ill to community based care. In other cities,
it has proved disastrous. There has been progress but there re-
mains much more to do. We wish him well and thank him for his
cooperation with the Grand Jury.

San Francisco General Hospital

San Francisco General Hospital moved into its new quar-
ters in 1976. It has a bed capacity of 650.

The medical staff, supplied by the University of Calif-
ornia, is excellent as is the leadership it provides.

The hospital trauma center which treats 13 traffic and
crime victims on an average day, is recognized as one of the best

-67-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (continued)

in the country and has a recovery rate "far superior to that of any
other emergency unit." This is one area of the hospital which
serves all San Franciscans. Because of the trauma center and San
Francisco General Hospital's improving reputation for overall care,
there are changing patterns in delivery of medical care. This is
putting new demands on the hospital. At one time it was the place
where anybody who needed medical aid could go — mostly the very
poor, the drug addicts, the derelicts and the prisoners.

San Francisco General Hospital, in its 1977-78 budget re-
quests, projected a patient load in excess of 400. The budget
approved by the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors provided staff-
ing for only 350 beds. A hospital bed costs money when it is not
occupied. During the month of March the hospital census was up
to 409. Then came the crisis of the shortage of critical care
nurses .

Critical Care Nurse3

It takes a special kind of person to be a critical care
nurse plus the fact that special training is needed. Because of
the intensity and stress of their work they "burn out", after a
period of time, and turn to less demanding work. As a result,
the turnover is high. Since the General Hospital has a relatively
high number of critical care cases, this demands special planning
for nurse coverage in this area.

As early as October the Grand Jury was told there was a
shortage of emergency nursing staff. In March, the hospital began
diverting ambulance cases to other hospitals and at one time, in
April, all intensive care cases were diverted to other hospitals.
Suddenly, there was a need for 3_6 critical care nurses Immediately 1
Only then were funds "found" and approval given to hire 21 critical
care nurses. This is poor planning! It is difficult for those
who have the responsibility to act, if they do not have the author-
ity! It is estimated that because of this crisis, the hospital
lost $2.5 million in revenues, plus the confidence of the medical
staff and most importantly, the confidence of the public. The
census then went down to 291.

A hospital is a dynamic institution with ever changing
needs. Timely decisions are needed and this is impossible under
its present form of governance. Getting through the layers of
bureaucratic red tape is too slow. As a result, the decisions
when reached are non-responsive to the problem. This is very
wasteful. What is even more appalling is the fact that this
could very easily happen again!

-68-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (continued)

The Grand Jury reviewed with interest the report of the
Coordinating Council on "The Transformation of San Francisco
General Hospital Into A Community Hospital" which was submitted
in 1973. It also considered the alternative of contract manage-
ment, also, the complete takeover of the hospital by the Univer-
sity of California as was done in Sacramento when U.C. Davis
took over the Sacramento County Hospital. However, this Grand
Jury has neither the time nor the expertise to conclude this
matter but we deemed it our duty to suggest these options.

Dr. Silverman is especially aware of the multi-lingual
and multi-cultural makeup of San Francisco and has made intensive
efforts to acquire staff with bi-lingual ability. As a first step,
the hospital received federal funds through the Mayor's Office
to train interpreters in the City's languages and in medical
terminology. Twenty-seven men and women who received a six-week
training course are now working in various departments of the
hospital, including the information desk, the emergency room,
outpatient clinics and others. This program is financed by CETA.

Security

The addition of 28 extra officers had been approved to
increase the security force. It was proposed that the new offi-
cers wear blazers, be unarmed and devote more emphasis on being
helpful (providing information, etc.) and preventing trouble. The
Grand Jury concurs with this approach. In addition to increasing
the hospital's security staff, there would be better outside
lighting and locks, an alarm system and other equipment. A T.V.
monitoring system was also to be installed. Upon later informa-
tion, we learned that the hiring of the additional officers has been
cancelled. The other safety measures, however, are being imple-
mented.

Parking

Parking is a big problem for both staff and visitors
which is yet to be solved. There are 600 parking spaces and
1600 are needed. The Muni shop next to the hospital would be
ideal if Muni could be convinced to relocate.

The proposed budget for San Francisco General Hospital
for 1978-79 was $59.2 million. Following the passage of Proposi-
tion 13, this was reduced to $5*» million.

A new accounting system will go into effect on July 1st
as part of the FIRM project (a new financial management and payroll
system). This project is covered under the Controller and Data
Processing elsewhere in this report.

-69-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (continued)

There has been a sharp increase in payments for patients
covered by Medi-cal, Medicare and private insurance collections.
This pays for approximately 60% of the hospital's budget. All
billings are processed through EDP at City Hall. Significant
amounts of money are being lost because the billings, at times,
are two months in arrears. The monthly bills are being "bumped"
at City Hall because other data of higher priority goes ahead.
The EDP system is running dangerously high to full capacity.
A requirement analysis is being made and the hospital may have its
own computer in the future. An independent computer with capacity
in billing and data processing is also being considered.

The administration of the San Francisco General Hospital
has vastly improved under Mr. Charles Windsor who has been its
Administrator for two years . He appears to be aware of the
problems and tries very diligently to implement improvements.
The Grand Jury thanks him for his complete cooperation.

Laguna Honda Hospital

The image of Laguna Honda has vastly changed from a re-
tirement home for the aged to a virtual hospital which cares for
the most difficult cases, many of which will remain there for
life.

The average daily census is 920. A large majority of
these patients require extensive skilled nursing care. They are
of all ages and there is a waiting list. It is estimated that ap-
proximately 2,000 elderly San Franciscans who, because of lack of
finances, live in retirement homes or hospitals outside of the
City.

For the specialized care given to a patient at Laguna
Honda, it costs $55 a day. Medi-Cal pays only $27.00. The people
of San Francisco pay the deficit. No nursing home facility can
afford to provide decent food, sanitation and adequate medical care
for the elderly and infirm on the unrealistic payment schedules of
the government. This is evidenced by the controversial closing
of the San Franciscan Center on Post Street.

Laguna Honda is having its problems in bringing the hos-
pital up to standards established by the Life Safety Code. Sprink-
lers are being installed and stairways are being enclosed. At
present, it is on a six months extension on its accreditation. It
also has to receive a yearly waiver from the Health Department for
open wards. As a result a study Is being initiated to decide
the future of Laguna Honda. The study will attempt to assess the
projected needs of the next twenty years and how Laguna Honda can
best serve these needs. One major consideration will be whether

-70-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (continued)

to continue putting millions of dollars into the old building or
would it be more realistic to build a new one. It is estimated
that by the year 2000, the proportion of those over 75 years of
age will double. Long term care for the aged is fast becoming
one of the biggest items on the health agenda and this will call
for putting it into the mainstream of medicine.

Clarendon Hall is still in the process of being remodeled.
It will add 170 new skilled nursing beds. The work is expected to
be completed by September, 1979.

Mr. Henry Sicabaig is the Administrator of the hospital
and appears to be doing a very commendable Job. The Grand Jury
was impressed with the sense of caring and devotion the entire
staff showed toward the patients as the different wards were
visited.

The nursing care, under the supervision of Miss Virginia
Leishman, appears to be excellent. This was especially apparent
in the "total care" wards where the patients are helpless. They
must be fed, bathed, turned, etc. Their mouths were in good con-
dition and their skin, especially their backs, revealed no pressure
sores.

The Grand Jury also visited a "locked ward". Patients
are not restrained but just kept locked in the ward so they will
not wander away. They were neatly dressed, seemed alert, friendly
and not heavily sedated.

Laguna Honda has a contractual agreement with the National
Cash Register Company for computer and programming services. A
study by Ernst and Ernst has revealed that this is no longer ade-
quate or efficient. A mini-computer was requested. Mr. Henry
Nanjo, Director of EDP at the City Hall is making a complete re-
quirement analysis before any changes are made.

San Franciscans should be rightfully proud to have an
institution such as Laguna Honda, especially since so much is
heard of neglect and actual maltreatment of the aged and infirm.
It should be pointed out that the State should shoulder more of
the financial responsibility. Federal regulations do not cover
special institutions like Laguna Honda. At some time in the
future, hopefully, this could change.

Since the passage of Proposition 13, it has been de-
cided to halt new admissions to Laguna Honda. As there are approx-
imately 30 deaths or discharges a month, the census will go down
by attrition.

-71-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (continued)

There is a great need for skilled nursing care beds for
the aged and infirm in San Francisco which has an especially high
population of elderly. The state, at present, is paying $^0 a
day per patient to the Post Street Center which has lost its
accreditation.

This Grand Jury strongly recommends that the state be
made to recognize its responsibility and duty to these citizens
by bringing the support of Laguna Honda up to a more realistic
level.

Jail Medical Services

The responsibility for the medical care of inmates in
San Francisco's Jails was transferred to the Department of Public
Health in 1975. As determined by the Court's Special Master in
June 1977, medical services in the Jails were in near compliance
with the Court's order.

The Grand Jury found this a troubled area.

In November, 1977, Dr. Silverman appointed Tom Peters,
Ph.D., as Administrator and Dr. Neil Walter as Medical Director.

The physical aspects of the Jails appear elsewhere in
this report under the Sheriff's Office.

There is a $190,000 appropriation to renovate medical
facilities at San Bruno and to build a four to six bed infirmary
at the Hall of Justice Jail.

It is proposed to build four "seclusion" cells in the in-
firmary at San Bruno. These are for inmates who act "bizarre" and
are now in the regular cell blocks but, for various reasons, it
would be better that they be placed in a "seclusion" cell in the
infirmary .

There is staff inequity as a paramedic receives more
salary than an experienced public health nurse. Sixty percent
of the staff are CETA employees and therefore, temporary.

We question the necessity of a full time pharmacist at
San Bruno.

The manner of dispensing drugs is open to many abuses.
There is no way to identify the inmates (no arm bands, etc.).

There appeared to be a large number of prescribed drugs
being distributed." We were told that approximately half of the

-72-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (continued)

inmates are on "pain" pills.

There are several doctors who all work part-time at the
Jails. There is no set policy and all work independently. They
are there for a short time and some are more liberal than others
in prescribing drugs and some are even intimidated into doing so!
This is bad for the morale of the nurses as they then consider
themselves as mere "pill pushers."

Hall of Justice Jail

Dr. Peters is attempting to secure a medical person at
the receiving desk on the 6th Floor where all the newly arrested
are processed.

All new inmates are placed in a holding cell. They can
be there from fifteen minutes to twelve hours. It is important
that certain inmates, especially alcoholics be medically evaluated
on admission. (In May, one male alcoholic, age 28 years, who had
been in Jail less than an hour, was found dead).

Dr. Peters is planning on acquiring a medical record
technician and centralizing all medical records. He is also
making provisions that the medical record of the prisoner would
go wherever he went. As a result the updating would be better.

The Grand Jury realizes that Dr. Peters has not had
sufficient time to implement his program. He appears progressive
and capable and we thank him for the cooperation he extended to
us .

Recommendations ;

1. Medical evaluation by qualified personnel of certain
newly arrested inmates, especially alcoholics.

2. A four or five bed infirmary at the Hall of Justice
Jail so that the nurses may observe certain inmates.

3. Pharmacy inspection.

4. Securing more Registered Nurses.

5. Replacement of temporary personnel with permanent
personnel.

-73-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (continued)

Emergency Medical Services

Dr. F. William Blaisdell, Chief of Surgery at San Fran-
cisco General Hospital, took a six-month leave from the hospital
to make a study of San Francisco's emergency services.

The Grand Jury concurs with the findings in Dr.
Blaisdell 's report and would especially make these recommendations:

1. The City require patients carrying medical insurance
to pay for their emergency treatment. At present $1 million a year
is spent in providing free ambulance service and free emergency
care. It is estimated that 70% of the cost of these services could
be reimbursed to the City through insurance and other payments .

2. Permit City ambulances to deliver heart attack victims
and other patients to private hospitals of their own choice while
adding private ambulance service as a back-up for the City-
operated ambulances .

3. Establish a preventive maintenance program for the
City's badly deteriorated fleet of 11 ambulances.

The Grand Jury would like to congratulate Dr. Blaisdell
on his excellent report. He has served San Francisco well.

Conclusion

Dr. Silverman is to be highly commended for the progress
he has made in this monumental task of reorganizing the Department
of Public Health.

His ultimate goal to centralize all administration at
101 Grove Street and to develop a program wide management informa-
tion system.

Dr. Silverman is especially quality and cost conscious.
He presents a prudent budget and tries to get the most and the best
out of the taxpayer's dollar. The Grand Jury approves.

Recommendations ♦

1. That Dr. Silverman have civil service exempt key
personnel.

2. It has come to the attention of the Grand Jury that
certain civil service employees who have well-documented cases of
incompetence and malfeasance against them are not dismissed. When

-74-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (continued)

brought before independent and impartial arbitrators, the verdict
often goes in favor of the employee. This is not only expensive
to the citizens who have to pay for incompetence but it could be
dangerous when applied in the field of health. We recommend that
corrective action be taken.

3. This Grand Jury is cognizant of the fact that the
City makes a country wide search to obtain the best qualified
administrators and this is laudable. After proving his capabili-
ties, we recommend that the administrator, who is a specialist in
his field, be given a certain amount of flexibility so that he will
have the opportunity to "administrate."

Robert D. Au
Reynold T. Rey

Helen I. Abbett, Chairman

■75-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

The Department of Public Works provides and cares
for the new and existing physical plant of the City, excepting
facilities that come under the Public Utilities, the Port and
the Airports Commissions. Its work is performed by the Bureaus
of Engineering, Architecture, Sanitary Engineering, Building
Inspection, Water Pollution Control, Street Repair, Building
Repair, and Street Cleaning and Planting and the Central
Permit Bureau. The budget for Fiscal Year 1978-79 is about
$40,000,000. There are nearly 2000 employees, of which 1650
are permanent, 175 are temporary, and 175 are CETA. The
activities and accomplishments of this department are described
in detail in their Annual Report.

A management review is currently being made by
Touche Ross & Co. The first phase is an overview of the
department, costing $80,000, which will be completed about
October 1978. It will be followed by a more detailed study
costing $120,000 which will be authorized if the first phase
indicates a need for it.

On several occasions, we visited with the Director,
S. Myron Tatarian, and received excellent cooperation. His
greatest concern is that he does not receive enough funding
to maintain buildings and streets. For example, there are
about 850 miles of streets in the City. He would like to
resurface about 50 miles each year, but has been able to
resurface only 7 this year. He also has difficulties with the
Civil Service Commission. There is often a delay in filling
vacancies, which can be prolonged If papers are mislaid or if
the person handling the matter is away for a few days. In
another instance, he stated twenty-three departments were
competing to hire a secretary from a roster of seventeen
applicants. Obviously in this situation, the applicant was
making the selection, not the employer.

The Department of Public Works does not have per-
formance evaluations, or productivity standards for its
employees. New employees are given an Interview when hired,
and their duties are explained at that time. The Civil Service
Commission has a goal of Implementing performance evaluations
in all City departments by January 1979. We hope that these
evaluations will be initiated in the Department of Public
Works before that time.

Like so many other departments, Public Works
"anticipates" or guesses at the time its employees will work
at the end of each pay period. This is because they are paid

-76-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS (continued)

the morning following the end of their pay period, and
several days are required to process and issue their checks.
For employees not working as "anticipated" corrections have
to be sent in to adjust time rolls. This practice should be
discontinued because it is a clerical mess, opening the door
to a variety of errors, oversights, and overpayments.

The assistance given us by Mr. Tatarian and his
staff is much appreciated.

REAL ESTATE DEPARTMENT

The Real Estate Department, headed by Wallace
Wortman, Director of Property, provides services in the
appraisal and negotiation facets of real estate matters for
the City's departments and offices. The two major Real Estate
programs have been:

1. the acquisition of land for waste water treatment
facilities; and

2. the ongoing leasing program for City departments
requiring space not available in City-owned buildings. The
department is also involved in school expansion, acquisition

of property for parks, street widenings and extensions, disposal
of surplus property, advice pertaining to real estate matters,
management of City-owned properties, special study and appraisal
projects, and maintenance of records oertaining to City, Unified
School District and Community College District property.

The Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RAP) is a
program which mandates code enforcement and makes voluntary
home improvement loan programs (65? interest loans). The
Upper Haight Ashbury and Inner Richmond districts are progres-
sing slowly as it is difficult to get contractors to do these
Jobs as the contracts are small ($5 .000 to $7,000) and 90 days
are required for approval.

The Wastewater Treatment Project has commenced
building the North Point Station and the Southern Station. The
V/estside Station (the "Great Highway") is expected to start
soon. The project, approximating two billion dollars, is
budgeted as follows :

1. The federal and state governments will pay
87-55?; and

-77-

REAL ESTATE DEPARTMENT (continued)

2. The City government will pay 12. 5%.

As a result of Proposition "J" the City has three
million dollars a year to buy open space. The 17-3 acres the
City leases to the Olympic Club is to be left as is. To build
middle-income housing on the space would destroy the watershed
and seriously interfere with the Master Plan. The Olympic
Club has a total of 353.3 acres of which 17.3 acres are leased
from the City.

Recommendations ;

1. The City should have a short-term lease with the
Olympic Club with options to raise the monthly rent of the
City-owned property; and

2. Appropriate City departments should be centralized
in a location that facilitates communication and efficiency
which in turn provides greater productivity.

PURCHASING DEPARTMENT

This department purchases materials, supplies,
equipment and contracts for equipment and services. It repairs
automotive and other types of equipment. It operates a central
reproduction unit for office forms. It maintains a running
inventory of equipment and disposes of surplus.

The department is headed by Mr. Joseph C. Gavin who
purchased or contracted for approximately $175 million during
Fiscal Year 1977-78. Mr. Gavin advises that his operation com-
pares favorably with similar activities municipal and private.

No physical inventory of City owned property or
equipment has been taken for many years. Apparently additional
personnel are needed to do this although Mr. Gavin hopes to
obtain scanner-type equipment to take inventory by computer.

There is no control over the creation of forms and
many are duplications of those already in existence. Many
become obsolete and forgotten although they are still being
stocked. The prooosed budget for 1978-79 for the Reproduction •
Division is $353,300.

A great number of the City motor vehicles are worn
out and quite often the cost of repair far exceeds their

-78-

PURCHASING DEPARTMENT (continued)

current value. Not all departments send their vehicles in
for preventive maintenance but only when there is a breakdown.

Recommendations :

■

1. A comprehensive program for the systematic maintenance and
replacement of the City's motor vehicles is sorely needed.
Without this type of program there is much waste. Standards
for size and cost should be set. Ease of repair and
depreciation should receive the utmost consideration when
bids are being considered for the purchase of new vehicles,
and in fact any equipment.

2. Bring inventories of City-owned property up to date and
institute a schedule whereby all City departments take a
physical inventory on a calendar basis.

3. Form a committee to inventory and review all existing
office forms and to institute a permanent program for their
design, storage and distribution.

Thomas J. Cook

Michael J. O'Brien

Reynold T. Rey , Chairman

-79-

BOARD OP SUPERVISORS

The Board is comprised of eleven elected representa-
tives who each serve four year terms. The eleven members
represent the eleven districts of the City. They were
impaneled under the new district structure on January Q, 1^78.
We feel that it is too early to form any Judgements of the new
district elections, but there is some indication that the
Supervisors are more concerned with the special needs of their
districts rather than the overall needs of the City. We recog-
nize that the current President of the Board of Supervisors is
experienced and dedicated, and has been a stabilizing influence.

The Board is faced with many problems. Those meriting
top priority are:

1. Specially funded rental programs for middle-income families;

2. A middle-income family housing building program;

3. Health Department services for middle-income families;
ij. A Muni railway program which provides transportation to

special events, shopping and for children;

5. Aid to family and neighborhood businesses;

6. An office of "Middle-Income Services";

7. City budget provisions for improved neighborhood police
services, specifically policemen on the street. This
practice has been proven to be an important factor in
deterring crime;

8. A planning program encouraging retention of middle-income
housing and private financing of new family housing;

9. Stabilization of housing costs and speculation;

10. Social services to middle-income residents. The heavy

emphasis on middle-income programs is due to the fact that
the number one problem in San Francisco Is the mass exodus
of middle-income families from the City to the suburbs.

It is very significant that these needs must be met
with a reduced budget. This makes it all the more vital that
the Supervisors consider first the overall needs of the City
as a whole, rather than those of their individual districts.

We feel that the Board was hasty in voting a settle-
ment of the police discrimination suit. There is ample
evidence that there was not provable, systematic and conscious
discrimination and therefore we believe that the decision is
better left to the courts.

Mr. Harvey Pose, the budget analyst, performs a
valuable service in monitoring various City departments.

-80-

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS (continued)

Different departments have refuted his findings, but in the
majority of cases he has proved to be thorough and factual.

The Board's cooperation with the Mayor in revising
the budget, subsequent to the passing of Proposition 13 > is
laudable. We trust that this augurs well for the future.
Next year's budget may be even more difficult if the State is
unable to assist in the financing, as it has done this year.
We sincerely hope that the message of Proposition 13 to trim
the fat and increase efficiency in government is adhered to.

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

The Academy is a place where in a few pleasant
recreational hours visitors obtain understanding of their
natural world which they could get in no other way — and
more than 1.5 million do so every year. The Academy is the
natural history museum — planetarium - aquarium complex in
Golden Gate Park, and is its most popular attraction. Its
mission is research and education in the natural and
environmental sciences, or as originally stated at its found-
ing in 1353, the exploration and interpretation of natural
history .

The Academy has been located in Golden Gate Park
since 1916, as a result of a vote of the San Francisco citizens
when its earlier museum, on Market Street, was destroyed by the
Earthquake and Fire of 1906. It is the oldest conservation
organization and oldest scientific society in the western
United States.

The Academy displays the wonders of nature, through
dioramas in the North American Halls and Simson African Hall,
Mineral Hall, Wattis Hall of Man and adjacent Galleries,
Morrison Planetarium, Steinhart Aquarium and Fish Roundabout.
It has the largest attendance of all the northern California
museums .

Dr. George Lindsay has been the Director since 1963 •
He is directly assisted by Dr. William Eschmeyer, Director of
Research, and Dr. John McCosker, Director of Steinhart
Aquarium. They work with a budget of $3,000,000 a year, one-
third of which is City-financed. The remaining two-thirds is
privately funded.

The Academy has been very fortunate in that it has
received millions of dollars in endowments. Notable among

-81-

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCPI^CES (continued)

these are the bequests of Helen Lillis - a ranch near Fresno
which was sold by the Museum for $1,500,000 and William Noble
donated $5 million. Additional monies are received by admis-
sion charges and Academy membership.

There are seventy nine "Friends of the Academy" who
each contribute $1000 or more annually. There are 126
corporations and foundations which have gifted the academy -
past and present, in many forms: cash securities, life
insurance, real and other property, and bequests. It is
qualified as a tax exempt organization.

There are 220 paid staff and approximately 30 CETA
employees. The Academy is most grateful to the 325 volunteers
who donate their time and services.

We were impressed to learn that the California
Academy of Sciences rates fourth in importance in the United
States, preceded by 1) the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.,
2) the American Museum of Natural History in New York City,
and 3) the Field Museum in Chicago. The Academy of Sciences'
fish collection is rated number three in the world behind the
Smithsonian and the British Museum in London. The fish speci-
men collection is a valuable resource in the areas of ocean-
ography, ecology, commercial fishing industry, etc. The Fish
Roundabout is the newest innovation at the Academy. It
simulates oceanic conditions. The fish swim upstream in a
continuous 3 knot current. Its interest has increased atten-
dance by approximately h0% . The anticipated attendance for
1978 is 2,000,000 visitors, particularly with the opening on
June 15th of the "Treasures of Peru" Exhibit.

Recommendations

1. To alleviate the problem of Sunday closure to automobiles,
we recommend an educational program for the public of
alternative accesses to the Academy, i.e., distribute
fliers with maps of the park, various media publicizing
alternate transportation methods and routing.

2. That the Academy subcontract services as a money saving
plan.

We commend the Academy on the atmosphere of culture
in natural and environmental sciences in the magnificent
ambience of this natural history museum.

-82-

PINE ARTS MUSEUMS

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco consist of
the M. H. de Young Museum and the California Palace of the
Legion of Honor under the capable direction of Ian McKibbin
White. The de Young Museum has a permanent collection of
Western art from its Egyptian, Greek and Roman origins through
the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and into modern Europe and
America. Art from Africa, Oceania and the Americas is
exhibited here also.

The function of the Museum is to preserve, collect
and exhibit. The collection is divided into four categories:
Painting, Prints and Drawings, Decorative Art and Sculpture,
each headed by its own curator.

At present the de Young Museum is following a trend
of ethnic exhibits. The "Treasures of Irish Art" Exhibit was
received enthusiastically. The director and city fathers
are to be commended for the acquisition of the King Tut show.
San Francisco was not on the Itinerary but due to a special
trip to Egypt and successful negotiations, it has been
obtained for the de Young Museum commencing in June, 1979 for
four months. Preparation for the show has necessitated large
expenditures. It will cost $1,500,000 to run it. Two full-
time employees have been working since last Fall on the
project. Sophisticated environmental control equipment is
being installed for preservation and protection of the show.
This condition, among others, was demanded in the original
negotiation. The excitement generated by this exhibit is
reflected in greatly increased membership. By 1979, 50,000
members are anticipated. It is predicted that 1,500,000
people will view it here.

Seven permanent private collections are to be
received. Notable among these is the collection of Nomadic
rugs. With the continuing expansion of collection and
exhibits, space has become a major problem particularly with
present negotiations for the El Prado Museum (Madrid)
collection and the Treasures from the Kremlin. Additional
staffing and funding are also badly needed.

The Legion of Honor is unique in America for its
emphasis on the art and culture of France, depicting religious
art of the Middle Ages, 17th and 18th centuries, 19th and 20th
century Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.

The Legion of Honor also houses the famous Achenbach
Foundation for Graphic Arts. The Achenbach collection was

-83-

FINE ARTS MUSEUMS (concinu d)

given to San Francisco in 1950, along with an endowment of
which only the interest ($50,000) is used to support the
collection. This is a showpiece of the Museum.

Problems Facing the Museums

1. Legion of Honor - lack of restroom availability for
handicapped.

2. Lack of public transportation on weekdays. (At present,
transportation is available only on weekends.)

3. Lack of directional signs at key intersections.

4. Lack of adequate communications system. In consolidation
of the two museums, 13 phones have been reduced to 5. All
calls go through the City's main switchboard. Important
phone calls are lost because of the system's constant
tie-ups.

5. Lack of preventive measures for dust damage to the
collection from a nearby workshop.

Recommendations

1. An aesthetically correct handicapped ramp at de Young
Museum to be approved immediately.

2. The communication system improved by installation of
private lines (a break away from City Hall lines).

3. Adequate restroom facilities for the handicapped at the
Legion of Honor.

*J. Renovation - at the de Young Museum for preparation of
King Tut exhibition and at the Legion of Honor for the
Dresden exhibit.

5. High Velocity Air Conditioning climate control at Legion
of Honor.

6. Installation of directional signs to Legion of Honor at
key street intersections.

7- Shuttle buses from Clement Street to Legion of Honor three
times daily between 10 A.M. and 5 P.M. on weekdays.

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

The Asian Art Museum has been under the direction
of Rene-Yvon Lefebvre d'Argence since its inception in 1959.
The Museum has exclusive jurisdiction over the collection of
Asian Art belonging to the City and County of San Francisco.
Originally it was built to house *)500 items - the gift of
Avery Brundage. This amount doubled in 1969 with the second
gift by Mr. Brundage. At present, through additional contri-
butors, the collection now totals close to 10,000 art objects,
consisting of sculptures, architectural elements, paintings,
bronzes, ceramics, jades, textiles, and decorative objects,

-8U-

ASIAN ART MUSEUM (continued)

Illustrating major periods and stylistic developments of
Asian arts.

The facility also contains an Asian art library of
12,000 volumes and provides a complete docent training program,
Educational books have been published in several languages,
based on the collection.

The problems facing the museum at present are:

1. Lack of display space. The complete collection cannot be
displayed at one time but is rotated on a continual basis.
The ratio is 13* display to 87% storage. It would take
fifteen years to display the collection In its entirety.

2. Need for additional staffing.

a) Curator I for education. Diana Turner was appointed
Curator of Education in 197^ . She handles all educational
areas. She is in desperate need of an assistant, a
Curator I position.

b) One Chief Preparator - needed to organize and take
charge of design and construction of all displays.

c) Assistant Librarian - due to the large size of the
collection, an assistant is needed for the one librarian.
At present it is closed to the public because of inadequate
staffing.

3. Upgrading of Civil Service classifications. The Japan
curator and the India curator have served for twelve and
ten years respectively. They have taken on additional
responsibilities far and above their present classifica-
tion. Mr. d'Argence consulted the Civil Service Commission
regarding the matter and received full support. However,
the request was deleted by the Mayor in the next budget.

4 • Security. A security system to be installed for the

accountability of the art objects. This is particularly
crucial due to the fact that there is no insurance on
this collection valued at one-half billion dollars.

Mr. d'Argence has a small staff of fifteen
permanent and eleven CETA employees.

The City of San Francisco through the Asian Art
Museum has been honored by the request of the Korean govern-
ment to organize a two year tour of Korean art treasures. It
will commence here in May 1979, and will remain here for five
months, to be followed by a United States tour. It is hoped
that the City will assist financially in this exhibit.

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ASIAN ART MUSEUM (continued)

There is also an art exhibit from the People's
Republic of China projected for the summer of 1981. This will
display the newest excavations in Ching Dynasty art.

Bearing in mind the monetary, aesthetic, political
and educational values of the Asian Art Museum to the people
of San Francisco, we hereby recommend:

1. Investigation of the problem of display space.

2. Granting of three additional staff positions.

3. Upgrading the positions of two curators.
1* . Reinforcement of the security system.

ANIMAL CONTROL CENTER

The San Francisco Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals was founded in 1868 and is presently under
the direction of Mr. Richard Avanzino. It provides for the
hospitalization and sheltering of animals, a low cost animal
care program for senior citizens, low cost spay and neuter
clinic and the rescue of animals in distress. It also has the
responsibility of impounding unleashed animals and quarantining
of biting dogs.

The S.P.C.A. is a non-profit corporation which is
funded privately and by the City. The current budget is
$1,^00,000. Of that amount, $517,000 are City funds. The
remainder is obtained through endowments and private sources.

The ultimate goal of the shelter is obtaining for the
animals a happy home environment, securing responsible owners
who will license them, keep them on a leash and clean up after
them.

We commend Mr. Avanzino for initiating the program
whereby volunteer veterinarians from U.C. Davis contribute their
services. Mr. Avanzino encourages animal groomers to donate
their expertise toward readying animals for adoption. He has
an exchange policy with the local press; for any animal story
to get into the newspaper, they must provide an adopter.

Last year 775? of the cats and 65% of the dogs were
adopted. The national average is 10%. The shelter generated
$280,000 in fees last year. It also provides animal care for

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ANIMAL CONTROL CENTER (continued)

people who are incapacitated or in legal custody. There is a
new program underway to train dogs to hear for the deaf. They
will respond to crying babies, ringing doorbells, screeching
brakes, keys dropping, etc.

Mr. Avanzino has obtained through the private sector
of the S.P.C.A. four vans for animal protection. They cost
$15,000 each. The rescue van cost $20,000 and is fitted with
life saving equipment. The Petmobile cost $25,000. It travels
to shopping centers and recreational centers and shows animals
on the spot for adoption. The vehicles are rented to the City
for four years at the rate of 25? of their value each year.

We wish to commend the entire staff, including
volunteers, on a smoothly run, competent organization.

Robert D. Au

Willie J. Crosby

Luclnda M. Romaneck, Chairman

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CITY ATTORNEY

The City Attorney is the legal counsel for the different
departments of the City and County of San Francisco. The office's
litigation involvement extends to areas such as City code enforce-
ment, the Public Utilities Commission, Police, Recreation and Park,
Airport Commission, Public Works, and a wide range of other depart-
ments. These legal situations involve the City as a plaintiff or
defendant.

This office has many problems that have been cited in
previous Civil Grand Jury reports and recently, by a special report
from the Bar Association of San Francisco. This Jury has investiga-
ted this office and is definitely concerned with these reports.

A major problem is space. Many of the attorneys do not
have a desk and have to use the library tables as temporary space
for their work. The attorneys that do have desks are crammed into
noisy, small offices with one or two other attorneys, and if he or
she is lucky, a secretary.

The library is spread throughout the offices in corridors.
It is difficult to use because of heavy traffic interruptions.

Filing cabinets are locatea wherever available space per-
mits, not where they are readily accessible.

In addition, lighting and ventilation are substandard.

This department is understaffed for the volume of work
and has an inadequate ratio of support personnel to attorneys. City
Attorney George Agnost has a present staff of 65 attorneys and a
support staff of approximately 30 to handle more than 4,000 cases
a year. This represents hundreds of millions of dollars of liti-
gation. The importance of these cases has forced many attorneys
to take their work home or to work on weekends , and on occasion
to file and type their own cases. This was partly caused by the
previous ratio of support staff to attorney of .42. Eight new
attorneys have been hired making it the present total above. Mr.
Agnost is striving for a ratio of .67 to obtain maximum productivity
The present rate is counter productive and a waste of the taxpayer's
money .

Another problem is inadequate equipment or the lack of
equipment. Many of the old typewriters as well as some new ones
lack "specialized characters" needed for legal typing. The old
typewriters break down often and turn out work that is smudged

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CITY ATTORNEY (continued)

or otherwise unacceptable. At the Airport Branch of the City
Attorney's office, three secretaries were approved, but no desks
or typewriters.

The fifty line switchboard is outdated and operated by
only one person who must answer and reroute through central City
Hall to deputies for non-direct calls. Because of this situation,
some incoming calls are never answered or lost in the transfer.

To handle this department's monumental legal documents
that have extensive texts, the Citv Attorney has installed a "Wang"
word processor and a phone recorder system for attorneys to phone
in document directives. In the past, long documents of similar
or same text had to be retyped to insert individualized information.
This word processor has an archive unit thai retains the original
text and allows changes in format, text, name ^ and countless de-
tails. There are four work area units with a '/isual scan which
projects the graphic text to be entered or adjusted. These four
scans allow for four different documents to be worked on at the
same time. When completed the changed document is printed auto-
matically on pleading paper per the execution button. The ori-
ginal text is still retained in the unit.

The full potential of this "Wang" has not been fully
realized. It has already proved to be a savings in secretaries,
time, quality of work and money. It costs the City $8,400 a year
to rent. This committee of tne Grand Jury was greatly impressed.

The new Airport Branch was formed to have a legal staff
immediately on hand for the Airports Commission. This staff has
enormous responsibility in providing advice, preparing and re-
vising over 300 leases, permits and concession agreements, pre-
paring and monitoring bid documents and contracts, and related
documents resulting in the current multi-million dollar Airport
expansion. It also defends the existing 1M2 lawsuits resulting
from Airport operations.

In addition, this branch is working on a pilot program
for contract management. Because of the volume of work and con-
ditions, many of the City's contracts are drawn up by "the other
side" which could leave the City at ? disadvantage. The legal
staff is trying to revise this process.

The staff has to work in substandard make-shift offices
shared with the Airports Commission. They also lack desks, chairs,
typewriters and need a law library. The cost of this would be at
no expense to the taxpayer as funds would come from the landing

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CITY ATTORNEY (continued)

fees paid by the airlines under the Airports Commission. The Jury
feels that this area should be approved or put high on the list of
priorities since the Airport stands to gain substantially from
Proposition 13.

Mr. Agnost would like to see the department relocated
under one roof and it has been suggested that the department rent
floors in the new State Compensation building to provide modern
office space for the entire City Attorney's office. His goal is
to have the best public law office in the State.

The department has had "years of City Hall budgetary short
slghtedness." The political preoccupation with the ad valorem tax
rate and the concentration of front page programs have taken their
toll on unglamorous agencies such as the City Attorney's office.
Last year some fiscal attention was directed to this office but
the years of neglect require more serious support now. There is
too much at stake socially and economically for the City to do
otherwise. Proposition 13 will make this department even more
important as the legal problems it generates grow.

This Jury commends the City Attorney's staff on their
devotion and good work in these uncertain economic times and
under existing physical conditions. We support Mr. Agnost in his
goals .

DISTRICT ATTORNEY

The District Attorney's Office, headed by Joseph
Preitas , Jr., is made up of several teams: Investigations,
Special Prosecution, Administrative Section, Consumer Fraud, Crim-
inal Prosecution, Victim Witness, and Family Support.

FAMILY SUPPORT

The Family Support Unit was established in January, 1976,
by state and federal mandates to recover support obligations owed
to both welfare and non-welfare families by absent parents. Basic
functions are to obtain child support orders, locate absent parents,
establish paternity, collect and disburse chill support payments.

This unit employs about 122, with a current year budget
of $2, 370,91^. However, because of state and federal subventions,
it did not require ad valorum taxes to operate. At this writing,
the Unit has vacancies which it cannot fill due to the freeze on

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DISTRICT ATTORNEY (continued)

employment. We recommend lifting of this freeze as this will ham-
per the Unit in its collection function, and the salaries are not
paid out of ad valorum tax money.

Prior to the establishment of this Unit, San Francisco
ranked about last of all counties in California in its collection
program. It is now about fourteenth. The Grand Jury was impressed
with the drive and motivation of this Unit , which is under the
direction of Nancy Keane . It is one of the operations in the City
where we saw evidence of a training program, productivity goals,
and a reward system for performance.

CONSUMER FRAUD DIVISION

Acting Director Judy Ford heads an enthusiastic staff
made up mostly of volunteers and law students. Its mission is to
protect consumers from illegal business practices. It utilizes
a federally funded complaint mobile unit to make itself more ac-
cessable to the public. Information and complaint forms are
printed in English, Spanish and Chinese. In 1977 this Division
obtained $100,000 in court awards. We feel this Division provides
a valuable service to the citizens of this City.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

The District Attorney has 85 attorneys, with a ratio of
one secretary to three attorneys. This situation is similar to
that of the City Attorney where high priced attorneys are doing
some of their own typing and filing. The District Attorney is
trying to solve this problem by enlarging his secretarial pool,
and making the existing one more productive. He hopes to accomplish
the latter, with a training program, room dividers to improve
working conditions , and with a program to reduce turnover in per-
sonnel. This turnover, and lack of adequately trained typists has
prevented optimum use of the word processor equipment which would
in turn increase productivity of the pool.

THE VICTIM WITNESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

This program provides services to victims and witnesses
of violent crime. This newly funded federal program is directed
by Sue Gershenson with a staff composed of two assistants, clerical
personnel, and volunteers.

The program is designed to benefit elderly victims (over
55), victims of rape and domestic violence. Services to witnesses
include orientation as to procedures in court, and assistance in
getting to court appearances.

-91-

DISTRICT ATTORNEY (continued)

This program is currently providing assistance to about
225 persons monthly. Its facilities at 560-7th Street lack privacy
for interviewing victims, and sufficient space for training vol-
unteers, who are an essential element in the success of this pro-
gram.

This new program is already providing a needed service
to victims of violent crime in San Francisco.

PUBLIC DEFENDER

The Public Defender's Office, under the direction of Mr.
Robert Nicco, operates according to the Charter, and is governed
by Section 27706 of the Government Code of the State of California,
Over the years the number of referrals to the Public Defender has
increased. Over 70$ of all misdemeanor and felony cases are re-
ferred to him for a free defense. In addition to permanent staff,
CETA attorneys, volunteers and interns are employed.

Recent Grand Jury Reports, particularly that of the
1975-76 Jury, have covered the problems of the Public Defender
in great detail. The long history of neglect continues. The
office is short of space, equipment, personnel, and travel funds.

Individuals confined to State Hospitals and mental care
homes require visitation and representation. Those under conser-
vatorship must have their cases reviewed every six months. This
area, Mental Health, is under the direction of Estrella Dooley.
She reports that the number of cases under her Jurisdiction in-
creased 70% in fiscal year 1976-77, or 1,363 cases. About 80*
of the cases involve travel outside of the City and there is the
chronic problem of insufficient funds for travel.

The Public Defender staffs four courts at the Youth
Guidance Center. Mr. Gregory Bonfilio heads this activity. With
a staff which includes 5 to 10 law students, and 5 CETA attorneys,
Mr. Bonfilio is coping well with an increasingly heavy workload.

Despite the well-known poor working conditions and
shortages, the Public Defender continues to provide high quality
legal assistance to those in need of his services. The Grand
Jury commends Mr. Nicco and his staff for excellent work under
difficult conditions.

-92-

SHERIFF

The areas of involvement and responsibilities of the
Sheriff's Department are management and operation of the City
and County Jails, courtroom security and the Citil Division.

The elected Sheriff, Richard Hongisto, left the
department on December H», 1977, in good order, to Undersheriff
Jim Denman, to manage until a new Sheriff was appointed.
Eugene Brown was appointed Sheriff on February 2k , 1978 by the
Mayor. It is the opinion of the Civil Grand Jury that Sheriff
Brown has a tremendous source of information from his present
staff. His background as patrolman (on the beat), and community
relations specialist for the San Francisco Police Department
will give him additional insight into Jail personalities. He
works very well with Undersheriff Jim Denman. Mr. Hongisto
has made himself available to Sheriff Brown for any information
that he may need.

In fiscal year 1977-78 the Sheriff's Department lived
with a bare bones budget of $10,370,59**. of which 85* was
earmarked for salaries. Total staff numbered 387 sworn and
unsworn employees; they are budgeted for M05.

The deputy sheriffs assigned to work the Jails undergo
extensive education and training before and during their Jobs
in the Jail environment. The philosophy of humane treatment
of inmates is an ongoing concern of the management and staff.

Jails

Jail No. 6 at the Hall of Justice, handles approxi-
mately 90,000 people a year who have been accused of misdemeanors
and/or felonies. Here they await preliminary hearings and court
dates. The arrestees are booked and processed from one major
holding cell, where misdemeanors and felonies are grouped
together until fully processed. The mixing of the two types of
accused is a problem that the press has fully indicated in their
reports. Another problem with the holding cell is that there is
only one small window to observe the arrestees. Some of these
people may be quite violent or mentally imbalanced, and can be
harmful to themselves and others. This kii <i of situation could
go unnoticed under present physical conditions. For example,
there was an unobserved death of a young man on May 15, 1978,
in this holding cell. Only through the attention of another
arrestee was the death brought to the attention of the deputies.
An arrestee, depending on the number in the holding cell, can
spend from 15 minutes to 12 hours in the cell, until he is
processed.

-93-

SHERIFF (continued)

We observed a drunk in the "topper" (drunk) tank
lying on the bare concrete floor with no mattress or blanket;
it was explained that the subject did not want any. Regardless
of the situation, it is the feeling of this Jury that he should
have had these items available to him to prevent extreme loss
of body heat resulting in possible medical complications.

The isolation cells are to be used for an inmate's
own protection against himself or others due to "coming down"
from drugs or psychotic behavior. They are also used upon
request by inmates who want to set themselves apart from the
rest of the Jail population. These cells are not padded,
creating a possibility of self-inflicted injury. The deputies
check the cells every half hour and log it in the office's book.
The system opens a possibility of neglecting a visual check
but still logging it. The only assurance of any check is the
periodic nurse check, and in the morning a check by a doctor.

In general, the lighting conditions in Jail No. 6's
cells are very poor, as is the availability of reading material.

The accessibility of phones to the 400 inmates is
inadequate. Prisoner's Services come in twice a week to help
with the phone problem, but is still not enough to help the
deputies with the communicative needs.

Recreation for the inmates is non-existent.

Jail No. 1 on the 7th floor of the Hall of Justice,
houses federal and City and County prisoners awaiting trial
in Superior Court. The Sheriff's department receives twenty-one
dollars per day for each federal prisoner. This money goes to
the City's general fund, of which 25* of it goes to the Special
Maintenance Fund for Jail improvements.

This Jail seemed to be in order; overall cleanliness
and organization were good. The four isolation cells in this
Jail are padded and the inmates here are checked daily at
8:00 A.M. by a nurse and every half hour by deputies. Here,
as in No. 6, the possibility of neglect by a deputy to ignore
a check is repeated.

Limited recreation is available in the Jail's chapel,
where there is a universal gym that the prisoners can use.
However, the space is inadequate. The "recreation area" is
limited to 24 inmates at a time. Exercise is available two hours
a day from 9:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. Each group is allowed one
hour; therefore only 48 out of a Jail population of approxi-
mately 350 inmates exercise on a given day. This means that an
inmate has an opportunity for only one day of exercise per week.

-94-

SHERIFF (continued)

Presently there Is a study being made to convert an
existing helicopter pad on the roof to an outside recreation
area. Money for conversion Is being sought through Capital
Improvement Funds.

A major problem of an outside recreation area, which
demands careful study, Is the need for good security.

We concur that recreation is badly needed but we also
realize that the City has to deal first with highest economic
priorities.

Jail No. 3

The women's Jail on the seventh floor of the Hall
of Justice involves prisoners in both Municipal and Superior
dourt cases. This facility appeared to be In good, clean order.
There are eight large cells which were very nicely decorated.
The atmosphere seemed pleasant. There Is good lighting and
one universal gym, located in a central back niche, as their
only source of exercise. This appears to be inadequate for the
number of female inmates. At last report, the area was Just
painted.

The Work Furlough Programs for State, City and County
are located for the applicable men and women offenders at 930
Bryant Street and on the 6th floor of the Hall of Justice,
respectively.

The programs are oriented to selected inmates who
are permitted to leave confinement for employment or to pursue
education or vocational endeavors. Its main feature, aside
from being a tax saving, is that an inmate is allowed to main-
tain his employment, support his family and handle other
monetary obligations. Work furloughees pay $3.00 per day for
administrative costs and provide for their own meals at a
restaurant of their choosing. This program in essence allows
the inmate to choose a responsible attitude as to his or her
placement in society.

The men's Work Furlough Program was offically begun
and budgeted for in 1968. The women's Furlough Program is state-
mandated but has not been budgeted. It exists out of the
Sheriff's budget. To date budget requests have failed for
the women's Work Furlough Program.

We commend Mr. Marvin R. Pugh, Director of Work
Furlough Program for his good work. There was an 83% success-
ful adjustment rate in 1977.

-95-

SHERIFF (continued)

Jail No. 2 and No. *t

Jail No. 2 (Men's) and No. 4 (Women1 s) in San Bruno
are built on 110 acres of country land. Its purpose is to
house up to 700 men and 50 women who have been sentenced for
less than one year. San Bruno also services surrounding
counties' prisoners for $21.00 a day. These fees along with
the previously mentioned federal prisoners' fees have generated
$180,000 for Jail improvements.

The men's Jail is currently undergoing plans for a
new visitor's room to replace their circa 1935 cage-like room.
This $92,000 funded improvement will provide non-contact and
contact visiting. Contact visiting seems to be a national
trend in Jails, which is one of several innovations in the Jail
system to help create more humanization, responsibility and
less dependence on imprisonment as a life style. The visiting
room will also serve as a lunch area for deputies and a class
conference area. With the present 80* Jail recidivism rate,
any tool to help cut it down is welcomed.

San Bruno's educational program is excellent; its
emphasis is on the removal of barriers to learning. The
program is co-ed and is run by a specialist from Mission
Community College. The success rate of this program is very
high and one high school credit unit is given per 15 hours of
instruction. They teach basic skills (reading, writing, etc.)
with typing and a Jail newspaper to augment the program.

The Prisoner's Assistance Program located in the men's
Jail provides a wide range of services to both Jails. Its
team of 15 staff and 60 CETA supply assistance in bio-feedback,
paralegal services, child legal services, transcendental
meditation, drug and alcohol services, etc. The Jury found
this program commendable.

Since the funding of $192,000 to Jail No. 2 in
1976-77 for its "poorly equipped medical facilities0, nothing
has been physically done. These funds are presently being
held back for possible better use in Jail No. 2 and other Jail
medical facilities. The Sheriff's Department is looking into
having its illegal "Squirrel Cages" phased out and replaced by
5 to 6 "Seclusion Cells" to be built in its infirmary. In late
May 1978, it was estimated that these cells may cost $30,000
each. Because of the present high cost, the Sheriff may have
to seek additional federal funds through the L.E.A.A. This will
probably delay the improvements of the Jail's medical facilities,

Jail No. 2 has 10 inmates and one civilian chef

-96-

SHERIFF ( continued)

to cook Jail No. 4's and Its own food. The food services have
greatly Improved from Its previously poor quality and short
rations. With the funding of a total of $1,010,000 for the
City's Jails, It has raised the previously budgeted 56 cents
per meal to 76 cents, and changed the Jails' food service
administrator. Better planning has been instigated to allow
for the rise in food costs, menus and nutritional requirements.
Undersheriff Jim Denman is looking into a pre-packaging food
program for the Jails. It is estimated that a 5% savings would
result because of equal portions.

Jail #H is in need of a phone that works for only
local calls. At present, it has one pay phone that demands
the attention of a deputy to prevent long distant phone charges
to the Jail. This Jury recommends a better phone as mentioned
above; this will aid in better utilization of the deputy's time
and the department's money.

This Jail appeared clean and orderly. The women's
cells reflected more privacy and self expression in the cells'
decor. There is adequate recreation through the alternate
use of the recreational field with the men in Jail No. 2.

The Grand Jury would like to note, that the San
Bruno Jails as well as the Jails at the Hall of Justice prescribe

drugs for "pain" to over 50$ of their inmates. The main drug
that is used is Darvocet. Dr. Peters and Dr. Waters of the
County Jails Medical Services have been informed of this find-
ing and it is hoped that proper attention will be focused in
this area. We understood that the doctors working in this area
are left up to their own "subjective" decision, but it is the
Jury's opinion that the Administrative Medical Officials should
be aware of this too.

Proper distribution of drugs is a problem in the Jails
and, at present, the Sheriff's Department is investigating a
plastic prisoner labeling system to improve the security in
this area.

Security Ward - San Francisco General Hospital

The Security Ward at San Francisco General Hospital
has a capacity of 23 beds and provides to its patients (2/3
medical and 1/3 psychiatric) medical care equal to that pro-
vided to the rest of the hospital's patients. It has an
excellent T.V. camera security system that switches automatically
from the ward to the front door and back when a person approaches
the entrance.

-97-

SHERIFF (continued)

The Jury commends Lieutenant Edgar Flowers and his
staff of 22 deputies for their devotion; many of them go over-
time, without additional pay, to complete their security work.
Overtime funds have been depleted. The deputies also provide
emergency help when needed to the rest of the hospital.

This ward is to be replaced by a new and improved
Security Ward, 7D, in September of 1978. Other County Sheriffs
have viewed this 21 bed capacity facility to study its innova-
tive security features: special T.V. scans, walls, windows, etc

The new ward will have one-half coverage in special
security windows because of lack of funds and high cost. Lieu-
tenant Flowers has emphasized that the preeent planned window
system leaves a possibility of escapes. It is suggested that
the City will be "penny wise and a pound foolish" if it doesn't
correct this while the ward is still being constructed. To
date, the funds have been denied.

Court Room Security

The Sheriff's Department supplies the Municipal and
Superior Courts with 82 Senior Deputies to provide courtroom
security. The current use of senior deputy sheriffs for court-
room bailiffs reveals illogical use of experience and training
by this department as compared to other counties. This situa-
tion has sparked ideas by the Sheriff's Department's top people
to correct this problem. This observation has caused an
inter-departmental look into the entire bailiff system. The
problem, being a cause and effect of Citil Service, would have
to be changed legally.

One problem that is general knowledge to many, and
should be changed, is that since a high percentage of senior
deputies work a **0 hour week, 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. with weekends
off and most bailiffs work this way, the work schedule does
not match the court's schedule. This situation consequently
creates the use of overtime in order to provide service to the
courts and a waste of time and money spent during the hours
when the bailiff is not yet needed in court.

Senior deputies in the bailiff system, age group of
30 to 40 years, who have accumulated a grea t deal of sick leave
tend to use it very often. Because of their age, they tend to
be out on Job related disabilities. These two facts create
absences, thus a need for filling the bailiff position for a
period of time, robs the Jail system of personnel, in order to
provide services to the courts.

-98-

SHERIFF (continued)

It has been suggested that the bailiff system should
be legally changed In order to provide service to the courts
without the use of overtime; a change of bailiff's work time
schedule is all that is needed in this area. In addition,
time on the Job would be more productive.

Another suggestion is to abolish the present bailiff
system whereby using the 82 bailiffs, senior deputy status, as
supervisorial personnel at the Jails, but still to be used in
the courts as bailiffs on a rotating basis with the other
deputies in the department. This rotating system would reduce
cost in training and overtime. It would also give an overall
opportunity for all deputies to be relieved of Jail environment
at one time or another, creating a feeling of fairness through-
out the department.

Civil Division

This division of the Sheriff's Department supplies
services for collection for creditors, keeper levies on busi-
nesses, civil arrests and auto seizures, garnishment and evic-
tions. Through its collections, by court writs in the above
areas, it disbursed, for 1976-77, ?3» 335*7^3 to creditors,
of which $22^,831 were deposited in the County General Fund as
fees collected for these services. This activity is an exclu-
sive service rendered to the taxpayer without the costly dupli-
cation common to many counties which have Sheriffs, Marshals
and Constables, each duplicating the functions of others.

Although this division has had no budgetary increases
for several years, it has been able to handle the work load
with its staff of 20 and 11 deputies. It processed 42,892
services for 1976-77.

The Civil Division is an "economic indicator" of our
times and it is predicted that the effect of Proposition 13 will
greatly increase this division's work load because of the
possibility of increased unemployment.

Evictions have grown to 1,400 a year. Sheriff Brown
has been monitoring this area and it is his opinion that a new
volunteer community relations unit be created to help "people
facing evictions find alternative housing, to put them in touch
with social services agencies and to tackle other problems they
might have". This unit would operate before the court-ordered
eviction.

Edward J. Sosa
Ronald P. Rubia

Robert D. Au, Chairman

-99-

ASSESSOR

The Assessor is responsible for appraising over
180,000 properties, worth more than $13 billion, and process-
ing these appraisals into an assessment roll. This provides
the major source of revenue for the City and County, the San
Francisco Unified School District and the Community College
Board .

The California State Board of Equalization is
mandated to survey the performance of the Assessor's Office
every six years. The Report of a survey made in 1976 was
released in March 1978. It states that there has been improve-
ment since the time of the previous survey in 1970. Many of
their recommendations have been implemented, at least in part,
but they believe that "more could and should have been
accomplished". They doubted, however, that all the 1970
recommendations could have been implemented without more
budgetary support.

The latest report makes 25 specific recommendations.
Within one year of publication, the Assessor is required to
provide the Board of Supervisors a written explanation of the
extent to which he has complied with these recommendations.
Based in part upon this report , the Assessor requested 2h
additional people, including 10 appraisers and 10 assessment
clerks. This request has been cut from the budget.

Prior to passage of Proposition 13, the approved
budget for the Assessor totaled $3,63*1,326, an increase over
the current year of $277,159, or 8t, and included 128 personnel.
By comparison, if the Assessor had received the extra personnel
requested, his budget would have increased 26X, to $1* ,238,684.

Under provisions of Proposition 13, the new assess-
ment roll must be completed by August 1st, and the Assessor
will have difficulty meeting this deadline. For example,
there have been an estimated 43,000 transfers or sales of
property since the 1975-76 tax roll which is the base year
under Proposition 13. These properties will have to be
reappraised to establish their current value.

We would like to express our appreciation to the
Assessor, Mr. Joseph Tinney, and his staff for their fine
cooperation with the Grand Jury.

-100-

TREASURER

The Treasurer, Mr. Thomas Scanlon, Is responsible
for the safekeeping of all money and securities belonging to
the City and County. His office handles the daily receipts
and disbursements, and also invests surplus money in order to
earn as much income as possible. The estimated income from
these investments for this year is $24 ,667 ,**86 , at an average
rate of interest of 6.55X. For comparison, last years' rate
of return was 5.86%.

Two computer systems, Moneymax and Telerate, provide
the Treasurer with up to the minute information on the best
investment possibilities.

It should be noted that thousands of dollars in
interest are lost unnecessarily when departments receiving
checks do not immediately turn them over to the Treasurer.
For example, a two million dollar Federal subsidy check held
over a weekend undeposited would lose a thousand dollars in
interest.

The Grand Jury would like to thank Mr. Scanlon and
his staff for their cooperation, and commend them for efforts
to improve the cash management of the City and County.

Joseph McKinley
Michael J. O'Brien

Margarita V. Tallerico, Chairman

-101-

ADULT PROBATION DEPARTMENT

The Adult Probation Department, located in the Hall of
Justice, is headed by the Chief Adult Probation Officer, Walter
Morse. The department deals with convicted felons, misdemeanants,
pre-trial investigation, and community programs. The department
operated on a budget of $2,2*4 7,000 last year.

A great deal of reorganization took place in the de-
partment last year. The need for more supervisory personnel was
filled by trading three senior line officer positions for two
supervising officer positions, and the upgrading of a clerical
position to clerk supervisor. This gave the department nine
supervising probation officers.

The Superior Court and Municipal Court investigating
and report writing staffs, which had been separate, were combined
to provide adequate staff for all such functions performed by the
department .

The Community Services Division, which performs super-
vision of probationers was changed from six units of one supervis-
ing officer and eight line officers to five units of one supervis-
ing officer and an average of seven line officers . The division
has four units assigned to the City, and one out of the City. The
City units are assigned fewer cases to provide better service to
residents. The geographical division of the units was set up to
provide economic and efficient service, and to improve neighbor-
hood relations. Unfortunately, this proved to be less than ideal
because of the transience of the City's population. Cases are now
first assigned geographically and are not reassigned if a client
moves to a different neighborhood.

The problems encountered by the department are fairly
common to many City departments. They are:

1. Lack of space

2. Poor equipment

3. Lack of clerical staff

l». Poor morale, due to the Civil Service problem

Many times an officer must share interview space with
another officer. This creates a lack of privacy and confidential-
ity for the probationer.

Much of the department's equipment is very old and in
constant need of repair.

-102-

ADULT PROBATION DEPARTMENT (continued)

The officers are responsible for the writing, and fre-
quently typing of numerous lengthy reports . The poor quality and
limited availability of typewriters causes a delay In this process.
It Is felt that officers should be freed from the writing and typ-
ing of reports to concentrate on Investigation and supervision of
clients.

The clerical pool Is composed of six typists, which hard-
ly seems adequate with a staff of sixty-three officers and trainees,
who handled a case load of over 8,000 cases, all units combined.

We urge consideration of the following recommendations:

1. Provide, at the least, sound-proof cubicles for the
Interviewing of clients.

2. Purchase better equipment to withstand the constant
hard use the machines are given. This should include dictaphones,
and word processing machines, as part of an increased typing pool,
which would free officers from clerical duties.

3. No attempt will be made by us to solve the Civil
Service problem of temporary status which has been in litigation
for several years. We do urge a rapid and workable solution to the
obvious dilemma faced by City personnel.

While the Adult Probation Department has faced the prob-
lems of low employee morale and inadequate facilities for its
clients, the department deserves praise for its high level of de-
votion to duty.

THE SUPERIOR COURT

The Superior Court, with Judge Lawrence S. Mana,
Presiding Judge, has courtrooms located in the City Hall, Hall
of Justice, California Hall and the Youth Guidance Center.
The yearly budget for 1977-78 was $4,480,463. The Superior Court
has maintained its efficiently run court calendar, which has been
a source of pride In the past.

We decided that a look at the Civil Grand Jury as a
whole, might be in order. We would like at this time to present
a few suggestions to Judge Mana, and his colleagues, regarding
the Civil Grand Jury.

It has come to our attention, in the past year, that

-103-

THE SUPERIOR COURT (continued)

many of the recommendations made by past Grand Juries have not
been followed.

A prime example of this is the letter written by
Mr. Robert Graham, the foreman of the 1976-77 Civil Grand
Jury, to Presiding Superior Court Judge Henry Rolph. In his
letter Mr. Graham mentioned many of the things which have
continued to frustrate us, as Civil Grand Jurors, this year.

Unfortunately, it was realized by some of us, far
into our term, that a lack of time for our duties was an
increasing problem. Most of us were employed, and many of us
were students. While many faced this problem, there were a
few who were not able to cope with it. Several people left
the Grand Jury mid-way into the term, one for lack of time,
and several for personal reasons. A long period of time
elapsed before the alternates became members and this caused
further problems. Some of us were on committees chaired by
the jurors, which caused some anxiety and frustration. We
were advised to wait a little longer before we attempted to
begin investigations without a chairman. (With a little more
than six months to investigate some of the departments, we
felt a great deal of pressure.) We continued to question our
advisor about when the Jurors could be expected, and were told
that he had communicated our feelings to Judge Mana. We are
fully aware of the pressing schedule of the Judges, especially
the presiding Judge, but we still feel that more attention
should have been given to this issue.

We would like to recommend that prospective Grand
Jurors be made acutely aware of the dimensions of the commit-
ment they are accepting. Perhaps the present Jury might have
an opportunity to speak with newly-sworn Grand Jury members
regarding problems we faced, and present suggestions we might
have. This might make the awesome-looking duties somewhat
clearer and less foreboding.

In the event that some of the original Jurors are
unable to complete their terms, we recommend that the alternates
be sworn in without delay. This should help the alternates
in adjusting to their new roles, as well as keeping the Jury,
as a body, working in an expedient manner.

We will not attempt to cite any other examples of
Grand Jury recommendations not being followed. We would like
to say that this problem creates a feeling of frustration and
futility for the people who have devoted a year of their time
to performing investigations and making recommendations. If
our investigations and recommendations are not given serious
consideration, then a great deal of our time and the taxpayer's

-104-

THE SUPERIOR COURT (continued)

money is being wasted. We realize that immediate action cannot
be taken on all recommendations. We can accept this as long
as we are provided an explanation.

In conclusion, we would like to thank the City and
County of San Prancisoo for providing us with this very unique
and educational opportunity to perform our civic duty.

MUNICIPAL COURT

The Municipal Court, with Judge Frank E. Hart pre-
siding, is responsible for providing court services of the
following nature: civil cases where the amount in controversy
is less than $5,000; criminal cases including misdemeanors and
felony preliminary hearings ; and traffic citations .

The Court operated on a budget of $6, 597, 264 in
Fiscal Year 1977-1978, with a staff of nineteen Judges.

Several programs have been recently instituted. An
experimental Small Claims program by the San Francisco Bar
Association and the Court, funded by the San Francisco Associa-
tion, was tried for a period of a year and expires on July 1,
1978. It opened a Small Claims Court on Saturday but received
poor response from the public.

The new Brown Experimental Bill provides better
public service, in that, it must operate a minimum of one
Monday evening court and one Saturday court . In June , the
court will be open on two Monday evenings, and in July on two
Saturdays. Two attorneys will be available to assist in the
filing of claims, and to answer legal questions. The first
Monday evening court had seventeen cases scheduled, and had
fourteen contestants show up. This program will expire in
April of 1979.

In both experimental programs, the judges received
no additional pay for their services.

The instant traffic program has also provided
additional service for the public. When a citation is issued,
the driver may go to court the same day for a hearing with
a minimal wait if he so elects, or pay his fine.

The present computer traffic citation system has been
found to be costly and complicated; and a study by Coopers

-105-

MUNICIPAL COURT (continued)

and Lybrand Consulting Firm suggested a simpler program for
the large volume of traffic citations processed. The program
would reduce cost and complication by simplifying manual and
computer operations to process a large number of traffic
citations.

Some problems facing Municipal Court are lack of
storage, lack of availability of floating bailiffs, and a gen-
eral lack of security for criminal cases which overflow into
City Hall.

Microfilming of records is a possible solution to
the space problem; but two conflicting laws on destruction of
records are preventing optimum use of microfilm. Microfilm can
be used as primary evidence in court; but until the conflict is
resolved, original records must be stored in the basement of
City Hall and Bekins .

The courts are now utilizing three bailiffs who
"float" between courts during civil hearings. The system works
well with the exception of criminal cases which are frequently
tried in City Hall. A buzzer system which would summon all
bailiffs to a particular area is being worked on; but a date
for completion has not yet been set.

Criminal cases provide a general security problem as
City Hall is not equipped with maximum security facilities,
such as separate elevators, corridors, and secure holding
cells for accused felons. This presents a problem for securing
prisoners, and endangers the public.

We recommend the following:

1. Press for a solution to the legal aspects of
microfilming records.

2. Have the buzzer system installed without further
delay. This should be made a priority item for the engineering
department as public safety is involved.

3. The security problem should solve itself when the
new Wing of the Hall of Justice is completed, and the overflow
problem is solved. This will also, hopefully free one of the
present courts being used to try criminal cases for a Jury
waiting room. In the interim, we recommend a bailiff in each
court room trying criminal cases, as is now being done, and
installation of the aforementioned buzzer system.

In conclusion, we would like to commend Judge Hart

-106-

MUNICIPAL COURT (continued)

and his staff of their progress in dealing effectively with
their problems.

YOUTH GUIDANCE CENTER AND JUVENILE COURT

The Youth Guidance Center and Juvenile Court are
located at 375 Woodside Avenue and are headed by Joseph J.
Kennedy, Presiding Judge, and Joseph Botka, Chief Probation
Officer. They provide court services, probation services,
detention, private placement and crisis intervention of law
offenders under eighteen years of age. Their budget for the
1977-78 was $7,781,500.

There were 133^ Juvenile petitions for law violations
filed during the calendar year 1977. The highest incidents
of offenses were in the areas of robbery, burglary, and thefts.
The highest number of offenses committed took place in the
age group fourteen to seventeen years.

Juvenile Hall provides temporary detention for an
average of forty-five Juveniles per day for periods usually
not exceeding eight days . Since the passage of AB 3121 which
requires that status offenders be housed in an open setting
separate from that of delinquent offenders , one of the cottages
has been turned into an open cottage with co-ed population and
staff. A new program was developed for status offenders in the
community-based detention facility run by Youth Advocates under
a federal grant.

Log Cabin and Hidden Valley Ranches provide housing,
detention, and education for the offender, who, in the court's
opinion, will benefit by longer periods of being away from his
usual environment .

Log Cabin Ranch, under the capable and devoted
direction of Mr. James Licavoli , is located in La Honda. It
has a capacity of eighty-six students with an average daily
population of fifty-eight. They range in age from sixteen to
eighteen. With eight new supervisory management personnel,
the whole ranch program has been upgraded since the Teledyne
Fiasco mentioned in the 1976-1977 Grand Jury Report. Log
Cabin takes youths from counties which have no detention
facilities and charges the counties $725.00 per month. Hidden
Valley located on the same property also operates such a
program. The fees go into the City's general fund.

We thought, based on the great progress made in

-107-

YOUTH GUIDANCE CENTER AND JUVENILE COURT (continued)

reading levels of the students, that the San Francisco Unified
School District has provided a sound educational program for
the Ranches .

In general, we found a reasonably happy population
at Log Cabin Ranch. The boys are housed in dormitories which
seem to satisfy their needs. They are provided with a variety
of activities, and make good use of the facilities. Their
weight-lifting room, which is a converted shack with a concrete
floor, needs minimal repairs such as painting, and the repair
of holes in the floor and walls.

Log Cabin Ranch has an enthusiastic staff that is
sympathetic to the needs of the students, and capable of ful-
filling them. They are to be highly commended for their
worthwhile efforts and their low runaway rate (six students in
one year's time).

Hidden Valley Ranch is directed by Mr. Donald Carlson.
Its capacity was lowered from one hundred to sixty-five to
provide a lower ratio of students to teachers. They have an
intensive reading program using books, which are primarily
donated to them. They also provide many field trips and
activities for the boys.

Hidden Valley has a higher incidence of runaways than
Log Cabin. The problem possibly stems from previous placements
in other out-of-home facilities , and the immaturity of the age
group, which is twelve to sixteen years of age. They had
twenty-four runaways in a three month period; most of them
repeaters .

Probation Services provide both probation officers to
work with offenders and a Family Crisis Intervention Division.
This unit strives to prevent detention of Juveniles by dealing
with parent-child problems through casework, and utilizes
Social Services to intervene in child neglect and abuse problems

Private placement of Juveniles who must be removed
from their families but who do not require detention is
another service provided by the Youth Guidance Center. The
placement of youths in Bay Area group homes and boarding
schools rather than Northern and Southern California facilities
utilizes community and family resources. It facilitates the
child's return to his local community.

The department received ten new vehicles which it
was promised by the City. This should greatly relieve the
problem of officers using their own vehicles for the transpor-
tation of the youths. It eliminates the danger of unsafe

-108-

YOUTH GUIDANCE CENTER AND JUVENILE COURT (continued)

vehicles formerly used by the department.

This department must also deal with the frustrating
problem of temporary positions. We urge prompt resolution
of this problem through the Civil Service Department.

Recommendations

Despite the fact that the educational program at the
ranch was adequate, we felt additional emphasis should be
placed on vocational training.

The auto shop teacher was on disability for a period
of a year and a half. A substitute was not hired because of
the possibility of the teacher returning to work. We felt that
the School Board was somewhat remiss in not finding a more
rapid solution to the problem. Services which were being paid
for were not being provided. The problem has since been
partially resolved. The auto shop teacher has resigned and
has not been replaced.

Funds for a full time registered nurse have been
approved in the 1977-78 Budget. This should further reduce
the number of visits into the City for medical attention.

This committee also feels that a policy to hold
status offenders for twenty-four hours to ascertain whether
or not there are any warrants against them should be adopted.

Dealing with the problems of Juvenile offenders is
a complex subject and we feel that Judge Kennedy, Mr. Botka,
and their staffs, deserve a great deal of credit for their
patience and diligence in dealing with these problems.

LAW LIBRARY

The Law Library, located in City Hall, with a branch
in Mills Tower is headed by Harold Rowe, librarian-secretary.
There are sixteen employees in both branches. Over fifty
percent of the people who use the Law Library are lay people.
During Fiscal Year 1977-78 the Law Library received $310,300
in Municipal and Superior Court filing fees, interest from
U.S. Bonds, utility bonds, savings accounts, and interest from
miscellaneous income. In addition to fees and other income a
total of $82,573 was appropriated by the City and County,
including mandatory fringe benefits.

-109-

LAW LIBRARY (continued)

The net expenditures for both branches were
$313,771.

A total of 254,289 volumes and 3,860 periodicals,
texts, reports, and other miscellaneous volumes are con-
tained in both branches, according to the most recent figures.

Due to the large number of volumes contained, and
limited space available, many books are not shelved and can
be found in large piles on the floor. They are, however,
catalogued correctly, so they can be easily located by persons
using the library.

A point of great interest to us was the collection
of old and rare books housed by the Law Library. One of the
volumes was pre-Guttenburg Press, with hand-written illuminated
capitals and hand-numbered pages . These volumes are not in
locked cases. Mr. Rowe felt that locking them up would serve
to draw attention to their value, thus, making them a mark for
theft.

This Committee felt that the lack of space was the
big problem faced by the Law Library. Each year, an increasing
number of volumes and periodicals must be purchased to keep the
resources current. Storage of books and periodicals in other
facilities seems impractical as they should be available at all
times for reference.

We do not wish to disagree with Mr. Rowe but we feel
that the rare volumes he has should be kept in a more secure
setting.

We wish to commend Mr. Rowe and his staff on the
accessibility of volumes despite the obvious lack of shelving
available. We highly recommend that some provisions be made
to eliminate this problem.

Perhaps one of the soon-to-be vacated court rooms in
City Hall could be divided by the use of partitions. One half
could then be used by the Law Library and the other as a Jury
room for the use of the Courts.

Margarita V. Tallerico
Steven H. Rosen

Jane F. Reeve, Chairman
-110-

/

79

1978-79

CIVIL

L'BUC LI'

GRAND JURY
REPORTS

CITY AND COUNTY OF
SAN FRANCISCO

CALIFORNIA

FINAL 1978-79 CIVIL GRAND JURY REPORTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS

V Foreman's Letter to the Presiding Judge

VI Introduction

96 Adult Probation Department

31 Aging, Commission on the

52 Agriculture and Weights and Measures, Department of

11 Airport

72 Animal Control Center

4 Art Commission

71 Asian Art Museum

90 Assessor

6 Board of Education

69 California Academy of Sciences

42 Chief Administrative Officer

75 City Attorney

26 City Planning, Department of

36 Civil Service Commission

8 Community College District

2 Controller

46 Coroner

52 County Clerk

76 District Attorney

45 Electricity, Department of

-I-

TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

3 Electronic Data Processing

10 Emergency Services

70 Pine Arts Museums

50 Finance and Records, Department of
9 Fire Department

33 Health Service System

29 Human Rights Commission

100 Law Library

1 Mayor

98 Municipal Court

22 Municipal Railway

26 Parking Authority

15 Permit Appeals, Board of

13 Police Department

17 Port Commission

51 Public Administrator - Public Guardian
79 Public Defender

54 Public Health, Department of

15 Public Library

39 Public Service Employees - CETA

59 Public Works, Department of

57 Purchasing Department

6l Real Estate Department

51 Recorder

27 Recreation and Park Department

-II-

TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

51 Registrar of Voters

34 Retirement System

83 Sheriff

29 Social Services, Department of

92 Superior Court

64 Supervisors, Board of

50 Tax Collector

90 Treasurer

19 War Memorial

31 Women, Commission on the Status of

94 Youth Guidance Center and Juvenile Court

-III-

MEMBERS OF THE 1978-79

CIVIL GRAND JURY

IN AND FOR THE

CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO

Mrs. Flora Aramian Miss Vivian M. Kalil

John S. Collins William D. Kremen

Mrs. Clara T. Delgado William Noaks

Charles K. Desler Morris Rabkin

Miss Elizabeth A. Dowd Mrs. Genelle Relfe

Miss Edith T. Griego Mrs. Mildred D. Rogers

Frank Harrison Mrs. Rebecca S. Turner

Marvin Jones Mrs. Blossie C. Williams

Miss Olimpia M. Xavier

Mrs. Kay L. Galloway, Secretary
Robert W. Ecoff, Foreman

Impaneled, July 6, 1978 Discharged, June 30, 1979

-IV-

OFFICE

Room 163. City Hall
Telephone- 558-S010

CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO
GRAND JURY

Honorable Francis J. Mayer
Presiding Judge, Superior Court
City and County of San Francisco
Room 457, City Hall
San Francisco, California, 94102

Dear Judge Mayer:

On behalf of the members of the 1978-79 Civil Grand Jury
I am submitting to you their Final Reports.

Jury members have been conscientious in the preparation
of these reports. However, it is impossible to make a complete
and thorough investigation of a government as complex as San
Francisco by so few in such a short period of time.

At the time members are chosen to serve on the Grand Jury
we believe more stress should be given to three areas of their
interest. First, is the considerable amount of time and effort
that is required of each participant. Second, the effect of
Section 930 of the Penal Code as it relates to reports, should
be thoroughly explained. This point has been elaborated on in
the introduction of the report. Lastly, it should be made clear
that each year investigations should be concentrated upon the
Major Departments of the City and County Governments, other de-
partments to be investigated only every fourth year.

The Jury would particularly like to express its thanks and
appreciation to Mr. Michael Tamony and his staff for their
active assistance and support.

I would especially like to thank the members of this Jury for
their dedication, cooperation and support during this last year.
Each one has made his or her own unique contribution, not only
to the final report, but also to the many meetings and discussions
held throughout the year.

We hope our findings and recommendations will be beneficial.

Sincerely,

1$at0

Robert W. Eq*£*, Foreman
1978-79 Civil Grand Jury

-V-

INTRODUCTION

During the term of this Grand Jury three events have taken
place which have had an influence on these reports.

First - the implementation of Proposition B severely limited
the budget of the various departments. Although we understand these
restrictions, recommendations have been made for additional money in
those cases where we believe it is warranted. Also areas have been
pointed where we believe funds can be saved.

Second - the tragic deaths of Mayor Moscone and Supervisor
Milk have had a tremendous impact on the city.

Last - the riot at City Hall on the evening of May 21st.
As a result of this occurance the Jury spent much of the remaining
month of its term investigating the events that occurred at City Hall
that evening. We felt that we had a duty to the citizens of San Fran-
cisco to do this before the circumstances became obscured with the
passing of time. Also it was our opinion that it would take a new
Grand Jury time to obtain the investigative experience we had pro-
cured throughout the year. Unfortunately the investigation was not
completed. A request to extend the time of this Grand Jury 30 days
was denied by the Presiding Judge. Sworn testimony and documents
pertinent to the investigation are being forwarded to the Presiding
Judge. These consist of:

(1). Eight booklets of transcribed testimonies, a total of
585 pages.

(2). Exhibit A, A poster announcing a demonstration after
the Dan White verdict.

(3). Exhibit B, the Incident Report of the San Francisco
Fire Department for May 21 and 22, 1979.

(4). Major Incident Report City Hall Riot 05/21/79 to 05/22
79> San Francisco Police Department.

(5). A list of estimated cost of repairs to buildings in
Civic Center by the Department of Public Works.

(6). A letter dated June 15, 1979 from the Director of

Public Works to the Chief Administrative Officer re-
garding City Hall Sound System, and one hundred and
twenty-one police photographs of events at City Hall on
May 21st.

Therefore, we strongly urge the incoming Civil Grand Jury
to make the completion of this investigation one of their
first orders of business.

-VI-

INTRODUCTION (continued)

The Grand Jury System

This Grand Jury strongly recommends that the Board of
Supervisors pass a resolution urging the State Legislature to revise
parts of the Civil Grand Jury System.

First, we believe that Section 930 of the Penal Code should
be amended. This section is incompatible with the oath taken by
Civil Grand Jurors. Section 930 states that: "If any Grand Jury
shall . . . comment upon any person or official who has not been indicted
by such Grand Jury such comments shall not be deemed to be privileged."
However, the oath taken by Civil Grand Jurors states that they "...
will diligently inquire into, and true presentment make, of ...
matters ... subject to investigation..." It further states that
jurors will not leave any department or governmental entity unin-
vestigated through, fear but in all presentments will present the truth
according to the best of their skill and understanding.

The effect of Section 930 is to inhibit a true presentation
of all the facts when the possibility of libelous action exists,
even when groundless. We are of the very firm opinion that the re-
moval of civil immunity from Grand Jurors is a strong deterrent to
the effective performance of their task.

Second, we urge that legislation be enacted to carry the ex-
pertise of the outgoing Grand Jury to the incoming one. Assembly Bill
No. l80Q, which has been referred to the State Assembly's Committee
on Criminal Justice, is one means by which this can be accomplished.
This bill provides for service by Jurors for two consecutive years, of
which one-half would be members impaneled the previous year.

It has been the experience of this Grand Jury that a con-
siderable part of the term is spent becoming familiar with various
departments and matters that require investigation. This is true
even with the availability of previous Grand Jury Reports. About
the time sufficient knowledge is obtained to make searching inquiries
there is little time to do so before the term is ended. If personnel
with the experience and knowledge of the outgoing Grand Jury were
carried over to the incoming Jury much of this delay would be elimi-
nated. Not only would valuable time be saved but the Jury would be
able to carry out its functions with greater efficiency.

Finally the Code should have some provision for making the
department heads more responsive to the Grand Jury recommendations
by making their replies public. One solution would be to require
the responsible officials to conduct public hearings when the same
recommendations have been made by two or more Grand Juries and cor-
rective action has not been taken. The present code has little or
no requirement for action other than a written reply to the Board of

-VII-

INTRODUCTION (continued)

Supervisors and the Presiding Judge regarding the Jury's recommen-
dations. Such a lack of procedures weakens the purpose of the System.

The Trend of The City

Being given the priviledge of observing the overall pic-
ture of the City's activities this past year, the Grand Jury members
feel it has become increasingly apparent that the City is placing
greater and greater emphasis on tourism.

This is evidenced particularly by support with funds and
energies of such projects as the George R. Moscone Convention Center
and its surrounding properties. The expansion of tourist facilities
on Port property is another example. These are being done while
neglecting to give proper support, by adequate maintenance and capital
improvements to existing City facilities. There is also a diminished
interest in maintaining light industry in the City, which has a sound
economic base and stable employment. However, greater reliance is
being placed on service industries relating mainly to tourism with
less stable and lower paying jobs.

These comments are offered not in support nor as criticism
of this trend. It is to call to the attention of the citizens of the
City the direction in which the City is headed and to give them the
opportunity to reflect upon which political and business leaders will
most closely represent their desires for the future of San Francisco.

-VIII-

MAYOR

1. This Grand Jury wishes to express its grief at the
assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.

2. This Grand Jury did not have the opportunity of meeting
with the late Mayor George Moscone , but from what we have been able
to gather, he was a dedicated man who wanted to do his best for the
people of San Francisco. Of course, in a City of our size, we found
those that disagreed with his policies — none the less we shall all
miss him.

3. After Mayor Feinstein's installation, she was able to
meet with this committee only two times.

4. We commend Mayor Dianne Feinstein for gathering the City
together and continuing to run our municipality.

Most recently Mayor Feinstein and her delegation returned
from the People's Republic of China. This was the first time ever
that a delegation from the United States was led by a Mayor.

Mayor Feinstein succeeded in having San Francisco and Shanghai
participate in a Friendship City relationship, the world's largest
city, and like San Francisco, a port city and a city of high culture.
This still has to be ratified by the Shanghai Revolutionary Committee
when it meets next month. No American city has had such a relation-
ship with a city in China. If all goes well this will be approved by
the Revolutionary Committee in July and then, either in late summer
or early fall, Shanghai will send a delegation to San Francisco for
the formal signing ceremonies. Clearly, the Friendship City agreement
was a most important achievement.

Other accomplishments were, obtaining a commitment that the
first Chinese flag ship, following the signing of Maritime agreements
between China and the United States, will come tc the Port of San
Francisco. In addition, the Chinese will be sending a delegation to
inspect our Port next month. If all goes well, the promise of a great
deal of trade between the Port of San Francisco and China looks very
good in the future. Mayor Feinstein says that it won't happen over-
night, but it will happen.

Indications are that the first charter flight from Shanghai,
our future Friendship City, will land at San Francisco International
Airport. Ours will be the Gateway City for China.

The first Chinese Trade Fair in the United States will be
held right here in San Francisco, probably in the fall of 1980. Our
competition was New York and Chicago, which will have shows, but
after San Francisco.

-1-

MAYOR (continued)

In the words of Mayor DIanne Peinstein: "it was a
fantastic trip and a most successful one." We congratulate the
Mayor and her committee on their accomplishments.

CONTROLLER

On each occasion that this Grand Jury met with the
Controller, the first question we asked was: In what shape,
financially, is the City and County of San Francisco?" Each
time the Controller answered that the City is in fine shape,
financially. The last time we met with the Controller and his
staff on May 17, 1979, the Controller told us that for the year
1978-79 we would have a $59 million surplus; that we expect State
bailout monies, (because of Proposition 13), to be about $117
million, that General Obligation Bonds of $14 million were sold
and given AAA ratings by Moody's and an AA rating by Standard and
Poor's; that the $97 million bonds for the George R. Moscone
Center were also sold easily. The above sounds good and is, but
there are certain things that do have to be pointed out and" acted
upon if this department is to function properly and efficiently.

Of the $59 million surplus, $20 million are monies that
have been appropriated by various departments in the City and County
and not used during the year 1978-79. These monies are put in the
Controller's General Fund. Consequently, our surplus is actually
$39 million. There are financial accounting problems, as pointed
out by the Touche Ross & Company report on their audit for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 197o and submitted to the Board of
Supervisors on January 22, 1979. In particular they comment upon
the deficiencies in the current operations of the FIRM (Financial
Information and Resources Management) . Also included in their report
is that the Controller's system of internal accounting control
conforms to generally accepted auditing and accounting systems.
At this point, it should be noted the Controller ' s letter to the
Board of Supervisors dated February 23, 1979, comments on ^is
report. The Controller's office is rectifying many of the defi-
ciencies noted In the Touche Ross & Company report.

During our meeting with the Controller and some of his
staff on May 17, 1979, he told us that some of the deficiencies
have been corrected and others are still being worked on and will
be corrected.

Implementing the FIRM and FAMIS (Financial and Accounting
Management and Information System) systems has put a strain on
the Controller's staff. Some of the auditors used in auditing

-2-

CONTROT.t.kr (continued)

various departments in the City are being used in implementing
and training personnel in the new accounting systems. Mr. John
Farrell, the Controller, now has on his staff Mr. John Madden who
is the Controller's Staff Assistant and Systems Training Officer
for the FIRM and FAMIS systems. Mr. Madden is now working with
the Controller's staff and other departments in explaining and
implementing these new accounting systems.

One high priority in the Controller's office has been
the hiring of a Senior Departmental Personnel Officer, for the
recruitment, evaluation and training of his offices personnel.
The Controller's request for this new position has been approved
in the 1979-80 budget. This hopefully, with some other changes,
will stop the high turn over in the Controller's office.

Mr. Farrell also told us that thirteen new auditors are
being hired. This will help alleviate the backlog in auditing
of the various city departments.

This Grand Jury strongly recommends that they look into
more space requirements needed by the Controller's office. With
asiles loaded with printouts and temporary storage boxes it is
difficult to move around and creates a fire hazard. This space
requirement needed for the Controller's office should be made in
conjunction with Electronic Data Processing (EDP). (See following
report on EDP). We also recommend that the employee probationary
period be lengthened from six months to a year to adequately observe
and evaluate new personnel. After the twelve month period new
employees' salaries should be increased to that of outside industry.
This will give new employees a feeling of more permanence, that is
much needed, since a great deal of the turn over in the Controller's
office has been due to personnel leaving for higher paying jobs in
outside industry.

This Grand Jury and Committee commends Mr. John C. Farrell,
Mr. Francis Byrne and Mr. John Madden for their dedication to their
fiscal responsibilities to the City and County of San Francisco
and also for their open and honest communication with this Committee.

ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING

The Electronic Data Processing Department (EDP) is present-
ly working under tremendous handicaps. This Grand Jury recommends
that the EDP Priority Committee (with the main push coming from the
Controller's Office) immediately look into increasing the central
site computer capacity. EDP is now running at 100# capacity. With
the implementation of the new FIRM (Financial Information and

-3-

ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING (continued)

Resources Management) and FAMES (Financial and Accounting Manage-
ment and Information System) systems, the number of departments
that want to get into EDP and those departments now on EDP that
want more and more information, EDP must be moved from City Hall
to an area where adequate space and energy source are available.

This Grand Jury was very surprised going through the main
computer room and seeing computers and other equipment squeezed in
along side one another, with very small aisles making it difficult
to walk through. Computer printouts were stacked high in the aisles
and outside in the hallways. Not only it is difficult to move
around, this situation creates a tremendous fire hazard. We were
very fortunate during the riots at City Hall on May 21, 1979, that
fires did not do more damage than they did. City Hall has no
sprinkler system, smoke detectors or fire alarms. With all the
invaluable information and very expensive computers in EDP, this
deplorable condition must be resolved immediately.

We also recommend, as have previous Grand Juries, that
the probationary period for new employees be increased from six
months to twelve months. Training in this department is often
more than six months and the need for adquate evaluation is very
necessary. It is also recommended that the pay scale for those
that have finished the training program and probationary period,
be put on a par with outside industry.

We commend Mr. Henry Nan jo and his staff for doing as
good a job as well as they do under great pressure and with the
various obstacles they have to contend with.

ART COMMISSION

The Art Commission, under the direction of Martin Snipper
with Joan Ellison as Assistant Director, both dedicated to their
positions, is responsible for representing and maintaining the
cultural and artistic life of the City; which includes the Pops
Concerts, the Neighborhood Arts Program and Community Cultural
Centers .

Other responsibilities include reviewing and approving
designs of new municipal buildings, the licensing of street mer-
chants and care and maintenance of public works of art. The Art
Commission shall supervise and control the expenditure of all
funds appropriated and purchase works of art for adornment of all
municipal buildings.

-4-

ART COMMISSION (continued)

Because of the difficult economic situation in which the
City finds itself, the area of culture is extremely vulnerable to
budget cuts. The challenge of the Art Commission is to produce
products of such high quality that their elimination would cause
civic misgivings.

More and more neighborhoods are becoming interested in
advancing their culturally beneficial programs in their own commu-
nities, and through the efforts of the CETA program and the aid
that the CETA artists provide, these communities are able to contin-
ue to bring such cultural benefits to their neighborhoods.

The CETA arts program currently has about 150 employees
working in various jobs throughout the city. At the present time
the Art Commission is training seven key employee CETA positions
so that when the present CETA program is over on August 31, 1979>
they will be able to continue many of the ongoing programs under-
way while new CETA employees are trained.

In summary, the Art Commission is performing its primary
function of bringing the arts to the citizens of San Francisco,
and assisting the educational institutions and the neighborhoods
in continuing programs of art.

This Grand Jury recommends to the Board of Supervisors
that they put more "teeth" in ordinance No. 30-69, Sec. 3.13,
"Appropriation for Adornment of Proposed Public Structures", so
that the conflict that now exists between various departments and
the Art Commission can be eliminated.

Charles K. Desler
Olimpia M. Xavier

Morris Rabkin, Chairman

-5-

BOARD OF EDUCATION

The Educational Redesign Proposal of Dr. Robert Alioto,
Superintendent of Schools, was implemented in the Fall of 1978.

The Educational Proposal represents an effort by the
Unified School District to provide the City's students with an
education that prepares them both for higher education and for future
employment.

The proposal will establish a framework for the stability
and continuity of instruction as follows:

A system of kindergarden to fifth grade elementary schools
which stress the basic skills with programs that relate to:

Middle schools, grades 6-8, where first priority is to
competencies and to provide exploratory experiences which prepare
students for:

Four-year high schools which provide both a general and
specialized curriculum leading to higher education and/or the world
of work.

The foundation of the redesign framework is to improve the
student's basic academic skills in the areas of reading, writing and
mathematics.

Galileo High School is the vocational school for business
study and has a full time staff. It offers an excellent preparation
for students planning to get a college degree with specialization in
general business and prepares students seeking future employment.

The present school population is 62,000. Busing will be
reduced 50% and will result in savings of approximately $1.6 million
over a five year period.

SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT MONEY SOURCES

1977-1978

Federal and

State

Local

29%

71%

1978-1979

Federal and

State

Local

69%

31%

The budget for the general Education Fund is subject to
review and approval by the Board of Supervisors and is funded by Fed-
eral, State and Local sources as seen above.

The purpose of centers for the child care program is to pro-
vide educational opportunities for physically handicapped and mentally
retarded pupils, who are found to be ineligible for any other regular
class. At the present the program would enroll 3,000 children.

-6-

BOARD OF EDUCATION (continued)

The closing of schools is not a function of the Redesign
Program, but rather a direct result of an enrollment which dropped by
nearly 30% in the last seven years.

Savings by reduced cost of building maintenance, utilities
and staff after schools closed is $4.9 million.

The School District expects the property left unoccupied
by the Redesign to be put to use by being rented or leased.

The lease of Fremont School to the Police Department should
be consumated before June 30, 1979, allowing the Department to take
possession on July 1, 1979 and commence paying the School District
$104,000 per year. The delays which were not anticipated in October,
1978, were overcome and the mutually beneficial relationship should
begin July 1, 1979.

It is estimated that the Community College District will pay
to the School District rental fees similar to the 1978-1979 fiscal
year and will not increase the number of School District facilities/
rooms currently under lease. The anticipated income for 1979-1980
is $190,000.

Income growth will occur between 1979 and 1983 as the number
of leases and rentals increase. The major rentals consumated in 1979-
1980 will include the lease of Fremont, Andrew Jackson and Laguna Honda.

At the time of this writing Hetch Hetchy, the Department of
Social Services and Health Department are interested in leasing
space from the School District. This Grand Jury feels that the needs
of local City and County govermental agencies and departments should
be given first consideration in these rentals.

Dr. Alioto stated that 1,250 teachers are being laid off
as a result of the $23 million budget cut by the state. The early
retirement plan will reduce the firing of many teachers.

This Jury commends Dr. Alioto for two major areas of accom-
plishment this year.

1) Following through on his vast Redesign Program, and work-
ing the transition as smooth as possible, and 2) working within drastic
budget cuts and facing up to the hard fact that teachers layoffs are
necessary and inevitable to achieve a balanced budget and implementing
this regretable task, although the reduction of student population
and subsequent school closures have eased this.

-7-

COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

The San Francisco Community College District provides all
ages 18 and over equal educational opportunites regardless of natural
origin, marital status, age or physical handicap.

The City College Divison and the Community College District
headed by Mr. Herbert Sussman, provides evenings and Saturday credit
courses, on and off campus as part of its regular program of instruc-
tion. The evening curriculum consists of university courses as well
as semi-professional courses. Students may thus earn the degree of
Associate in Arts or Associate in Science and also prepare for transfer
to universities and state and private colleges. City College offers
credit courses for students who wish to take their first two years
there then transfer to a four year college.

The Downtown Community College Center on the corner of 4th
and Mission streets began full-time operation on the 5th of February,
1979. The beautiful new eight- story College is also earthquake
resistant up to 8.5 magnitude. Its maximum utilization is a 10,000
student capacity, and the center has surpassed its immediate goal of
attracting 5,000 students in its first year. The College building
cost $9.1 million.

To meet the educational needs of the general public, credit-
free courses are offered with no fees or tuition to the student, fees
may be required of certain courses.

A student may enter a course at any time with the consent of
the instructor, if space is available. He also may study as long as
necessary to gain required skills. In most cases students may enroll
in a class simply by attending the frist class meeting.

In order to enroll in certain courses leading to a certific-
ate of completion the student may be required to complete certain pre-
requisites, such as placement testing or previous levels of educational
achievement.

The addition of the eight-storied building to house the
Downtown Community College did not fully alleviate the need for more
school space in other areas of the City. Since the Community College
is a State supported institution and no funds are required from the
City, it is obvious that additional funds to cope with disticts
problems must come from the State Legislature.

William Noaks

Blossie C. Williams

Flora Aramian, Chairman
-8-

SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT

The Fire Department's budget for the fiscal year 1978-79
has again been cut to 95% of last year's budget, which had also been
cut the previous year.

As of this report, there are 1544 uniformed men as com-
pared to last year at this time when there were 1686 uniformed men.
As a result of the budget cut there will be no funds available for
hiring of new men, and, taking into consideration retirement and
resignations during the coming year, we are very concerned that
the level of fire protection that has been afforded to the people
of San Francisco will be reduced.

Chief Casper and his men are working very hard under diffi-
cult times. Many firefighters are working overtime to provide the
dedicated service the people of San Francisco have had in the past.

The Fire Department this year has responded to many more
calls. Below is a list of incidents for the first 8 months of this
fiscal year as compared to last year:

1977-78

Total Incidents

21,002

Fires

4,729

False Alarms

6,449

Rescue Calls

2,799

Resuscitations

852

Greater Alarms

61

1978-79

Change

22,870

+ 8.9%

5,349

+ 13.1%

7,491

+ 16.2%

3,275

+ 17.0%

1,499

+ 75.9%

78

+ 27.8%

As you can see there was a very sharp increase in resuscitation
calls. Chief Casper has expressed the department's need for personnel
training to qualify men for Emergency Medical Technicians. However,
budget cuts make it impossible to have such a program this year. Taking
into consideration that most incident calls have increased, we want to
again stress the importance of the decreasing budget and manpower in
the department.

Arson fires have decreased slightly this year (a decrease
of 3.7%) but it is still a major crime in San Francisco. We are glad
to report that the Arson Task Force has added an additional man from
the District Attorney's office and from the Police Department. Arson
arrests are up for this year (+2.92%) and we express our appreciation
for a fine job.

The Communication Center of the Fire Department is equipped
with the most sophisticated equipment available. A call into the center
is responded to within minutes and is monitored the entire time.

-9-

FIRE DEPARTMENT (Continued)

One area of controversy this year was the funding of the
Fireboat Phoenix. The Port has paid for the first three quarters
and the last quarter will be paid by the Fire Department. As of
July 1, 1979, the Fireboat will be put on a standby basis. The
Fire Department, Port and Board of Supervisors are trying to arrive
at an equitable solution. As of this report there has been no final
determination. We feel that the Fireboat is an important piece of
equipment to have operating full-time with the increasing develop-
ment of the Port. The new Fireboat Phoenix will be ready for
service sometime in 1981.

We again would like to commend Chief Casper and his men
for continuing to give the people of San Francisco the protection
they have received in the past even though they are working under
such difficult restraints.

EMERGENCY SERVICES

The office of Emergency Services is dedicated to protect-
ing and saving the lives and property of the people of the City and
County of San Francisco. This office is our main source of con-
trolling emergency operations for any possible disaster that may
occur.

This department, under the office of the Mayor, has been
headed for the past 10 years by Mr. Edward Joyce. During his time
as Director, Mr. Joyce has brought our disaster plans up to state
and federal standards so that the City and County of San Francisco
may be fully reimbursed by both agencies. During this fiscal year,
the emergency programs continued to be fully approved by state and
federal governments. Approval of our program is required to main-
tain eligibility for receiving federal matching funds. The federal
matching funds provide 50% reimbursement to the general fund for
staffing and administrative costs.

The office of Emergency Services has moved to its new
office located at 814 Mission Street with a substantial savings
in rent from its previous location at 6221 Geary Blvd.

As mentioned in last year's Grand Jury report, Mr. Joyce
feels that there is a great need for a central location to house
all communications, i.e., Fire Department, Police Department and
Ambulance Services. There has been a study made on a potential
site. As of this report, this is still being reviewed. It is the
recommendation of this Grand Jury that a central location would
better control and coordinate departments that would be involved
in an emergency situation, and we consider this to be top priority.

We would like to commend Mr. Joyce for his fine efforts

-10-

EMERGENCY SERVICES (Cont.)

in maintaining such high standards for this office for the pro-
tection of the people of San Francisco. This jury learned from
Mr. Joyce that he will be retiring at the end of this fiscal
year and we hope that his successor will continue to serve this
office and the people of San Francisco as effectively as Mr. Joyce
has during his time as Director.

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Under the direction of Mr. Richard Heath, we found the
Airport to be a very well managed department and this committee
received a most courteous and organized tour.

We visited the newly completed North Terminal. The main
tenant is United Airlines, which unfortunately had been on strike
for several months causing substantial loss of revenue to the Air-
port. The new North Terminal itself will be the tenth largest in
the world.

The break-even operating budget for this fiscal year is
approximately $76,000,000. The Airport is expected to handle
24,000,000 passengers by the year 1982. With the new addition to
the parking facilities it will be able to handle up to 7,000 cars.
The target date for completion of the additional parking is 1981.

The medical facility at the Airport is headed by Dr.
Lawrence Smookler. We found the medical services available at the
Airport very impressive. San Francisco is the only airport that
has a full medical clinic. They average 50 people per day for various
medical treatments. They also give examinations to airline personnel.
They can respond to any portion of the Airport within minutes with
a portable ambulance that Dr. Smookler has devised. This ambulance
is equipped with the most sophisticated life saving devices avail-
able. We felt that with the increase of traffic that is expected
in the near future, Dr. Smookler' s clinic is in great need of more
space and we hope this can be achieved in a short time.

We also met with Chief Dempsey who at the time of our
meeting was in charge of Airport Police. There was at that time
some conflict with the San Mateo Sheriff's Department as to who
has jurisdiction. We have since learned that the Airport Police
have been taken over by the San Mateo Sheriff's Office. The Air-
port Police Force presently has 207 officers and does a fine job.

The people of San Francisco should take pride in the very
efficient manner in which the Airport is being managed by Mr.
Heath and his staff. Our feelings are that Mr. Heath is very
dedicated in maintaining the best possible facilities to keep the
Airport at its now high standards.

-11-

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (Cont.)

We would like to make mention of one area that we feel
could use some improvement. This jury was able to attend a yearly
disaster drill held to evaluate the performances of each depart-
ment that would be called upon if an air disaster should occur.
Although we do not have the expertise in this field, viewing the
sequence of events and responding times, we felt that the exercise
could and should have been handled more efficiently. This area
should be further looked into by next year's Grand Jury.

We would like to thank Mr. Heath and his staff for trying
to help us understand the mechanics of operating a very complex
department.

Flora Aramian

Vivian Kalil

Edith Griego, Chairman

-12-

POLICE DEPARTMENT

The police perform an essential and most difficult role
in the community every hour of the day and every day of the year.
They serve the people, enforce the laws, and arrest those who
violate them. In order to function properly they require train-
ing, organization, and strong leadership.

The morale of the police officers was noted to be very
low from rank and file members through the middle staff. There
seems to be a lack of cooperation, communication and respect
within the ranks. The suit by the Officers For Justice is now
settled. Promises of pay raises and new recruit classes should
improve morale. We found many departments short of personnel,
but still trying to keep up with their work load. The crime lab is
short of expensive instruments and needs more storage space. The
unit answered 8,304 calls in 1978. The crime lab is satisfied
with their present technical staff. The new space for finger-
print files is progressing nicely. Much time is lost testifying
in court.

The recruit training in the Police Department deserves
special commendation. It shows the Department understands the
necessity for police officers to have adequate academic and field
experience before they are expected to perform this vital job
independently .

The current training program was initiated in San
Francisco in March 1977. Since then, 230 recruits have partici-
pated with one academic failure and 30 street failures to date.

The basic training program consists of eighteen weeks
of study at the Police Academy, currently located on Treasure
Island. Classes beginning in late 1979 will be conducted at
the presently vacant Fremont School. Successful completion of
the Academy phase of training is based solely on examination
scores.

After successful completion of the Academy training,
the recruit participates in field training and evaluation pro-
grams for fourteen weeks. Recruits are assigned to a Field
Officer at either Mission or Northern Stations. Then they are
assigned to three different officers, one for each month.
Recruits are assigned to a police car with a Training Officer.
Specific aspects of Police Field Training are measured daily
by the Training Officer. Bi-weekly, the Training Officer or
Sergeant and the F.T.O. (Field Training Officer) staff meet

-13-

POLICE DEPARTMENT (Continued)

to discuss the recruits' progress. If not satisfactory, remedial
action is planned and undertaken by the Training Officer. There
have been eighty Field Training Officers in the Department, but
their number has been reduced by transfers and promotions.

We thank the F.T.O. personnel and the Academy for their
excellent work in the past and we look forward to their future
success in training 640 recruits in the next two years.

We recommend Pre-Test Training before Academy; more
performance under stress; and testing for proficiency in reading,
writing, reasoning, and decision making. Driver's Training
should be performed in the same type of vehicle that is used in
the field. The cost of training an Officer is approximately
$30,000. The next Grand Jury should inquire into the progress
of the studies underway for psychological screening of police
applicants.

Congratulations to the 174 police officers who were
promoted to sergeants and assistant inspectors in June, 1979.
These were the first promotions to these ranks since 1976.

Elizabeth A. Dowd

Marvin Jones

Frank Harrison, Chairman

-14-

BOARD OF PERMIT APPEALS

Mr. Philip Siggins is the Executive Director of the Board
of Permit Appeals. He was appointed by the Commission and his salary
is set by the Board of Supervisors.

The Department is an Administrative Hearing Board to help
citizens who apply and are denied a permit. These permits are turned
over to the Board of Permit Appeals and are acted upon by the board.
These appeals sometimes take from three to four months before a permit
is granted or denied.

The function of the Board of Permit Appeals is to hear all
appeals from issuance or denial of any permit, license, variance or
any other specified land use entitlement. A permit is a form of
regulating the use of; a license is a form of raising taxes and a vari-
ance is a city planning term which is a deviation from a strict plan-
ning code. There is a $10.00 fee for a regular permit, $25.00 for a
cab driver or street vendor and $100.00 for a variance permit. The
applicant has not less than five nor more than fifteen days to file his
appeal. The Board of Permit Appeals must act within forty days or the
permit expires after the filing date. There are usually two public
hearings for each appeal. A licensed contractor does not have to take
out a permit, but a property owner must take out a permit for any re-
modeling or repair, etc. Smoke detectors must be installed by 1980
in all properties new and old.

The budget for 1978-1979 was $55,000. The Mayor recommended
a budget for $53,000 for the fiscal year 1979-1980 which was approved
by the Board of Supervisors.

Mr. Siggins has a staff of three; a very efficient Secretary,
Mrs. Mattox, two CETA Administrative Aides, one has a law degree and
the other a Bachelor's degree. The CETA employees handle 90% of the
telephone calls.

This office has a critical acoustical problem which creates
difficult working conditions. Carpet runners are being installed to
help solve this problem. The office is crowded and is in need of
filing cabinets for storage of records presently being kept in Bekins
boxes. The purchase of an electric typewriter has been approved for
the office but only $400.00 has been appropriated.

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY

Mr. John Frantz was appointed City Librarian in February
1977 and is an asset to the San Francisco Public Library and the public
at large. Mr. Frantz has three major subordinates, Chief of the Main

-15-

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY (continued)

Library (William Ramirez) Chief of Branches, (Karen Scannell) and Chief
of Technical Services (Mrs. Vivian Goodwin), who has retired recently
and her job as of this date has not been filled. The budget for the
fiscal year was approved by Mayor Dianne Feinstein for $6,947,300
which is approximately 98.8% for the year of 1979-80. The Library
will loose 20 CETA employees out of 100 by September 30th of this
year. The position of Assistant City Librarian has been abolished.
The public relations position and some clerical positions will be
abolished on July 1st, according to Karen Scannell, Chief of Branches.

There are 26 branches in the City. The downtown Kearney
Library which serves mostly Law Firms, Business Executive Organiz-
ations and Corporations. This Library is heavily used and extremely
important and much needed in the Financial District. Books and refer-
ence material may be rented from the Kearney Library. Many of the
same basic reference materials can be obtained from the Main Library
but the Kearney Downtown Library is more conveniently located for
the people who use it the most in the financial district. The public
Libraries serve the City and County Jails, also the women's prison.
Books and films are sent by the Bookmobile to the jails on a regular
basis and specific requests from inmates may be made which the
Librarian in charge of the Bookmobile endeavors to meet.

In each area of the City more than one branch library may-
be located. In an effort to meet the need of the citizens in a
given area one or more of the branch libraries may emphasize part-
iclar uses, for instance the Richmond Library is known as a basic
reference library while the Presidio Branch Library is known as a
Communication Center with emphasis being placed on the needs of the
handicapped citizens. The Library endeavors to meet its budget
restrictions while allowing the greatest access possible to each
Library by having the Libraries scheduled to open and close at
various times on a rotating basis.

The Library payrolls are now on the City's Electronic
Data Processing System and it is now working satisfactorily.

One of the greatest problems the library faces and which has
a direct effect on its budget is the problem of the theft of books and
materials from the libraries. In an effort to minimize this problem
several libraries have installed a theft detection system, much like
that used by department stores to counteract shoplifting. There is
less theft since this system has been installed which proves that the
expense of installation has been worthwhile and the system is effec-
tive. Vandalism still occurs to a greater degree than desired and
guards are needed in the areas where the incidence of vandalism
remains high.

There are many different programs for adults and children
which are specially funded. The Friends of the San Francisco Public

-16-

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY (continued)

Library is an organzation that provides volunteer services and helps
promote events by the sale of books to the public. These books are
donated by organizations, estates or individuals. They are reviewed
by the Librarians before going on sale and those that can be used are
sent to the various branches and the balance is sold. Revenues from
the sales finance purchasing of needed books for the library.

The Presidio Branch houses a Communication Center which is
an advanced electronic system which was built for the handicapped by
Roberto Esteves, director. Grants were obtained in January of 1978
and expire on June 30th of this year. The money from the two grants,
which was $209,000, was spent for electronic equipment and salaries
for two staff employees. The center accommodates the deaf, blind,
wheelchair handicapped citizens, and those with speech defects.
There are 25 to 30 handicapped citizens a week using the services of
the center, and those in wheelchairs are unable at present to enter
through the main entrance. A ramp and elevator are in the process
of being installed. They are to be completed by September of this
year. Special toilet facilities are also being installed. As soon
as these projects are completed increased usage of this branch is
anticipated. Until this occurs, the staff carries on an extensive
mailing program to accommodate requests by telephone from those citi-
zens who are unable to enter the library. Pamphlets are sent out
from the center to notify the handicapped of the latest books and
materials on video-tapes and records. There are 10,000 volumes of
talking books, video tapes, audio-cassettes and records, all catalogued.
There are 1600 cards in braille for the blind which were typed by
a very capable blind CETA employee. This branch has a TTY system
which enables deaf citizens to contact the library and make requests
for books and other materials. Some films are captioned in order to
provide wider usage for the deaf. The blind citizens who use the
library can attach earphones and listen to the tapes, cassettes or
recordings they wish to hear.

There is a sophisticated video system devised by Roberto
Esteves which enables the library to show films and cassettes on
several different channels simultaneously throughout the library as
well as enabling the staff to produce its own film.

A federal law now requires all public buildings to provide
ready access for the handicapped. The San Francisco Public Libraries
are in the process of endeavoring to meet this requirement.

PORT OF SAN FRANCISCO

Mr. Edward L. David was appointed Port Director on October
4, 1978 after eighteen years service with the Port. He had been Acting
Port Director since November 1977. He is ably assisted by Mr. Tony
Taormina a Port employee for five years, as well as a staff of 35 to

-17-

PORT OF SAN FRANCISCO (continued)

40 out of a total of 191 employees. The Port of San Francisco is
now focusing on expanded usuage of maritime facilities south from
China Basin to Hunters Point. This area of the waterfront has modern,
well maintained facilities to handle containerized cargo, modern grain
elevators and good access to rail services and one switching line,
which serves all deep draft facilities. The Port handles the largest
percentage of break-bulk cargo on the West Coast, 60% of all the
Port's cargo is break-bulk. Break-bulk is loose cargo which does
not include dry or liquid bulk.

There are two Auto Terminals: one at Pier 70 presently
being utilized by the Fred F. Noonan Company Inc., which brings in
mostly European imports, the other at Pier 92 is not utilized at present
however. The Port has narrowed down three potential users and it will
be utilized within a short period of time according to Ms. Krista
Fugelstad, Marketing Research Specialist, who came aboard in November
1978.

The Southern waterfront is equipped and has the capacity to
handle approximately 5,000,000 tons a year according to the Port
Director.

The Port has acquired two new major shipping lines: Lykes
Brothers Steamship Company, Pier 80 (an American Flag Company)
with a total of eight ships, four sailings per month, Evergreen
Steamship Company, Pier 96, which has four container ships en a
twelve day cycle into and out of San Francisco. Revenues from both
shipping lines should be approximately $1,350,000 a year. Evergreen
is the first shipping line to return to San Francisco from the Port
of Oakland. This is due to considerable efforts made by the new Port
Management and makes it appear probable that other shipping lines which
do not have long term leases with the Port of Oakland may be in-
duced to return. Delta Steamship Line is the only American steam-
ship line based in San Francisco. Water channel depths of thirty-
five feet are maintained at the Northern waterfront and depths of forty
feet at the Southern waterfront, Piers 70,80,94,96 and Islais Creek.
San Francisco, being a natural deep water port, does not require the
constant dredging to maintain its depths as a Port such as Oakland does.

The budget of $18,000,000 has been approved for the fiscal
year.

Maritime revenues are approximately $2,000,000 a year. Park-
ing meter revenues bring approximately $200,000 a year to the Port.
These funds are retained by the Port since all Port lands are still in
trust from the State for a period covered by a sixty-six year lease.
There are seven hundred (700) parking meters on waterfront property
which are controlled by the Port. Revenues from Fisherman's Wharf are

-18-

PORT OF SAN FRANCISCO (continued)

approximately $3,000,000 a year and the fines from the parking meters
on Port property go directly into the City General Fund.

The fireboat Phoenix is still being maintained by the Port.
The San Francisco Fire Department has not made any contribution for
this year, but is to pay the cost of the fireboat for the last quarter
of the fiscal year. The cost of operating the Phoenix is $1,200,000
a year.

Mayor Dianne Feinstein, Mr. David and two transportion
employees plan to travel to Shanghai and Beijing to promote foreign
maritime trade. There will be one representative from Southern
Pacific Railroad and a representative from the stevedores.

Non-Maritime Developments: Pier 39, which is a Warren
Simmons Project, has had many problems since beginning its operation
in October 1978. Litigation involving the Port, and Pier 39 is
currently being handled by the City Attorney and the District Attorney.
The rent paid the Port by Pier 39 based upon revenues earned by the
Pier, as well as taxes paid to the City by Pier 39 through its
corporation, and the structure of this tax base are among the items
under investigation.

The Ferry Building which will have a refacing, a Promenade
Deck which will start at the Agriculture Building down through Pier
22, target date 1980, will help to improve the waterfront, and hope-
fully will bring additional revenues to the City. Pier 35, the only
passenger pier will be refurbished by money from the Head Tax. All
passengers are taxed $3.00 a head for debarking and embarking. The
Head Tax was approved March 10, 1979, and became effective April 12,
1979. First revenues from this tax are expected to be received by
June 30th, according to Mr. Toni Yerkes.

Recommendations for the Port are: Promote Maritime business
to increase Port revenues by additional traveling to actively seek
new tenants for the presently vacant excellent facilities, augmented
by a concentrated advertising program at home and abroad. Rent
unoccupied buildings on Port property where appropriate and feasible.
Improve the deteriorated Commercial Fishing area. Commercial fisher-
man have been requesting for twenty years that a breakwater be built
which would protect their vessels. It is this committee's recommend-
ation that a breakwater be constructed without further delay.

WAR MEMORIAL

The War Memorial, Herbst Theatre, Green Room and Museum of
Modern Art are located in the Veteran's Building. The Opera House
and the Veteran's Building occupy the same block bounded by McAllister,

-19-

WAR MEMORIAL (continued)

Van Mess, Grove and Franklin. The Louise M. Davies Concert Hall is
now under construction and hopefully will be completed in 1981. The
Concert Hall will be under the jurisdiction of the War Memorial. The
Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall will be behind the Concert Hall. The Perform-
ing Arts Center will be the second largest in the nation. The cost of
the new Performing Arts Center will be approxmately $34,000,000.
This cost is being met by private funding and some federal funding.
The addition to the Opera House will cost approximately $4,200,000,
which is funded by the federal government's EDA program applied for by
the City. There is $31,000 left from grants for the Herbst Theater.
These organizations function under the City Charter.

Mr. Michael J. Raines was appointed the new Managing Director
of the War Memorial on November 13, 1978. Mr. Frederic Campognoli,
President of the Board of Trustees, and Board Members were pleased
with the appointment. Mr. Raines has been associated with the Arts
since early childhood. He is considered by the Board to have outstand-
ing qualifications for this job.

The budget for fiscal year 1979-1980 has been approved by
the Mayor and Board of Supervisors for approximately $1,161,151; this
is the Mayor's recommended 95% budget. Revenues are collected from
rentals from the Herbst Theatre, Opera House and Greyhound Concessions
which go into the General Fund.

The four and one half CETA employees and six guards will
remain on the payroll. Several positions will be eliminated. The
Louise M. Davies Concert Hall when completed, will create 23 new
positions which are not included in the 1979-1980 budget. The firm
of Heidrick and Struggles, Incorporated, will conduct a national search
for candidates for the new General Manager for the Performing Arts
Center. Mr. Raines is also a candidate for the position. Purported
salary for Managing Director will be approximately $60,000 to $100,000
a year.

The remodeling of the Herbst Theatre was completed in June
1978, and went into revenue producing usage immediately. It has a
seating capacity of 900 and is used for music recitals, acting groups
and Junior Leagues' , films and film festivals.

The lobby and the storage area of the lower level of the
Museum of Modern Art are being renovated and the elevators automated;
one elevator operator's position will be eliminated. The financing
for the automation is to be provided by the Bank of America. The
Museum of Modern Art has an international reputation and attracts
many visitors to the City as well as providing the citizens of the
Bay area their best museum of Modern Art.

Vandalism and crime still occur to a greater degree than
desired and remain high in the entire area. Vandalism and crime are

-20-

WAR MEMORIAL (continued)

reported to the Mayor's office and the Police Department.

There are ramps in the last two rows of the Herbst Theatre
accommodating handicapped patrons in wheelchairs. They are hoping
the wheelchair patrons will be able to attend rehearsals as well as
the performances.

The acoustics of the Herbst Theatre have brought criticism
from some sources. The entire acoustical system is being re-eval-
uated.

The function of the Friends of the War Memorial is to
seek grants, private contributions and funds from private foundations.
The funds are used for maintenance and improvements. They also
provide assistance for neighborhood groups and organizations that
wish to use the Performing Arts Center. They are a private non-profit
organization.

It is this committee's recommendation that better Police
patrol and protection to and from the Opera House and War Memorial be
given priority attention. The Concert Hall should maintain and project
an image which will draw a greater number of patrons especially those
in San Francisco, and the Bay area.

Mildred Rogers

John Collins

Blossie Williams, Chairman

-21-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY

In a cover letter accompanying the Municipal Railway
Five Year Plan '79- '84, a study sponsored and partially funded
by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) , General
Manager Curtis Green states:

"The uniqueness of San Francisco as a civilization
owes a lot to the presence of pervasive public
transportation in the City. The human scale, the
concentration of activities, and the delicate
balance of topography and neighborhood structure
could only have occurred through the transporta-
tion service provided by MUNI and its predecessors
and can only be sustained by the wise use of the
limited transportation resources we have available
to us today and for the future."

Because of the importance of MUNI to the daily life of
San Francisco, it is imperative that some hard choices be considered,
and the indicated actions taken, as soon as possible. In addition
to internal problems, events out of control of MUNI and the City,
such as Proposition 13, increases in diesel fuel prices, and general
unabated inflation, are rending the fabric of the MUNI Railway
to the point where serious dislocations of service, safety and
maintenance will become manifest.

It behooves not only the management of MUNI and the
Public Utilities Commission, but the Citizens of San Francisco
as well, to immediately address themselves to the present critical
situation, with an aim towards planning' and implementing desperate-
ly required actions.

Curtis Green further remarked:

"No business can, and no public service should,
continue indefinitely to produce a product
without occasionally redesigning that product
to reflect changes in the market."

To this end, under the auspices of UMTA, the -MUNI has created a
separate and new department called the Planning Division, in order
to examine the present MUNI system, and to determine and recommend
changes in a unified and comprehensive fashion.

This division is under the extremely capable direction of
Tom Matoff, an energetic and devoted public servant, whose quali-
ties of intelligence and drive, along with those of Peter Strauss,
have resulted in the aforementioned Five Year Plan. This study is
extremely thorough and specific, and is essentially sensible in its

-22-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (Cont.)

recommendations .

The analysis and conclusions drawn in the Five Year Plan
are the product of over 70 presentations by the planning staff be-
fore neighborhood associations, employment groups, and community
organizations during the period August 1977 to April 1978. Work-
shops in all eleven supervisorial districts were held to discuss
route changes and design alternatives, explanations given,
questionnaires distributed and assessed, all of which culminated
in the proposed Five Year Plan.

A summary of the plan in tabloid form is available by
mail, while full copies of the report have been placed in all
branch libraries, and are available to organizations on request.
The report is quite exhaustive and touches on, among other things,
how the plan was developed, service standards for transit,
deficiencies of the present system, an evaluation of alternatives,
downtown services, regional access to other carriers, fare collec-
tion, transit preferential streets, recreational services, system
improvements, MUNI Metro and related rail services, the cable
cars, the trolley coaches, motor coaches and the service quality.

As a result of the extensive public participation by
citizens, groups and merchants, and because a branch of the
MUNI itself, as opposed to outside consultants, worked directly and
intimately on it, this report should meet with little resistance in
effecting its recommendations.

Although the Five Year Plan is quite broad in its scope,
another report entitled Financial Strategies For the Municipal
Railway, prepared by a private consulting group, Gruen, Gruen &
Associates , addresses itself to finances. It projects that the
cost of operating present and planned MUNI services will grow from
1979-80's of $94,900,000 to $108,800,000 in 1988-89, while revenue
for 1988-89 will be only $108,200,000, if MUNI continues to be
funded on the same basis as at present. The report suggests alter-
natives for increased funding, including increased federal or state
support, increased City support, further cost reductions over those
already projected, reductions in service, service improvements which
increase revenues more than costs, and probably most significantly,
increases in fare levels or changes in the fare structure which
increase fare revenue and trigger the release of State AB 1107
funds (monies which come from the State when a transit district
shows that it is internally generating at least 33% of its own
costs through fare collection) .

Gruen, Gruen & Associates feels that MUNI is receiving
as much federal and state aid as can be expected at the present
policy levels, and doubts that the City's General Fund will
substantially increase its contributions. Short of enacting new

-23-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (Cont.)

taxes, it is felt that additional funding will have to come from some
sort of adjustment to the fare structure and transfer system. The
report presents scenarios showing the socio-economic impact of
proposed rate structures and service changes.

Some particular problem areas were noted by the Grand Jury
in its attempts to delve into the labyrinthian MUNI. The very size
of MUNI, in fact, is one of the problems. It was frequently heard
throughout numerous departments, especially the Cable Car Division
and MUNI Metro Task Force, that huge gaps of understanding and
accepting responsibility exist between those at the working or im-
plementing level and those in top management, with much of the blame
being placed in the middle. Often there was a duplication of posi-
tions, at least decision making-wise, leading to conflicts in
authority. The Rulebook for Platform Employees (governing the opera-
tors of the various transit vehicles) is rife with contradiction
after contradiction, thereby allowing for interpretation by whim,
and resulting in a decrease in employee morale. Admittedly, an
organization with as many divisions and employees as MUNI can be
difficult to oversee, but it was nonetheless felt that a basically
inadequate middle management was at fault much of the time.

Under the direction of new PUC General Manager Richard
Sklar, a new streamlining of accountability is becoming evident.
For instance, in the area of Equipment Maintenance, which deals
with keeping the rolling stock operative, the person in charge
there, Mr. Baggetta, is now directly answerable to Mr. Sklar,
thereby bypassing two levels of MUNI hierarchy. This undoubtedly
has helped get and keep more streetcars and buses back in service
and reduced missed runs. Hopefully, Mr. Sklar will continue this
approach, putting aside political considerations and maintain his
emphasis on performance over excuses.

Too long the MUNI has existed unto itself, acting in its
own bureaucractic self-interest, and thus discouraging the good
intentions and productivity of its many capable workers. There
seems to be a new breed of employee coming into MUNI in recent
years, such as those in the Planning Division, and a group of
dedicated electronics wizards at the LRV streetcar maintenance
facility, who are anxious to make their contribution to improving
transit in San Francisco, if allowed to do so. Additionally, there
are many seasoned workers in such areas as cable car design, main-
tenance, and operation, and fabrication of streetcar parts, whose
experience and resourcefulness are undervalued and underutilized.
An unfettering of the latent talent within MUNI could significant-
ly affect for the better the overall operations, and should be
strongly encouraged, rather than actions to the contrary being
taken.

We suggest that to the extent possible, Mr. Sklar enlist
pro bono the aid of management consultants to determine and evaluate

-24-

MUNICIPAL RAILWAY (Cont.)

the necessity of much of MUNI middle management. If solid
responsibility for results, in lieu of excuses, can be sub-
stituted as criteria for career advancement, much of MUNI,
and the riding public at large, should benefit.

Charles K. Desler
Genelle Relfe

William D. Kremen, Chairman

-25-

DEPARTMENT OF CITY PLANNING

The Department of City Planning, is organized under the City
Planning Commission. Mr. Rai Okamoto, the Planning Director, has an
excellent knowledge of his department and continues to run his office
efficiently. His staff is comprised of two-thirds CETA and part-time
workers and one-third civil servants.

To meet demands due to proposition 13 Mr. Okamoto now finds
that the continued increase of workload in his department necessitates
a substantial increase of staff. The training program of CETA also
requires staff teaching. He has been much concerned with the shortage
of staff.

Security Officers are required to prevent loss of office
equipment. The Department has three separate locations, and it was
sugguested by past Grand Juries, and this present Grand Jury will again
recommend that this department be quartered in one building so that
services can be made more efficiently, quickly and economically. This
no doubt requires space.

The Planning Director makes reports to Mayor Dianne Feinstein
and the Board of Supervisors of all City Planning Programs. If Neces-
sary, they may have open public meetings with interested neighborhood
individuals on any future planning affecting their areas.

Due to Proposition 13, financing and budgeting matters on various
improvements, and future developments of planning of the City nave become
rather restricted.

PARKING AUTHORITY

Thirty years ago the State Legislature recognized that there
was a need for an authority to function as a public corporate body known
as the Parking Authority of the City and County of San Francisco. ( Calif-
ornia Streets and Highways Code. Sec. 32501). The San Francisco Board of
Supervisors recognized the need for such a parking authority and the
Administrative Code, chapter 17, expressed this need and assigned juris-
diction over parking projects to the Parking Authority of the City and
County of San Francisco. The State Code (Sec. 32656, Streets and High-
ways) mandated a five-Member authority.

The five present members are Donald Magnin (Chairman), Richard
J. Guggenhime, Francis H. Louie, Michael J. Mc Fadden, M.D., and Achille
H. Muschi.

The Staff is composed of three members including Mrs. Margaret
L. Brady, Director.

-26-

PARKING AUTHORITY (Continued)

There is a constant public demand for garages and parking me-
ters. The Parking Authority has or is constructing new garages at Moscone
Center, the Performing Arts Center and parking meters in the North Point
and Richmond districts.

Mrs. Margaret L. Brady, Director, has run her office most
efficiently and this committee commends her for the work well done.

We the Grand Jury believe that this Department should not be
allowed continued operation as a separate entity but should be absorbed
by the Department of Public Works, the City Planning Department, thereby
eliminating its present duplication of the work effort, and making smaller
the large bureaucratic governmental structure that is City Government.

RECREATION AND PARK DEPARTMENT

In spite of the many tasks that are required of this department,
the performance under the able management of Mr. John J. Spring as General
Manager, his technical assistant Tom Mallory and the Recreation and Park
Commission guidance and control by Mr. Eugene L. Friend have been most
commendable.

This agency covers many responsibilities, such as the main-
tenance of Yacht Harbor, Recreation and Park General, the Zoo, Candlestick
Park, golf courses, swimming pools, camp sites, and open space areas as
well.

Funding has become quite an important matter for consideration.
Fees, for example, in the use of golf courses, and stables for the upkeep
of horses for private owners are being studied, as well as others such as
for maintenance and other repair work.

We were told of the many functions of the department, such as
classes for Arts and Crafts, Drama, Dancing, Music, Photography, services
for the handicapped, services to promote various activities for the
Community. Some of the teachers and others in the neighborhoods have
volunteered their services. To cover some of the incidentals a nominal
charge is levied for students that are taking various classes given by
the Recreation and Park Department.

Application has been made to the Board of Education for lease
of a vacant building which has not been utilized and has been vacant.
The purpose is to use it for the Senior Hobby Activities Center. The
School District may lease it to the Recreation and Park Department for
k2% lower than leasing fees that are charged to private individuals.

Since November 1974, the Funding of $9 million has been increased
each year by $1 million but will not be possible now, because of a drastic

-27-

RECREATION AND PARK DEPARTMENT (Continued)

cut due to Proposition 13. The staff of 163 has been reduced to 133.

The maintenance and upkeeD of the parks, and heating and lighting of

the buildings, will suffer due to a shortage of gardeners, painters,

and equipment.

This department has done so much to benefit the morale of the
community and it is most desirable for the City and County that it should ,
continue to function Just as well as before Proposition 13.

Firm System

The computer system which started In September, 1978, seems to
be running well. Computing weekly salary of the employees of the
Recreation and Park Department. This record is filed In the City Hall
at E D P Department and Controller's office for salary research, budget,
etc.

To meet with various department heads, Department of Public
Works, Police, City Planning, Controller, Computer Deoartment, Assessor,
(re-ieasing and renting of place for Park and Recreation Department.)

Obtaining new grant for funding 100 CETA employees.

June 1, 1979 - Special Art of King Tutankhamen

Vendors have erected tents for the sale of hamburgers, hot-dogs,
and refreshments, etc. Contracts for renting spaces at Recreation Park and
outside areas of Art Museum, will provide an estimated income of $22,000.00
of 9% of the amount required for the leasing.

Volunteers or part-time workers provide security services and
they do not carry arras, but then have the mounted police on horses to
back up and check that every thing is all right in various areas of
Golden Gate Park or the other playground areas, as well.

Candlestick Park was replacing its baseball field with grass
turfing this year for the opening game of the baseball season for the
San Francisco Giants.

The Recreation and Park Commission and department are very
thorough and cautious in conducting their public hearing of neighbor-*
hood committees and coming up with fair and wise decisions on various
things that were brought to their attention.

This committee is very appreciative of the cordial reception
and the cooperation received from the Department Heads, especially from
the General Manager, Mr. John J. Spring.

Flora Aramian

Morris Rabkin

Olimpia M. Xavier, Chairman
-28-

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

The Social Services Department is made up of 1^7^ perma-
nent employees, 110 temporary and 63 CETA and 5 commissioners. The
diversity of their backgrounds, education and professional experi-
ences has been of great value to both department clients and staff.
The staff continue to support the sound proposals for all projects
and grants. They have expanded the program of emergency shelter
care program for dependent, neglected or abused children. The de-
partment has provided on-site training so that employees can obtain
Master's degrees in Social Work. All hiring is done by the department's
own Personnel staff. The department has put great effort into trying
to place many of the 1^00 children in emergency care shelters back
into their own homes. The in-home services for elderly and disabled
citizens has been approved by the federal government at $7.98 per hr.
The agency has been able to place under contract service for 1300
elderly people, disabled and blind. Of the whole caseload of people
with in-care services ^500 are still not under contract. The contract
agencies provide trained, reliable workers who neither neglect nor
"rip-off" the patients.

The past fiscal year the department has been able to decrease
the caseload of people on general assistance. This has been accom-
plished by a better screening program of all applicants. The Aid to
Families with Dependent Children showed a decline in caseloads. Also,
the Medically Indigent Adult program provides Medi-Cal for many adults
in the City. Eligibility factors are income, property and residence.

The Department of Social Services provides many services to
the citizens of San Francisco.

Congratulations to the staff and Director Mr. Edwin S.
Sarsfield, who seems to be both capable and innovative in his direction
of this very important department.

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

The policy of this Commission is action to obtain equal
rights for every inhabitant of the City and County of San Francisco.
The Commission is made up of 15 Commissioners, 2^4 staff, of which 18
are professional Legal Investigators and 6 are administrative and
clerical. The Commission has established 6 Standing Committees which
are:

1) EMPLOYMENT - The affirmative action program monitors
City Contractors because of City money paid for services, to see that
minorities are hired. During this year this Commission has made a
great thrust in this program. They have obtained commitments from
38 major City agencies to follow H. R. C. affirmative action of all

-29-

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION ( Continued)

contracts awarded. Also, a new policy has been established that all
user agencies pay fees to H. R. C. for affirmative action programs.
Some already are paying fees namely, Hetch Hetchy, Waste Water, Airport,
and possibly Moscone Convention Center. The Commission is working
towards having other agencies pick up affirmative action costs.

2) GAY ADVISORY - This committee recognizes the good faith
efforts fo the Gay Community and urges public understanding and po-
sitive social attitudinal changes. The committee has answered approx-
imately 3*10 Gay-oriented complaints. This year they assisted in
obtaining approximately $50,000 in back pay adjustments for persons
discriminated against because of sexual orientation.

3) HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT - This committee has been
active in supporting legislation to help provide and maintain fair
practices in renting and buying housing with concentrations on minor-
ities, elderly, and low income people. This committee has been
successful in obtaining fees for H. R. C.'s monitoring of Housing
Programs.

4) POLICE LIAISON/SOCIAL ISSUES - This committee is involved
in helping police and citizens develop block clubs which are instruct-
ed in crime prevention and citizen's safety awareness, such as,I.D. to
protect valuable property and training citizens which emphasizes pro-
viding information to police in the apprehension and arrest of criminals,

5) YOUTH & EDUCATION - This committee is concerned with all
phases of education, students, teachers, Youth Guidance Centers, Juve-
nile Court Study, Health and Family Life Education, Bilingual Education,
student discipline and many other programs which help educate todays
youth.

6) ORDINANCE REVISION - This committee submits Resolutions
to both City, State and Federal Governments recommending support of
special Senate Bills such as Gun Control, Resolutions of Commendation,
and Statements of Concern.

The Human Rights Commission because of budget cuts, has been
affected most drastically in the areas of Education, Police Liaison,
Housing-Urban Development, and Gay Advisory. Chapter 12-A (which
supports Human Relations Issues passed by the Board of Supervisors
in 196*1) is the initial mandate to reduce inter-group tensions between
the peoples. It has been reduced considerably. We recommend that the
board of Supervisors fund the Commission for additional staff to meet
the requirements of Chapter 12-A, to help alleviate inter-group ten-
sions. We further recommend that the Board of Supervisors and Mayor
encourage City agencies to pay H. R. C. fees for their affirmative
action requirements.

-30-

COMMISSION ON THE APING

This Commission Is run by a very capable and dedicated staff
who are concerned with the well-being of our Senior Citizens. The
staff monitors all programs that are aimed to help elderly people,
making sure that all monies spent provide a little extra benefit for
the elderly citizen.

The past fiscal year, 1978-79, they have extended the nutri-
tion program from 5 days to 7 days a week, also covering holidays,
which now provides a free meal each day for our Senior Citizens. The
Gold Card is a service available to the Senior Citizen which entitles
them to a discount for many services that are provided to the general
public Most of these services are available through a number of
compassionate and concerned citizens who realize that we cannot shut
out these well deserving citizens.

The Commission has a program that supplies information for the
elderly. They advertise in a pull-out section of the Progress, which
makes available listings and telephone numbers of services such as
housing, health care, employment, and sometimes Just plain conversation
when desired. The telephone information line still operates 2k hours
a day. The Commission publishes bilingual pamphlets and fliers of
services available - also social and cultural programs which might in-
terest our Seniors.

The Outreach Program is funded by the Commission and opera-
ted by staff and many volunteers who help train older people to obtain
more skills enabling them to help each other and preparing some for
Job opportunity. The Senior Age Employment Agency offers Job place-
ment for elderly citizens enabling them to supplement their income so
that they too might try to cope with our steadily rising inflation.

With rising costs and reduced budgets, we, as some of the
people of San Francisco, are surprised that one spare change operation
such as this Commission has successfully provided so many humanities.
Therefore, we recommend that the Commission be granted the additional
funds requested from the parking tax that will enable them to hire two
additional staff members so that more programs can be made possible
for the Senior Citizens to help ease the fears, financial, medical,
loneliness and some rejection that often comes with old age.

COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN

This Commission consists of two permanent staff, some part
time volunteer help and 11 commissioners who meet the second Tuesday of
every month. They have assisted in placing women in various positions.

-31-

COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN (Continued)

Since all agencies in the City and County are monitored by
another department and no tax monies are spent for the Status of Men
nor the Status of Gay Peoples we recommend that this department be
discontinued and placed under a Commission concerned with all Human
Rights.

Genelle Relfe

Rebecca S. Turner

John S. Collins, Chairman

-32-

The continuity and success of City programs are dependent
on City employees performing their jobs, day in, day out. The de-
partments that exist exclusively for the purpose of ensuring that
City employees receive the benefits due them are all performing
adequately considering the restrictions of the City Charter and the
severe budget cuts placed on all staff departments.

HEALTH SERVICE SYSTEM

The Health Service System, under the able leadership of
Philip J. Kearney, Executive Director, is responsible for providing
the best possible medical coverage, at a reasonable cost, to all
members of the Retirement System not exempt due to adequate outside
coverage, religious belief, or annual salary. Temporary employees
are not covered by the Retirement System and thus are not covered
by the Health Service System, per Charter.

The City's payment for health benefits is $40.08 per month,
per covered employee, effective July 1, 1979. This payment is for
one of the following health plans: 1) City Administered, 2) Kaiser
Foundation, or 3) Children's Hospital. The City payment covers the
employee only and pays for medical care. Eight of the ten most
populous counties in California subsidize medical care for the
employee's dependents as well as for the employee; they also provide
subsidized dental care. Charter revisions would be necessary to
provide such coverage for City employees.

City employees have desired subsidized dental coverage for
several years, but the voters have not yet provided enabling legis-
lation. Therefore, employees will pay for a dental plan themselves,
with no City contributions, effective July 1, 1979. In a strictly
advisory capacity, the Health Service System analyzed the benefits
and rates payable for several dental plans; the Health Service Board
then determined that Safeguard Health Plan was the best for City
employees. Employees covered by the Retirement System may choose
whether to participate in the plan. If they so choose, premiums will
be paid by payroll deductions. Retired City employees who desire
this dental coverage may choose the coverage by authorizing that the
premiums be withheld from their retirement checks. Mr. Kearney,
Executive Director of the Health Service System, will personally do
the necessary coding to implement initial enrollment. Thus, the
retired employees' voluntary dental coverage under this plan should
be effective in approximately September, 1979.

The automation of the Health Service System is nearly com-
plete. Funds from the System's Reserves account paid for the imple-
mentation of the new system. When it is completely effectuated, it
should save processing time on Plan I (City Administered) claims.

-33-

HEALTH SERVICE SYSTEM (continued)

Phoenix Mutual has been dropped as the carrier of Major
Medical benefits under Plan I because the company's new rates were
too high. The Health Service System will assume the entire risk
for major medical benefits under Plan I and will process these
claims .

Because of new regulations by the Department of Labor,
Public Service Employees ,who have participated in the CETA program
for eighteen months or more, will be terminated September 30, 1979.
Therefore, the Health Service System will lose four or five employees,
including the mail man. Some of these employees may be replaced by
new Public Service Employees, but in any case, the Grand Jury recom-
mends that the Health Service System be provided with a permanent
position for a mail person. We think it extremely inefficient that
a $40,000,000 insurance company should be expected to operate with-
out the services of a permanent mail person. We also recommend that
the Health Service be provided with additional office space; card-
board boxes which hold files on the top of filing cabinets is an
example. It would be foolish to provide new filing cabinets unless
there is space to hold them.

We compliment the Health Service Board members on their
cooperation with each other and on the business-like manner in which
they conduct their meetings, the Retired Employees of the City and
County of San Francisco for their continued interest and helpfulness,
and the employees of the Health Service System for their hard work
and their attention to the necessity of privacy when dealing with
medical records.

RETIREMENT SYSTEM

The Retirement System, through Mr. Daniel Mattrocce,
Secretary-General Manager, under the direction of the Retirement
Board, has exclusive control of the administration and investment
of the funds derived from contributions of member employees, who
numbered 26,188 on June 20, 1978, and from contributions of the
City and County of San Francisco. Temporary employees are excluded
from membership in the system and therefore are not covered under
Social Security for this temporary City employment, either.

The City's contribution to the System is paid into the re-
tirement fund each pay day; the employees' share takes six to eight
weeks to reach the fund. However, the Comptroller earns interest
on these funds from the first day. The Retirement System is current-
ly negotiating with the Treasurer about the collection of this
interest. This interest on employee contributions should be de-
posited in the Retirement Fund.

-34-

RETIREMENT SYSTEM (continued)

In San Francisco, Retirement System costs are financed over
the average working lifetime of an employee — fourteen years after
retirement. Therefore, San Francisco, unlike some other cities,
is not spending current income to cover payments it has already
made to employees who have been deceased for several years.

Retirement System investments as of March 31, 1979 were
as follows:

Bonds and Notes
Real Estate Equity
Stocks

683,718,417.53

40,000,000.00

204,246,167.16

927,964,584.69

Bonds are not floated until the Retirement Board gives
its financial statement; therefore such a statement is given every
time a bond issue is pending.

Investments are made based on geographical diversity, life
expectancy, rate of return, and the limitation on the amount of the
Retirement Fund that can be invested in a single part of the port-
folio. In 1978, the System first invested in real estate via a
limited partnership. The return on the investment is expected to
be between 8.5% and 8.8%. The recent suggestion that Retirement
System funds be invested in low cost housing will be evaluated by
the Retirement Board when a written proposal containing information
regarding the rate of return on the investment and identifying the
title holder of the involved property, is received.

Worker's Compensation claims are also processed by the
Retirement System. Every City employee is covered by Worker's
Compensation. Because of the high incidence of injuries by tempo-
rary employees, pre-employment physical examinations are required
of all temporary employees, including those in the CETA program,
effective February 9, 1979. Brian Narlock, Claims Manager, is res-
ponsible for the administration of Worker's Compensation claims.
His staff works at the Franciscan Treatment Room in St. Francis
Hospital. This is the place where most City employees are treated
for industrial injuries; in 1973, employee groups decided they no
longer wanted to go to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment.
Furthermore, costs to the City are less at the Franciscan Room than
they were at San Francisco General Hospital. In late 1978, the
Worker's Compensation department had one bill clerk to handle 15,000
unpaid medical bills. Since then, with the help of CETA employees,
the backlog has been reduced. Increased automation in some of this
department's procedures would save employee time and effort. For
instance, checks to entitled employees are prepared by the computer
without an address, so the staff at the Worker's Compensation de-
partment must address the envelopes. If addresses were printed,
window envelopes could be used. In fiscal year 1978, the City paid
approximately $6,000,000 in Worker's Compensation claims. The amount

-35-

RETIREMENT SYSTEM (continued)

paid increases about 17% per year. That the City has no organized
Safety Committee and that the Municipal Railway has a deferred
maintenance plan contribute to the number of job injuries.

Regarding disability decisions rendered by the Retirement
Board — 90% of the denied cases that are appealed to the Court
result in reversals of the Retirement Board decision. Therefore,
it appears inappropriate to hire an independent hearing officer
to replace the Retirement Board in an effort to decrease the number
of disability retirements allowed.

The Grand Jury recommends that the Retirement System be
made a formal trust so that funds will remain protected for the
retirement of City Employees, that the Retirement Board become
its own budget setting authority, and that the Retirement System
be allowed to offer options, if necessary. These changes will re-
quire Charter Amendments.

Commendations to the Retirement Board for conducting
meetings in an organized manner and for showing respect to the
employees involved. Mr. Dan Maguire of the City Attorney's office
also exhibited extreme fairness and thorough preparation at these
meetings. Finally, thanks to Mr. Mattrocce for sharing his ex-
periences and insights as a veteran City employee with us.

CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION

The Personnel Department is responsible for rendering
service to departments and employees through the implementation
of salaries and the examination, selection and appointment of em-
ployees. This department is managed by John Walsh, under the
authority of the Civil Service Commission. The Commission is com-
posed of five members, all of whom are appointed by the Mayor;
Carlotta del Portillo and Allen Haile were appointed in 1979 to
replace two Commissioners who resigned their positions.

The Civil Service System in the City is archaic; budgetary
and Charter restrictions prevent the department from operating in
a modern manner. The budget for the fiscal year, beginning July
1, 1979, is 78% of the budget for the year beginning July 1, 1977.
The number of employees in the department ranks 212th of the 238
cities surveyed. There is one training officer for 25,000 City
employees. As long as these conditions exist, there will continue
to be a long time between examinations. The line item budget used
in the City is another cause for the long delay between a depart-
ment's request for an employee and receipt of the employee. The
FIRM accounting system which will be effectuated during 1979-80
should greatly alleviate this problem.

-36-

CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION (continued)

In spite of these conditions, the Civil Service Commission
has made progress in achieving the following goals:

1. Proposition B, approved by the voters in November,
1978, allows performance evaluations to be considered in promotions,
allows the Civil Service Commission to review and take action on
discrimination allegations against appointing officers, allows the
Civil Service Commission to continue test procedures in spite of
certain protests, and extends the probationary period for new
employees .

2. Civil Service rules are being updated at the rate of
two rules every three months .

3. The performance evaluation system will be effective
July 1, 1979.

4. The conversion of time roll audit and certification
to electronic data processing should be complete by October, 1980.

5. Pre-employment physicals are now required for all new
employees, including temporary and CETA employees.

6. Per the Comptroller's Office, "anticipated" time rolls
should be eliminated in September or October, 1979.

Other important items include the following:

An appropriate Annual Supplementary Affirmative Action
Plan for Equal Opportunities, which includes goals and timetables,
should be effectuated promptly. Such a plan was referred to the
Commission by staff on March 20, 1978. To date, a plan has not been
adopted. If the Board of Supervisors and the Civil Service Commission
agree, the City may have a plan by November.

The current entry level examination for Q2 Police Officers
should be re-evaluated. The test has not been technically updated
since 1974. Parts of the test should be eliminated. Of the 162
items on the present test, only 107 will be used to determine the
score. Correct answers to 60% of these items is passing. Thirty
items on "Report Writing" will be used in scoring the test, but
only five of the 15 questions on reading comprehension count in the
scoring.

Because of the many complaints about the police applicants'
inability to see and/or hear the film at the various test locations,
Mr. Walsh has assured the Grand Jury that if an audio visual test is
used again in future years, the test will either be administered at
a single location which has adequate equipment, or new equipment for
showing the film will be rented.

-37-

CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION (continued)

Many employees and some supervisory personnel do not have
an adequate understanding of the City's Civil Service regulations.
Employees often depend on their unions for knowledge of their
rights and responsibilities. They are not aware, for example,
that the Charter prohibits night time differential and time and a
half overtime pay for members of the Police and Fire Departments.

Some supervisors are apparently unaware that the Depart-
ment of Public Health and the Department of Social Services, rather
than the Civil Service Commission, are responsible for entry level
tests for their own employees. Negotiations are currently underway
for the Airport and Police Commissions to have responsibility for
tests for entry level positions in those departments.

Also, if a department requests that a potential employee
not be appointed due to the results of a background investigation,
the investigation must have been conducted in a thorough manner;
the results presented to the Civil Service Commission must be proven
facts rather than allegations. The Grand Jury recommends that
Civil Service be funded and staffed so that a Civil Service news-
letter can be issued regularly; the newsletter should explain Civil
Service rules accurately and as simply as possible.

There is an ordinance before the Board of Supervisors
which could be approved by July 1, 1979. It would provide that all
full time temporary employees (with five years of service) would
become members of the Retirement System and Health Service System.
These employees would still be considered temporary for pay purposes.

The situation of the other temporary employees (about
6,000) should be improved. These people perform work for the City,
but are not members of either the Health Service or the Retirement
Systems; their pay is for the Step I (lowest) grade of their class.
The permanent staffs of the departments should either be increased
or the unused money from the permanent accounts should be used to
fund temporary jobs rather than giving the departments special funds
for temporary employees. There are some cases in which this recom-
mendation should not apply, i.e., employees who are really tempo-
rary -- those that are employed for six months or less.

The Grand Jury also recommends that public meetings of
the Civil Service Commission should begin at a scheduled time,
proceed with efficient speed, be conducted in a manner which exhibits
respect to the participants, and always be equipped with an operating
microphone.

The final recommendation of this Jury is that the Civil
Service Commission be allocated seven additional personnel to staff
a test validation unit. When this unit is operational, the depart-
ments' criticisms about the reliability of Civil Service tests

-38-

CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION (continued)
should be extensively reduced.

Our commendations to Mr. Walsh for his cooperation with
the Mayor's Office of Employment and Training and with the Chief
Labor Negotiator of the Employee Relations Division, as well as
his efforts to personally visit City departments to learn about
their problems with Civil Service.

PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES - CETA

Because the Mayor's Office of Employment and Training
(MOET) is principally funded by the Federal Government, civil grand
juries do not usually report on it. However, due to the Labor
Department's regulation that certain employee participants in the
Public Service Employees program will be terminated on September
30, 1979, and the corresponding complaints by City Departments
that they will lose necessary employees due to this regulation,
this Grand Jury visited Mr. Bob Won, Coordinator of the Public
Service Employees Division. We learned that:

1. Mayor's Office of Employment and Training is funded
by the Department of Labor, through the provisions
of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act -
CETA. MOET is called a prime sponsor.

2. Public Service Employees program is part of the
CETA program. It provides training and job place-
ment in public agencies and private, non-profit
agencies for eligible persons who are unemployed
due to "bad times" (the general economic situation)
or due to being either unskilled or structurally
unemployed. The structurally unemployed are those
who are skilled for a specific job, but who are un-
employed because positions in their fields of skill
are not locally available.

The City and the School District currently have
approximately 2,600 Public Service (CETA) employees .

3. The Department of Labor determines the amount that
a prime sponsor receives for this program. The
amount is based on the unemployment rate. In
fiscal 1978, the Mayor's Office of Employment and
Training received $33,000,000 for the program;
this money funded jobs in City, State and Federal
Government and in private, non-profit agencies.

4. Persons employed through this program receive the
benefits due other temporary employees. Therefore,

-39-

PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES - CETA (continued)

when they work for the City, CETA's are not
members of the Health Service System or the
Retirement System and are not covered by Social
Security.

5. The Public Service Employee (CETA) receives the
same pay as other employees in Step I of the same
classification. The amount of salary that is not
funded by CETA is paid by the employer,

6. The
19

CETA position, out. it win not pay more than
$8,935 average to fund all the CETA employees hired
after April 1, 1979 through a single prime sponsor.

7. Effective September 30, 1979, all persons who have
been employed through the Public Service Employees
program (CETA) for at least eighteen months, will
be terminated from the program. Therefore, the
City and County of San Francisco will lose approxi-
mately 2,00 0 CETA employees.

8. The program is regularly monitored by the Depart-
ment of Labor and was audited by the General
Accounting Office three years ago.

9. Some positions that are currently filled by CETA
employees who will be terminated on September 30,
1979, will thereafter be filled by CETA employees.
However, due to the average $8,935.00 that the
Department of Labor will fund per position, most
future CETA employees will fill the lowest paying
City positions. For example, there are currently
110 members of the Transit Police Force; all except
one of these are CETAs . Seventy of them will be
laid off on September 30, 1979. They each received
a salary of $13,200.00 effective July 1, 1979.
Therefore, if all 70 vacant positions were to be
funded through the CETA program, approximately 420
junior clerk positions would have to be funded by
CETA in order to maintain the Department of Labor
"average" provision.

It appears that the City may be using the Public Service
Employees (CETA) program to save salary money rather than to achieve
the goals of the program.

-40-

PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES - CETA (continued)

Our thanks to Mr. Won for his patience and cooperation.

Frank Harrison

Blossie C. Williams

Elizabeth A. Dowd, Chairman

-41-

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

The office of the Chief Administrator of the City and
County of San Francisco seems designed to provide the amalgamating
force which can bring cohesive and cooperative order to many of the
City's important "housekeeping" departments. This, however, comprises
only a part of the responsibilities with which the CAO is charged.
There are special projects under his jurisdiction ( such as the Moscone
Convention Center, waste water management and solid waste disposal)
as well as division of funds from the hotel tax and managing the
City's insurance program, while also maintaining positions on the
Planning Commission, the Capital Improvements Advisory Committee,
Refuse Collection and Disposal Rate Board, EDP Priority Committee,
and the California Academy of Sciences. It is obvious that the proper
functioning of this office requires superior executive ability. The
CAO is appointed by the Mayor, subject to confirmation by the Board
of Supervisors, and serves at their pleasure for a period of ten
years.

Mr. Roger Boas was appointed Chief Administrative Officer
during the 1976-77 fiscal year, and in the past year appears to have
made considerable strides in bringing the diverse duties of the office
under better control pointing toward increased efficiency and progress
for the City.

A great attribution toward this goal has been his aiding
in the resolution of legal difficulties which have beset the Yerba
Buena Project (now named George R. Moscone Convention Center) and
prohibited the sale of revenue bonds to finance completion of the
project. This is no small accomplishment when it is realized the
project was first proposed 24 years ago, and for the period from
January, 1977 to June 30, 1979 alone the sum of $835 > 000 in legal
fees has been paid (including anticipated payments). Payment includes
services of the City Attorney's office, fees to the firm of Morrison
& Foerster relating to trial expenses, and fees for bond counsel to
the firm of Orrick, Herrington, Rowley & Sutcliffe. Once the legal
cases in which the project was entangled were resolved, the bonds
could be marketed. They received an A rating, went on sale April 11th,
and the entire issue amounting to $97 million was over subscribed.

Mr. Boas has since turned more attention to the waste water
management and sewage disposal projects in support of the Plans of
the Department of Public Works and Planning Commission to wire approv-
al of the State Coastal Commission. This approval was obtained
June 6, 1979 subject to strict conditions set by the Coastal Commis-
sion. The CAO's office is currently working to determine the proper
interpretation of the language used to set out the requirements of
the Coastal Commission in an effort to facilitate meeting their
conditions.

-42-

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (continued)

The CAO was criticized in the 1977-78 Grand Jury report
for not providing sufficient communication opportunities between
himself and department managers under his jurisdiction. In an effort
to meet this criticism and improve the then existing procedures while
endeavoring to manage his own time as efficiently as possible, he
has made the following changes in informal reporting to him of each
department. Weekly written reports are given to the CAO from brief
written reports provided by each department head and which are chan-
neled as follows:

Public Administrator/Public Guardian}

Registrar /Recorder ) via Wallace Wortman,

Agriculture/Weights & Measures ) Head of Real Estate

Purchasing j Department

Real Estate )

Coroner ) via Dr. Mervyn Silverman,

Public Health ) Head of Dept. of Public

Health

Electricity ) via Jeffrey Lee, Acting

Public Works ) Director Appointed Head

of the DPW in the Past

Year

Weekly reporting meetings are held with the CAO.

For the most part, this updated procedure seems to be work-
ing more satisfactorily. In the event there are questions with regard
to the weekly reports of the department heads or last minute changes
or additions, the CAO or a member of his staff is always available
by telephone, as well as the department heads.

Two additional measures toward greater efficiency, as
suggested in the previous year's Grand Jury report and approved by
the electorate in last November's election, will be instituted at the
beginning of the new fiscal year. The Tax Collector is removed from
the jurisdiction of the CAO and placed with the Treasurer, and the
County Clerk is removed from the CAO's office and placed under the
jurisdiction of the Superior Court.

There has also been criticism of the CAO in the public press
contending that he is proposing Charter amendments designed to expand
his "executive suite". It should be made clear that no new positions
are being requested, rather that certain currently designated Civil
Service jobs be made appointive. This is an effort to bring into
City Management at the upper levels, especially in the Departments of
Public Works and Public Health personnel of professional capabilities
to improve the over-all performance of those departments. It should
be noted here that specifically in the instance of the Department of
Public Works this is one of the results of recommendations made by

-43-

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (continued)

the firm of Touche Ross & Co., which was employed to provide an objec-
tive analysis of the department directed toward its long-term effi-
ciency and effectiveness and which, Touche Ross & Co., states, if
implemented could provide an annual net benefit of approximately
$6.7 million.

It is appropriate at this juncture to take note of a signif-
icant contribution Mr. Boas had made in the last year. At his instiga-
tion private industry has been persuaded to offer to the City the
services of some of its employees considered experts in given areas
to form teams which have gone into selected departments (such as
Purchasing and Real Estate) to objectively analyze subject departments
and make recommendations as to improvements which could produce greater
efficiency and effectiveness aimed toward dollar savings. Companies
which have participated in this effort are Crown -Ze lie rbach, Pacific
Telephone, DelMonte Corporation, the PG&E, Coldwell -Banker, Coopers &
Lybrand, Chevron, U.S.A. and Bank of America. These organizations
and their representatives are due sincere appreciation and thanks
from all citizens of San Francisco, and Mr. Boas is to be commended
for his astuteness in instituting this procedure and his effective
persuasion in bringing about its implementation. It is to be hoped
that an even wider application of the program throughout other City
departments will be encouraged and utilized.

In light of Proposition 13 cuts there has been speculation
that the City's arts and cultural programs will suffer from short-
sighted economies. Partial support of many of these programs comes
from the City's Publicity and Advertising Fund. Some were dropped
completely. The CAO requested that the Board of Supervisors restore
this Fund to pre-Proposition 13 levels. This has been approved.

The CAO intends to continue to take an active role in plann-
ing for the top-side development of the block above the Moscone Conven-
tion Center, and a secondary role in the planning for usage of sur-
rounding property under the control of the Redevelopment Agency. How-
ever, now that the Moscone Center, the waste water management and solid
waste disposal programs have progressed substantially in the last year,
it is hoped that the CAO will turn even more of his time, energy and
considerable talents to areas which he considers of prime concern to
the City, namely, development of competent middle management in all
departments operating under his jurisdiction, the acceleration of
adoption by all departments of the new accounting system and related
problems involving EDP, City and County debt retirement, and promotion
of departmental efficiencies directed toward providing funds for
repairs to plant and capital improvements. It is this committee's
recommendation that he do so. His allocation of more of his time to
discussions with each of the department heads serving under him would
be beneficial to them as well as an effective means of aiding in the
resolution of some of the problems outlined above.

-44-

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (continued)

Mr. Boas has attracted to his aid in carrying out the duties
of his office a hard-working, able, well-informed and courteous staff.
He is to be congratulated for this accomplishment, and they are to
be complimented for their achievements in the administration of a
complex office.

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICITY

The Department of Electricity headquartered at 901 Rankin
Street, is the vital communications branch of City services. It is
headed by Mr. Burton H. Dougherty who has been its General Manager
since 1966 and does an outstanding job in spite of the ever-increas-
ing problems occasioned mainly by budget restrictions. The depart-
ment is under the jurisdiction of the Chief Administrative Officer,
and the General Manager reports to the CAO through the Director of
Public Works. This is a change effected this year from his report-
ing to the CAO through the Manager of the Real Estate Department.
The new arrangement seems to be working satisfactorily.

The department is charged with the installation and main-
tenance of radio, electrical and wire communications systems of the
Police, Fire and Health Departments, installation and maintenance of
fire alarm boxes, parking meters and traffic signals. These services
are instituted through work orders issued to the department from
other departments.

Although the department operates efficiently and provides
good service to other departments with a minimum number of people,
there is a general feeling among all personnel that they are fall-
ing behind in general maintenance on a regular basis due to lack of
funds for adequate staffing and lack of time to accomplish repairs
as well as routine maintenance. The workload of the department
increases in direct proportion to the increased number of installa-
tions required by City growth. For instance, there are currently
15,600 parking meters in the field and the number grows. The same
situation prevails with regard to traffic signals. The operating
people currently are on a seven hour day due to budget limitations.
Neither is it possible to attract additional competent electricians
and/or machinists to fill approved but vacant positions since the
current pay scale is below what such a worker can command in private
industry .

The General Manager still attends meetings of the Disaster
Council, chaired by Mayor Feinstein, and works with the Director of
Emergency Services, Edward Joyce. The State has approved the plan
for Emergency Operations under which the 911 emergency number is
the first step. Although the Mayor has not yet applied for State

-45-

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICITY (continued)

Funds to implement this operation and the Police Department has not
yet given Pacific Telephone a firm plan as to its needs, Mr. Dougherty
feels that the 911 number will be put in service within a year.

The General Manager has been advised that there is a rec-
ommendation being made to the Finance Committee of the Board of
Supervisors to eliminate the police call box system in an effort to
cut the Electricity Department budget by the amount of the main-
tenance costs of the system - some $56,000 a year. It consists of
467 call boxes on the street, ^7 located in the Hall of Justice, and
27 located outside the Hall of Justice in such places as the Fire
Chief's office, the Mayor's office, Health Department, etc. The
system is used daily not only by the Police Department, but by the
Fire, Health, Sheriff's Department and Department of Electricity.
It has consistently proven to be a valuable aid to all departments
in maintaining communication with each other, and in time of emer-
gency is a major supplemental communications system, a vital addition
at such times when the regular telephone system inevitably becomes
overloaded. It is a dependable alternate system and has often proven
its worth to all departments. Mr. Dougherty is not in agreement
that this system should be eliminated and is recommending that it be
continued. It is also the feeling of the Grand Jury that this in-
stallation should be retained.

The committee found the scope of the work performed by
this department to be impressive and it is accomplished in an out-
standing manner. A general spirit of cooperation pervades this
service group fostered by the knowledgeable administration of the
General Manager.

OFFICE OF THE CORONER

While the Coroner's office does an admirable job under
difficult circumstances, it appears that unless it receives adequate
City support its functioning will be severely impaired. The Coroner
and his staff have worked hard to build, and do enjoy, a reputation
for accurate, dependable and unbiased reporting which redounds to
the benefit of the City and County of San Francisco. Yet, due to
limitations being imposed upon the office by severe under-budgeting
and short -stopping, it is inevitable that this may not continue.
This is a situation which pre-dates Proposition 13 cuts.

The Coroner's office operates under the jurisdiction of
the Chief Administrative Officer. The Coroner, Dr. Boyd G. Stephens,
currently reports to the CAO through the Director of Public Health
as a means of conserving the time of the CAO. This is a change
effected this year from his reporting through the Manager of the
Real Estate Department. It is yet to be seen if this is an

-46-

OFFICE OF THE CORONER (continued)

improvement for either the CAO or the Coroner.

The Coroner accepts for medical examinations an average
of 2,000 cases a year; that is, the investigation of deaths open
to question in the City and County. While this is not the extent
of his duties, it is one of his primary functions. Currently, the
office is running approximately 150 cases behind in written reports
of its autopsies and four to six weeks behind in issuance of death
certificates. While this is a situation which should not be allowed
to continue, that these numbers are no greater is a credit to the
industriousness and diligence of the office given the difficulties
under which it strives to carry out its functions.

Under a new State law a dental chart on each case the
Coroner handles must be filed in Sacramento. Were it not for the
fact that the State will pay the costs of these charts, the require-
ment could not be met as there are no funds in the Coroner's budget
for such. As importantly, were it not for the work contributed by
a volunteer forensic odontologist, the work .would not be accomplished.
A retired employee contributes 4 to 7 hours office work a week.
The Coroner's office receives the benefit of an average of 200 hours
a month contributed by a dedicated and interested group of volunteers.
Every member of the staff consistently works 4 to 6 hours overtime
a week even though there is no money in the Coroner's budget at the
moment to pay for overtime. All that can be offered is compensatory
time off; however, due to short-staffing this is not a realistic
probability. Also, vacations are not presently being scheduled due
to lack of funds in the budget to replace the staff member.

A full-time taxicologist is an urgent need. The staff
presently operates with a part-time taxicologist and full-time tax-
icologist 's assistant. After a period of nine months, the position
of Administrative Coroner was filled in February. Of the 30 people
on the Coroner's staff, there are 10 investigators who are licensed
embalmers. It is the only uniformed group in the City which does
not receive a uniform allowance. The employee is required to bear
these costs personally. When it is realized that the office operates
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in fair weather and foul, these costs
are not inconsiderable. Such items as rain coats have been cut from
the budget. Even batteries for flashlights are not furnished.

Equipment in the office continues to be outdated and
undependable, impairing the capabilities of the office. A typewriter
in satisfactory working condition would be considered a boon of
inestimable value in this department, not to mention sophisticated
instrumentation essential to improved performance.

The Coroner and his staff seek every means to stretch the
limited budget of the office. To provide only a few examples of
this effort, the following are set forth: paraffin blocks (tissue

-47-

OFFICE OF THE CORONER (continued)

samples) are stored in dozens of cigar boxes contributed by the
concession in the Hall of Justice so filing cases will not have to
be purchased; a staff member with a flair for electronics helps to
repair instruments so that "down-time" will be shortened and costs
minimized; the Coroner helps repair equipment and routinely takes
home surgical knives and repairs them in his spare time, the depart-
ment does its own laundering of such items as surgical gowns. These
may not be the most important re source -saving devices the staff
employs but are presented here to illustrate the valiant but losing
battle the staff fights to keep the office functioning as efficiently
as possible.

The Coroner also expends time and effort seeking outside
funds through grants to supplement the capabilities of the office
and reduce costs to the taxpayers. Chemicals and materials purchas-
ed through grant funds allow the office to run some City tests along
with tests required under the grant. The National Institute of Health
this year has funded a research study in the area of Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome in the amount of $200,000. This is the only office
in the United States to receive such a grant thus far.

The Coroner also tries to improve investigative techniques
and clinical procedures for the good of the City by lecturing, attend-
ing seminars and participating in discussions at meetings of such
bodies as the University of California Medical Students, San Francisco
General Hospital Pediatrics Department, San Francisco College of
Mortuary Sciences, San Francisco Dental Society, San Francisco Depart-
ment of Public Health and more than 50 other groups. This year he
was requested to address (for the first time in six years) the students
at the Police Academy, and did so on March 23rd.

The potential of the office, however, is largely unused and
undeveloped for basic research in fields which could improve the quality
of medical and community care. Yet there are no funds provided for
training personnel to these ends. This is a disservice to the City
and County in the long view. The office is a necessary service to
the living, and its potentialities should be fully explored and devel-
oped.

Due to such reasons as the constantly expanding medical facil-
ities located in the City and the increasing older population in the
area, the workload in the Coroner's office accelerates accordingly.
Due to this as well as some of the numerous problems delineated in the
foregoing, it is increasingly improbable that qualified, competent
employees will be allocated to the office. Perhaps more importantly,
it will be increasingly difficult to retain qualified, competent
employees now in the office.

If the Mayor's recommended budget cut of 5$ is approved,
coupled with Proposition 13 cuts and the previous year's cuts, it will

-48-

OFFICE OF THE CORONER (continued)

mean that this department's budget will have been cut 45# in two
years. Given such a restrictive basis on which to function, it
is not reasonable nor realistic to expect that the office can
achieve its designated purpose. If it were not for the dedication
and loyalty to the office exhibited by the Coroner, Dr. Boyd G.
Stephens, his staff and the invaluable volunteers the office could
not today perform as well as it does. A lack of attention to the
needs of this department from the Mayor, the CAO and the Board of
Supervisors seems evident. Though invitations are not needed, in-
vitations have been issued to each of the City servants to visit
the office of the Coroner at any hour of the day or night any day
of the week for a personal evaluation, yet not one has found the
time nor demonstrated enough concern to inspect the facility.

By not adequately supporting this mandated office which
provides a vital service which by law cannot be dispensed with, it
appears that the City and County of San Francisco is failing to
carry out its duty, but rather is depending upon the good will and
largess of others to meet a responsibility which rightfully resides
with it.

Edith T. Griego
Vivian M. Kalil

Mildred D. Rogers, Chairman

-49-

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND RECORDS

During the term of this Grand Jury the Department of
Finance and Records administered and serviced the activities of
the Commissioner of Agriculture, Sealer of Weights and Measures,
County Clerk, Recorder, Registrar of Voters, Public Administrator,
Public Guardian and the Tax Collector. The acting Director was
Mr. Thomas Miller who was appointed by the Chief Administrative
Officer.

TAX COLLECTOR

Except for a brief period during the parking meter
collection scandal, Mr. Thad Brown has been Tax Collector of San
Francisco for nine years. The Tax Collector's Office is divided
into seven departments: Cashier, Licenses, Business Tax, Real
Estate, Investigation and Delinquent Revenues. The Tax Collector's
principal function is the collection of taxes and license fees.

The Tax Collector has aroused a great deal of attention
the last few years because of the parking meter collection scandal.
The collection is now being handled by Brinks and the Bank of
America, with a significant increase in the amount of revenue
collected. This entire matter has been given a great amount of
coverage in the news media and various persons have been in court
on charges relating to the scandal and hopefully this entire matter
is now in the past.

Over the years the staff and the workload of the Tax
Collector has grown. Part of the reasons for this growth are the
new assignments which have been directed at the Tax Collector. In
1968, the institution of the business tax generated a need for an
increased operation and more staff. More recently the Tax Collector
has been held responsible for issuance of preferential parking
stickers. The Tax Collector is also responsible for the delinquent
collection procedure for San Francisco General Hospital bills. But
for all of these income generating procedures and activities, this
department is still liable for budget cuts. This must be very hard
for the Tax Collector to understand because Mr. Brown states he can
document the fact that with a larger staff he could bring in more
money. He also feels that he could recruit better people than those
being brought in by Civil Service. It seems absurd to cut the staff
of departments which carry out procedures that generate revenue if
the director of these departments can demonstrate that increased
staffing would lead to more funds being generated.

-50-

REGISTRAR OF VOTERS AND RECORDER

Mr. Thomas Kearney is the Registrar of Voters and County
Recorder. The registrar of Voters is required to: Register
voters, prepare and disseminate voters' handbooks and sample
ballots, conduct the elections, and register candidates.

This Grand Jury had received a complaint that during
election day officials at various polling places were perhaps
intoxicated, drugged or just not all that efficient. Mr. Kearney
operates the Registrar of Voters with just 18 permanent people.
He must hire and train over 3,600 temporary employees to work on
election day. This appears to be a tremendous task which is per-
formed as well as could be expected. However, with all the people
hired it is almost inevitable that mistakes are bound to be made
in the hiring process. Before election day, ads are run in the
news media, recruiting workers for election day. For better
elections and better polling place workers more people in San Fran-
cisco need to offer their services for work on election day.

The County Recorder is required by State and County laws
to receive, record, index and preserve papers such as property
documents, tax liens, death certificates, military discharges and
upon request to issue certified copies of them. The Recorder's
Office has the same age old complaint that the people in this
office are overworked. With budget cuts it is difficult to remedy
this situation.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR PUBLIC GUARDIAN

Mr. James Scannell is the Public Administrator and the
Public Guardian. As the Public Administrator he administers the
estates of those deceased persons having no executor and in some
cases administers estates as ordered by the Court. The fee for
the administration of these estates is set by the Court. His
office has a big backlog of estates, 1100 estates four years or
older when we visited him, which because of insufficient staff
he has not been able to handle.

Most of these estates are rather small monetarily. He
currently has four attorneys working in the Public Administrator's
office. This office has never been self-sufficient but Mr. Scannell
feels it should be, in fact he feels he could make money. We
believe the City government should listen to and support people
such as Mr. Scannell when they feel their departments can be self-
sufficient.

As Public Guardian, Mr. Scannell is appointed by the courts
to serve as guardian of persons or estates. He was legal guardian
to 385 people when we visited him. Mr. Scannell appeared to be a

-51-

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR PUBLIC GUARDIAN (Cont.)

very resourceful person with some new ideas for his departments.
We hope he continues with as much enthusiasm as he showed when we
visited him and would hope he gets all the support the City and
County government can supply.

COUNTY CLERK

The County Clerk, Mr. Carl Olsen, is the ministerial arm
and record keeper of the Superior Court. As such the Clerk's Office
receives, indexes, files and retrieves legal documents for the
Superior Court. These documents also serve the need of litigants,
attorneys and the general public. The Clerk's Office is also res-
ponsible for court clerks to the Superior Court. In this area,
Mr. Olsen feels that the Civil Service is a thorn in his side. He
believes that the Civil Service cannot determine who will be a good
court clerk and that it can only test this area superficially.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

This department is under the direction of Mr. Raymond L.
Bozzini and is composed of three units:

1. Agriculture.

2. Sealer of Weights and Measures.

3. Farmer's Market.

As Agricultural Commissioner and Sealer of Weights and
Measures, Mr. Bozzini is primarily involved in consumer protection.
The Agricultural Commissioner is responsible for the administration
of County, State and Federal laws which provide protection to the
consumer, the environment and the agricultural industry. An example
of the type of service is the spot-checking of fruit in retail markets.

The Sealer of Weights and Measures is responsible for seeing
that all scales and measuring devices in the County of San Francisco
show the proper net weight, measure or count. This responsibility
also extends to package goods. They must also show the correct
measure or weight.

The Sealer of Weights and Measures is also responsible
for testing the meters on taxicabs. There are 900 cabs in San Fran-
cisco so all of the meters are not tested annually, although the
meters are tested after complaints to the Police Department. Because
of budgetary problems this office has been unable to test electric
submeters in the City and County of San Francisco. Consumer pro-
tection groups in San Francisco should be alerted to this situation
since there are estimated to be 15,000 to 20,000 of these meters in
San Francisco.

-52-

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND WEIGHTS AND MEASURES (Cont.)

The Farmer's Market is located at 100 Alemany Boulevard
and is operated by the City and County of San Francisco so that
farmers or growers can sell what they grow directly to the con-
sumer. A fee is charged to the grower for the use of a booth on
the premises. The year of 1977-78 saw the first year the Market's
operating expenses exceeded revenue. Hopefully, this will not
be a growing trend but Mr. Bozzini does not believe the Market can
continue operating as it is now.

We recommend that some sort of group be set up to study
what kind of future a Farmer's Market in San Francisco might have.
It appears that this type of market is very valuable to our area
and hopefully our Farmer's Market can be improved and developed.

Frank Harrison

William D. Kremen

Charles K. Desler, Chairman

-53-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

The goal of the San Francisco Department of Public Health,
under the direction of Dr. Mervyn F. Silverman, is to ensure maximum
levels of physical and mental health in the community. To reach
this goal, each section or division of the Department is utilized.

The Grand Jury of 1977-1978 presented a detailed explanation
of each of these sections or divisions; therefore, this Jury will
only report on certain sections of the Department.

Community Public Health Services

The Public Health Programs division of the Department,
under the dedicated leadership of Dr. Lorraine Smookler, exists to
protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. No other
agency in the community provides such public health services, yet
the budget for this section for 1979-1980 is 78% of the budget for
1977-1978. The City should set priorities regarding what are the
most important services to the people of the community. For example,
it has been said that the animals at the S.P.C.A. get more medical
care than the juveniles at Youth Guidance Center. The City also
sponsors the Civic Center Art Fair and puts red tile crosswalks on
Ocean Ave, while some of the Venereal Disease follow-up programs have
been eliminated, regardless of the fact that San Francisco has the
third highest rate of V.D. in the United States. The reduction
in the number of Public Health Nurses has also caused the diminished
effectiveness of school health programs.

The five District Health Centers (Mission, Westside, South-
east, Northeast, and Sunset-Richmond) provide chiefly preventitive
medical services such as general physical examinations, immunizations,
glaucoma screening, blood pressure screening, birth control advice,
bady clinics, and nutritional advice. At the present time, there is
no charge for these services because the people most in need of the
services either can't afford to pay for them or would not participate
in the programs if they had to pay.

We visited District Center #1, located at 3850 17th Street;
this is one of the largest in the City, under the direction of Dr.
H. Corey. The Center appears to be well operated but does not
truly reflect the needs of all the people in the District. This
Grand Jury recommends that some of the special services given at this
center should be handled in a more discreet manner.

Laguna Honda Hospital

Laguna Honda Hospital has approximately 900 patients; 60%
of these are over 60 years of age. Medi-Cal pays $29.43 per day,

-5*-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (continued)

per eligible patient, but the cost of regular care is $36.00 per day
and the cost of heavy nursing care is $83.00 per day. The counties
of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Alameda have presented a paper
to the State Health Department to explain the real costs of nursing
care and to attempt to initiate legislation to increase the Medi-
cal rate payable.

To bring the hospital up to safety standards, $3.5 million
has already been spent on fire protection; an additional $4 million
is needed for further building repair. Claredon Hall should be ready
for occupancy by the end of 1979. It will provide skilled nursing
care for 170 patients, 2 patients per room.

The patient care at Laguna Honda is very good; we were
especially impressed by the staffs on the critical care wards.

We recommend that the hospital's administrative staff become
more attentive to responding to questions from the public by tele-
phone.

San Francisco General Hospital

Programs operating effectively at San Francisco General
Hospital include the medical library, the dental program through
the U.C. Dental School, the Rosalind Russell Arthritis Foundation,
research on Cardiac cases and sickle-cell anemia and the EKG & LVN
program, which operates in conjunction with City College of San
Francisco.

We suggest that the 1979-1980 Grand Jury intensely investi-
gate several areas at San Francisco General Hospital. It appears
to us that the hospital is operating deficiently. We would like
to see realistic resolution of these problems: the long waiting
time for patients in the emergency room, the loss of accreditation,
the poor moral and lack of training of the staff, and whether the
Administrator can adequately perform that job with the restrictions
of the current Charter.

The Emergency Service -Ambulances-

Under the direction of Mr. Robert Butcher, San Francisco has
a favorable ambulance service taking into consideration the inadequacy
of necessary equipment with which to accomplish the job they are call-
ed to do.

This department receives about 60,000 calls per year. The
necessary amount of servicable ambulances needed to answer these calls
should be :

-55-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (continued)

8 at day time and 6 at night, but the department only has 12:
6 of them are from 1972 with 150,000 miles
4 of them are from 1976 with 60,000 miles
2 of them are from 1977 with 50,000 miles.

This Grand Jury highly recommends that steps be taken to improve this
department by giving them 8 new ambulances to replace those that are
often out of service.

The ambulance personnel from the medical point of view
is very efficient. However, the driving skills need improvement. This
Grand Jury recommends that special driver training be given to the
ambulance attendants in order to cut down the number of accidents.
We also disagree with the Board of Supervisors' recent action to
charge $68.00 per ambulance trip. The real cost to the City of
each trip should be investigated by the next Grand Jury.

Hall of Justice Jail

We visted the jails on the 6th and 7th floors of the Hall
of Justice on April 12, 1979, because of last year's Grand Jury report
about the drug problem. Prior to and during our visit, we were
assured by the medical staff that there was no problem with the dispens-
ing of drugs by the medical staff.

Then on April 28th we read in the paper "A Big Drug Bust in-
side San Francisco ]ails," at that time and now we have been unable
to investigate this problem. We feel it is very important that next
year's Jury look further into the control, if any, used in dispensing
of drugs thru the medical staff.

Also the doctors' and nurses' office is kept in a very
disorganized manner. Possible there could be more space, if avail-
able, that could be given to the medical staff.

Elizabeth A. Dowd
Edith T. Griego

Clara T. Delgado, Chairman

-56-

PURCHASING DEPARTMENT

The Purchasing Department serves all the City depart-
ments except that of the San Francisco Unified School District
in purchasing, repairing and maintaining all vehicles and other
equipment as well as ordering all materials and supplies.
There are five separate divisions within this Department:
1) Central Shops, responsible for all maintenance and
repairs; 2) Stores and Equipment Division which operates and
maintains a central warehouse and additional storage areas.
This division also transfers and disposes of equipment which is
either no longer useful or obsolete; 3) The Buying Division,
responsible for actually ordering and obtaining all supplies,
equipment, contractual services, and insurance; 4) Reproduction
Division which operates a central printing facility which
services all City departments; 5) Personnel and Accounts, which
handles bids, accounts payable, payroll and accounting.

For nine years an adequate, accurate, effective and
definite physical inventory has not been accomplished, nor is
there a strict control of inventory levels which seem to be
determined by budget allotments. The past three grand juries
have strongly recommended that a thorough physical inventory
of all City owned supplies and equipment be high on the list of
priorities. (Reference is made to the report of 1975-76 which
stated that an inventory had not been done in over six years;
the 1976-77 and 1977-78 Civil Grand Jury reports reflected simi-
lar findings.) Although a chief of inventory and sales has not
been employed for the past four or five years, a possible re-
structuring or shifting of middle management might help fill
or alleviate this great void. A physical inventory should be
done on a calendar basis by each individual department.

This past year the City was particularly plagued with
the contractual services of its tow-away operation. In January
one tow service could not perform its duties because of lack
of sufficient tow trucks. Lack of storage space has been a
stumbling block for many tow companies. Finally, a six month
contract was signed with Community Towing on a trial basis.
(Normally this contract runs for five years.) There were initial
problems of adequate radio communication from the towing vehicle
to central headquarters. The results of an audit on responses
of pickups to tow calls by the Police Traffic Department is
currently underway and the results should be known in July, 1979.
The study is examining the statistics of tow-aways on primary
and secondary streets as well as those made on accidents, block-
ing of driveways, and abandoned vehicles. Because of the nature
of the towing business (the constant movement of vehicles) care-
ful watch should always be kept regarding a proper check of
vehicle ownership as well as length of storage before dismantel-
ing operations commence. This Grand Jury recommends that in the

-57-

PURCHASING DEPARTMENT (Continued)

future this department physically and thoroughly investigate
the ability of each company to render the services contract.

With the exception of Muni, the Central Shop at Quint
and Jerrold Streets maintains and repairs approximately 3,000
City-owned automotive vehicles, 815 of which are automobiles
with an average age of 8 years (including approximately $300,000
worth of new ones which were purchased in 1977) . There are only
about 90 employees who actually service, repair and maintain
all vehicles. This number in personnel has not grown commen-
surately in size with the automotive fleet. The emergency service
vehicles of the Police and Fire Departments and ambulances receive
top priority. However, even 80 new police cars have to await
delivery of special equipment due to a six to eight month de-
livery delay. Often little preventive maintenance is done
on other departmental vehicles because of the length of time the
vehicle may have to remain but of service. Consequently, much
of the automotive fleet is sorely in need of repair or replace-
ment. Because of the age of some vehicles, parts have to be
found in junkyards or hand cast and forged within this division
in order to make needed repairs. There is not presently a compre-
hensive maintenance or replacement program. A system of regular
replacement such as three or four vehicles every year rather than
all twelve in one year should be high in budgetary priorities.

Title II federal funds in the amount of $728,000 have
now been depleted, however these funds made it possible to place
on EDP all of this division's information on accounting, usage,
accidents, breakdowns, and preventive maintenance work. This
information should be available July 1, 1979.

According to Mr. Joseph Gavin, Director of Purchasing,
there has not been a forms analyst to review and monitor the
reams of paper consumed in all departments. The Reproduction
Division uses over 5 million sheets annually, which seems like
an astronomical amount of paper for a city of approximately
700,000 people. However, with seemingly little effective control
of inventory levels and only a reduction in budget as an in-
centive to reduce expenditures or inventory, it is little wonder
that much overlap and duplication are bound to result. This
Grand Jury recommends that a forms analyst might be retained on a
pro bono basis as were management consultants from Chevron USA,
Crown Z, Del Monte Corporation, and Coopers & Lybrand who, on
May 21, 1979, completed a preliminary study of the Stores and
Equipment Division of the Purchasing Department. The expertise,
guidance and assistance these companies have given on a voluntary
basis could prove invaluable. If the recommendations affecting
cost reduction and improved efficiency are implemented, and if
the City and County of San Francisco follows these general
industrial organizational guidelines for all phases and functions
within the Purchasing Department, there could be a substantial

-58-

PURCHASING DEPARTMENT (Continued)

savings in one division alone. These companies are to be
congratulated for performing this much needed service and
thus making a most valuable civic contribution. It is this
Grand Jury's recommendation that the incoming Grand Jury
follow closely the progress reports made on the first phase
of this important study.

We wish to thank Mr. Gavin and his staff for their
help and cordial reception and cooperation at all times.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

The Department of Public Works, consisting of several
bureaus: Street Cleaning and Planting, Street Repair, Water
Pollution Control, Building Repair, Building Inspection and
Property Conservation, Central Permit, Bureau of Engineering,
and Bureau of Architecture, has operated in 1978-79 with a budget
of about $35.8 million dollars.

Sources of Budget: Sewer Service Fund $ 10,548,000

General Fund 10,046,000

Road Fund 15,141,000

Uses: Equipment 1,190,000

Materials 4,086,000

Personnel 29,703,000

Other 869,000

A management review study of the Department of Public
Works was initiated more than a year ago and completed by Touche
Ross & Co. in March 1979. Although it cost approximately $200,000,
if correctly implemented it may save the City in excess of
$6,000,000 annually by 1982. As of this report most of the
suggestions made in the study are being effectively implemented.
The cooperation which Mr. Jeffrey Lee and his staff gave Touche
Ross management consultants during the study reflects their
willingness to expedite steps which lead to a more efficiently
run department. Most of the recommendations made regarding
operating improvements and allocation and utilization of bureau
resources should be completed by December, 1979.

As a direct result of the management study, the building
permit processing time has already been reduced by one-third.
All permits are now issued from one division. Plans are now reviewed
simultaneously by various units of the Department of Public Works.
Consequently, citizens should be notified more quickly of incom-
plete documents or other problems. The City should receive in-
creased revenue of approximately $2,245,000 if building permit
fees are raised to reflect the true costs of checking plans and
providing inspection. (Heretofore, the Department of Public Works

-59-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS (Continued)

has also absorbed the overhead in billing State and Federal
agencies for services provided.)

Mechanized street sweeping on a City-wide basis could
mean a 7 to 1 savings. (The three year program will ultimately
cost $3 million dollars, including equipment and installation
of controlled parking signs.) Controlled parking, necessary
to effectively implement mechanical sweepers, has, when proper-
ly enforced, proven to be an effective source of revenue as well.
In January the Board of Supervisors approved $1 million, and at a
cost of approximately $45,000 to $50,000 each, 23 mechanical
street sweepers are presently in operation. In 1978-79 $80,000
has already been saved. Ultimately the manual sweeping program
will be reduced by 111 positions. (There will, however, always
be a nucleus of a manual crew since there are areas where mechani-
zation is not practical.) It must be noted that the average
life of mechanical sweepers is only four to five years before
replacement. However, this is still much less expensive and much
more efficient.

Improvement of field crew scheduling could reduce the
street repair staff. Already crews of smaller numbers are replac-
ing larger ones to handle pot holes and small emergency repairs.
The crews needed for each sewer repair job will be scheduled so
that only one is on the site at a given time. The sewer repair
staff would eventually be reduced as well. (The two afore-
mentioned scheduling changes could bring about a savings of
$890,000.)

The sum of $880,000 could possibly be saved if the
amount of staffing closely reflects operating needs. Reduction
of the staff of three city drawbridges by ten (five already have
been reduced) would be a great savings since some evening shifts
have as few as two bridge openings per month.

Eight positions of the sewage treament plant have been re-
directed due to closing and automation of one plant.

This year $30,000 - $40,000 could be saved if the
Board of Supervisors approves an independent janitorial con-
tract. The Department of Social Services was not cleaned for
two weeks in October, 1978, due to the indecisiveness of the
Board of Supervisors regarding these privately contracted
janitorial services.

Traffic painters in the Bureau of Engineering could be
contracted and will be tested. If acceptable, the Department
of Public Works will seek full approval of the Board of Super-
visors. Both of the above could take effect in September of
1979. If the Hall of Justice janitorial contract proves
successful, then the Department of Public Works may ask approval

-60-

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS (Continued)

to contract City Hall.

By reassigning clerical work in the Bureau of Building
Inspection, a considerable saving of $305,000 could result.
(Clerks in the Division of Apartment and Hotel inspections
could do the paperwork presently done by inspectors.)

Most of these management recommendations made in the
Touche Ross study, are presently being carried out to the most
reasonable degree possible. We recommend that the incoming
Grand Jury monitor the results and effectiveness of this im-
portant study.

With the restrictions of the 1978-79 budget, only one
and a half miles of sewage repair could be accomplished this
year. There are 900 miles of sewers in the City of San Fran-
cisco, 125 miles of which are brick and which conceivably may
need much repair in the future.

It is the feeling of this Grand Jury that many of the
duties and responsibilities of the Department of Public Works
could be handled more expeditiously and cost effectively if it
were given greater flexibility in hiring and firing many blue
collar workers as needed for various jobs.

Last fall when it was discovered how potentially
dangerous the chlorine stored in tank cars on the waterfront
might be, the Board of Supervisors voted to switch to a more
expensive sodium hypochloride at a cost of 1.8 million, thereby
adding $1.96 to the sewer service charge on the average bi-
monthly home water bill.

The Grand Jury wishes to thank Mr. Lee and his entire
staff for promptly responding to requests for information, as
well as their courtesies and cooperation extended during our
visits .

REAL ESTATE DEPARTMENT

The Real Estate Department is responsible for the acqui-
sition, disposition, management and recommended demolition of all
City-owned property as well as the appraisal, negotiation and prepa-
ration of all leases entered into by the City and/or any department
thereof (with the exception of the Water Department and Airport
which manage their own realty affairs in consultation with the Real
Estate Department) .

Now that the City's Westside Sewage Wastewater project
has been approved, the Real Estate Department will complete the
applications and negotiations with state and coastal land commis-
sions as well as obtain and negotiate rights with approximately

-61-

REAL ESTATE DEPARTMENT (Continued)

400 property owners under whose properties the pipes will be placed.
(Most of the pipeline will run beneath City street which, of course,
are City-owned.) In addition, the Real Estate Department must now
relocate 8 units of Army housing as well as the National Guard Armory
at Fort Funston. (A suitable location in the Presidio is presently
being looked into for the latter.)

The Charter and Administrative Code often mandate rules
which are difficult to carry out, i.e., for nearly a year the State
of California wanted to lease Hidden Valley Ranch from the Hidden
Valley Ranch could not get money for the work order to have the
Department of Real Estate handle and expedite these negotiations.
(Only recently has this been accomplished.) Due to this unwieldy
and slow process, the City is losing revenue from properties which
might otherwise be leased. Clearly the Real Estate Department and
the Charter Revision Committee should work closely together in sug-
gesting changes which might handle these matters more expeditiously.

The Real Estate Department has been waiting for over
a year to effectively rent most of the presently vacant schools. How-
ever, since the School District has been slow in paying for the work
order, very little has been accomplished as of this writing. With
the great demand for idle school properties, this Grand Jury suggest
that the School District move more swiftly in its attempt to fill
these vacant buildings. (Presently only non-competitive agencies and
services may use these premises, thereby preventing private or paro-
chial schools from doing so.)

At the time of this writing, the Police Department,
Hetch Hetchy, and the Department of Social Services are interested
in leasing space from the School District. This Grand Jury feels
that the needs of local City and County governmental agencies and
departments should be given first consideration in these rentals.

The Grand Jury suggests further that a very careful
analysis be made of all City departments and agencies presently
occupying buildings which are privately owned to determine if money
might be saved in the long run by moving certain department activities
into those presently vacant schools without losing public and inter-
departmental accessibility. The initial cost, of course, is that of
moving which is a one time only cost.

Many vacant schools have fallen into disrepair through
lack of use and vandalism. Should City departments and/or agencies
lease these premises, this Grand Jury strongly suggests that the
office of Mayor and the Chief Administrative Officer look into the
possibility of obtaining the pro bono services of private industry
in rehabilitating such buildings, i.e., paint, supplies and labor
with which to accomplish this end.

-62-

REAL ESTATE DEPARTMENT (Continued)

It is important to note that the Real Estate Depart-
ment has had only five fully funded employees since 1965,
including its very able Director, Wallace Worman, an outstanding
record to be sure. Since nearly all of the department's work
is done by work orders and the work must be done regularly, 27
employees (85% of the department) are interdepartmentally funded.
When budgets are made or cut, as the case may be, careful atten-
tion and special consideration should be given to very small de-
partments, such as Real Estate, which have so little flexibility
in shifting workloads in employment. Departments which are de-
pendent on interdepartmental funding, in order to perform the
required services, can ill afford any cuts.

Coldwell Banker examined, pro bono, the operations of
the Real Estate Department and found its leases and appraisals to
be fair and reasonable. Mr. Wortman is to be congratulated on
his control and the direction given his department, particularly
in view of the added responsibilities he has assumed under the
direction of the Chief Administrative Officer. (See report on
the Chief Administrative Officer.) We are most appreciative
of the time and complete cooperation Mr. Wortman and his staff
extended his Grand Jury.

William Noaks

Mildred D. Rogers

Genelle Relfe, Chairman

-63-

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Mr. John Molinari was sworn in as President of the Board of
Supervisors on January 8, 1979 when the current president, Dianne
Feinstein, became acting Mayor following the deaths of Mayor George
Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. As a result of this tragedy,
three new supervisors were appointed by Mayor Feinstein to fill the
empty chairs of Districts 2, 5 and 8. The Grand Jury commends the
entire Board for their strength and ability to carry on business
during a time of great sadness and confusion.

According to Mr. Molinari, the three major concerns for
the supervisors during this past year have been: 1) housing;
2) crime; and 3) middle class flight to the suburbs. In addition
to these three concerns, the supervisors have carried the added
burden of reducing departmental budgets due to Proposition 13.
Also, in 1979-80 a severe loss of trained personnel will take place
in most City departments due to new federal regulations for CETA
employees, which limit CETA personnel employment to 18 months.
Mr. Molinari could not offer any solutions to these problems at the
time of our visit with him in May, except that all departments would
have to cope, and individually manage to carry out the same amount
of productivity with less staff and fewer funds.

Aside from trimming each department's budget, the Board
has chosen to contract out janitorial services since their budget
analyst, Harvey Rose, has recommended that this would be a cheaper
means of providing this service than the present system of City-
employed personnel. To date, four departments have contracted
janitorial services, and the report has been favorable. Mr. Molinari
assured us that in negotiating the contracts with the private firms,
a verbal agreement is made by the firm to employ a mutually accept-
able number of the City's unemployed janitorial personnel. We
strongly urge the Board to maintain fairness to the City's employees
when negotiating these contracts.

The subject of rent control had been a major issue since
last November. On June 12th of this year the Supervisors unani-
mously approved a rent control plan. This plan limits rent increases
to 7% annually unless a landlord can justify an amount above that.
Landlords were allowed an automatic 7% increase immediately following
the signing of the new law. Those who had not raised rents since
April 15, 1978 were allowed a 13% increase, and those who had not
increased rents since April 15, 1977 were allowed a 19% increase.
This new law also establishes a tenant/landlord mediation board
comprised of two tenants, two landlords, and one neutral member.

-64-

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS (Continued)

Another major issue, in May, was gas rationing. We feel
that the Board was slow to act in implementing the odd/even gas
rationing plan. We agree that the odd/even system may not have
been the most desirable plan, but the temporary uncertainty caused
some concern for the citizens of San Francisco and placed them
in a vulnerable position for several days, since most of the
surrounding counties had already adopted the plan. We understand
the Board's desire to exercise the City's legislative independence,
however, they should not have allowed that type of political city
versus state tug-of-war to take place during an emergency situation
such as that.

With regard to the question of full-time supervisors as
opposed to part-time supervisors, we recommend that the position
remain part-time as it presently is. We feel the Board is doing
an adequate job, and in light of the necessary budget and personnel
cuts due to Proposition 13, salary increases to cover full-time
supervisors would not be appropriate at this time. However, when
the budget can more easily withstand it, the Grand Jury would be
in favor of placing this proposition on the ballot.

In closing, we would like to recommend that the Board of
Supervisors direct their attention toward the following summarized
list of suggestions, and departmental needs:

Department
City Hall (in general)

Budget Priorities
(in general)

Electric Data
Processing (EDP)

Controller

Superior Court

Municipal Court

Law Library

Recommendations

Implementation of fire alarms/smoke de-
tectors/sprinkler systems.

The Board should give special attention
to smaller departments when cutting
budgets, since these departments cannot
absorb a cut as easily as a larger one
can.

Additional space required.

Additional space required.

Additional space required.

Space and security problems for many
courtrooms. Additional supervision at
Hall of Justice because of insufficient
number of bailiffs to perform this job.

Additional space required.

-65-

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS (Continued)

Department
Sheriff's Department

City Attorney
District Attorney
Public Defender
Fire Department

Emergency Services
Airport

Police Department
Parking Authority

Commission on
the Aging

Human Rights Commission

Purchasing Department

Recommendations

Additional space required. Need for
female officers/deputies.

Additional space required.

Additional space and personnel required.

Additional space required.

Need for budget allotments for Emergency
Medical Technician training for personnel
because of a 75% increase in resuscitation
calls .

Central communications center needed.

Additional space required for medical
facility because of projected major
increase of foot traffic due to opening
of the new terminal.

Pre-Test Training needed before Academy.

Investigation to determine if Parking
Authority can be combined with another
department such as City Planning or
Department of Public Works.

Grant Commission additional funds re-
quested from parking tax.

Additional funds needed to meet require-
ments of Chapter 12-A.

A complete inventory is badly needed of
all City department supplies and equip-
ment. Restructuring of middle manage-
ment needed to alleviate the vacant po-
sition of Chief of Inventory & Sales.

An annual emergency vehicle replacement
program should be initiated.

Forms Analyst on a pro bono basis should
be sought.

When a contract has been granted (i.e.,
janitorial, tow-service) a personal
inspection of the company's facilities

-66-

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS (Cont.)

Department

Recommendations

Purchasing Department
(cont. )

MUNI

California Academy
of Sciences

Asian Art Museum
Fine Arts Museums

Art Commission

Animal Control Center

Civil Service
Commission

Health Service System

Retirement System

should be done to ensure that this com-
pany is capable of effectively rendering
the services contracted.

Fare adjustments needed. Investigation
of middle management area needed.

Renegotiation of Sunday park closure
should take place until an equitable
solution is reached. Additional police
presence needed during special events.

Additional space badly required.

MUNI transportation to the Legion of Honor
(perhaps three times daily) would be a
tremendous help to this museum.

Amend Ordinance No. 30-69, Section 3.13:
"Appropriation for Adornment of Proposed
Public Structures" to give the Art
Commission more authority, so that
conflicts between the Commission and
various departments can be eliminated.

A multi-year contract should be negotiated.

Additional funds and staff needed to pro-
duce a Civil Service Newsletter which
would be issued on a regular basis and
explain Civil Service rules accurately
and as simply as possible. Additional
personnel should be allotted to staff a
test validation unit to reduce criticism
regarding reliability of Civil Service
tests.

Permanent mail person position needed.
Additional space required.

Should be made a formal trust so that
funds will remain protected for the re-
tirement of City employees. Should become
its own budget setting authority. Should
be allowed to offer options, if necessary.
These changes will require Charter amend-
ments .

-67-

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS (Cont.)

Department

Coroner

Department of
Electricity

Tax Collector

Public Administrator/
Public Guardian

Department of Agri-
culture & Weights &
Measures

Department of
Public Health

Commission on the
Status of Women

Emergency Services/
Ambulances

Recommendations

More attentiveness to this department's
needs by the Mayor, CAO, and Board of
Supervisors. Full-time toxicologist
urgently needed. Typewriter of satis-
factory working condition would be a
boon of inestimable value.

No elimination of police call boxes.

Additional staff required.

Additional staff would help this de-
partment become self-sufficient.

Study needed on current Farmers' Market.

Public health should be a top priority
in city planning. Health care is more
important than red tile cross-walks on
Ocean Avenue, for example. V.D.
follow-up programs should be re-
established since San Francisco has the
third highest rate of V.D. in the U.S.

This department should be deleted en-
tirely, since the work they do is al-
ready covered by the Human Rights
Commission.

Eight new ambulances needed to replace
those that are often out of commission.

John S. Collins
Morris Rabkin

Rebecca S. Turner, Chairman

-68-

THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

The California Academy of Sciences, under the direction
of Dr. George E. Lindsay, is a combination museum, planetarium,
aquarium, and scientific research department. Because of this
multi-faceted personality it provides the San Francisco public
as well as many out-of-towners with hours of educational pleasure.
It is one of the most popular attractions in Golden Gate Park.
In Fiscal Year 1978-79 over 1.7 million people visited the Academy.

Steinhart Aquarium, under the direction of John E.
McCosker, is the fastest growing attraction of the Academy, with
a fish collection rated third in the world, and housing one of the
only two manatees (a giant sea-lion type mammal) in captivity. One
of Mr. McCosker 's newest creations is the aquatic "petting pond,"
a beautifully arranged display where children (and adults) not
only can observe harmless sea creatures in their natural habitat,
but can actually touch and handle them as well.

The Scientific Research Department, directed by William
N. Eschmeyer, publishes several scientific journals and does ex-
tensive research in eight different areas, including anthropology,
geology, entomology and ichthyology. The Entomology Department
contains over six million species of insects, and the Ichthyology
Department houses over 175,000 species of fish, some dating back
over a century. The most recent and valuable discoveries of this
department concerned the finding of high mercury content in tuna
as far back as 100 years, thus concluding that the mercury found
in tuna today is not the result of man-made pollutants.

Yet another important facet of the Academy is the Junior
Academy, where parents can enroll their children in scientific
educational programs. The Junior Academy will be developing
additional programs for the summer due to increased summer school
closings as a result of Proposition 13.

This Grand Jury found the staff at the California
Academy of Sciences to be extremely qualified and dedicated to the
purpose of the Academy, and we therefore urge the cooperation of
the Park and Recreation Department, Police Department, and Board
of Supervisors with regard to the following departmental problems:

Park Closure to Automobiles on Sunday. This has been a critical
problem for several years, not only for the Academy of Sciences,
but also the entire cultural center of the Park, including the
Asian Art Museum, de Young Museum, and Japanese Tea Garden.
Because of this, the Academy reports a gigantic 25% decrease in
visitation on this day.

-69-

THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (Cont.)

Recommendation : We understand that several debates took place
regarding this matter but no equitable plan was ever reached.
We recommend that this issue be renegotiated until a mutually
acceptable solution is achieved.

Additional Police Security for Special Events. The Academy praised
the Police Department for its support, but feels that additional
police presence is needed for special exhibits that are prone to
larger crowds.

Recommendation : We recommend the continued support of the Police
Department in providing additional guards for the Academy during
these special occasions.

FINE ARTS MUSEUMS

The Fine Arts Museums, consisting of the de Young Museum
and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, operate on a
budget of approximately $3.1 million per year. Just over two- thirds
of this amount is City funded. The rest comes from private donations,

The Museums' functions are to preserve, collect and
exhibit objects of art, but they provide many other educational
services as well. Among them are the following:

Library: The Library, housed in the de Young Museum, contains
20,000 volumes, plus numerous sales and auction catalogues and
bound periodicals.

Art School: The Art School conducts four programs: 1) The de
Young Museum Art School is committed to providing low-cost classes
taught by professional artists. Over 100 classes, workshops, and
field trips are offered in four quarter semesters. The school
is a non-profit corporation entirely supported by student's fees;
2) "Trip-Out Trucks" visit school classrooms four times each year
in an effort to integrate art into the school curriculum through
studio art classes, lectures and demonstrations, and to initiate
the teacher to use the museums as an educational resource; 3) The
Downtown Center, established in 1976, is a branch gallery of the
museums located in the downtown business district; and 4) the Museum
Internship Program selects individuals from the Western United
States to work and study at the museums. Funded by the NEA and
the Rockefeller Foundation, this program assists the museums in
achieving national visibility for its education programs, and
helps other museums initiate programs for their communities.

Dr. Ian M. White, Director and Chief Curator, and the
entire Fine Arts Museums staff are to be highly commended for the
two spectacular international exhibitions presented this fiscal
year . The Splendor of Dresden: Five Hundred Years of Art Collect-

-70-

FINE ARTS MUSEUMS (Cont.)

ing was shown at the Legion of Honor, and Treasures of Tutankhanum
was shown at the de Young. Nearly two million people attended that
exhibition. In preparation for these two major exhibits capital im-
provements were made on both buildings. New flooring, roofing,
lighting, climate control and moveable walls were installed at the
de Young. A similar climate control system was installed at the
Legion of Honor. These improvements will also enhance the museums'
ability to attract future exhibits.

Problem: The Legion of Honor is not near a regular bus route. Atten-
dance is not as high as it could be if better transportation to the
Legion was provided. We recommended that a MUNI bus route, possibly
the "2 Clement," be revised so that public transportation to the
museum door would be provided at least three times daily. This would
only require a few additional minutes to the MUNI schedule, and the
benefits to the museum would be bountiful.

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

The Asian Art Museum, directed by Rene-Yvon Lefebvre de '
Argence, was built in 1959 to house a gift of 4,500 art objects by
Avery Brundage. A second contribution by Mr. Brundage in 1969
doubled this amount. Thanks to additional contributors, the museum's
collection is now approixmately 10,000 items worth over $400 million.

One of the biggest highlights of this fiscal year was the
exhibition 5,000 Years of Korean Art. This exhibit was made possible
through negotiations with the National Museum of Korea. Our Asian
Art Museum will organize and supervise the tour of this fabulous
collection when it leaves San Francisco to make six additional stops
in the United States.

One of the most significant aspects for the museum's docents
this fiscal year was the implementation of a new administrative
structure in the Docent Council. This new structure provided for an
elected Vice Chairperson who would be spokesperson for Asian Art
Museum docents, plus be responsible for the daily administration of
docents, and for implementation of Asian Art Museum educational
policies and requirements as they affect the Asian Art Museum docents.
Because of this, a new level of administrative efficiency has been
achieved.

To mitigate the financial impact of Jarvis-Gann, the museum
has applied for a federal "challenge grant." This grant provides
$1 of federal money for each $3-$4 the museum can provide. At the
time of this writing, it is not yet known whether the Asian Art
Museum's application has been accepted.

Problems:

1. Personnel. A request for a part-time assistant for the
Education Curator was approved, but was not funded by the Board of

-71-

ASIAN ART MUSEUM (Cont.)

Supervisors. Also, a vacant preparator position was not refilled
because the position was deleted. Without additional help, the
Asian Art Museum is seriously hampered from extending the quality
of their services to the public.

2. Space. Because the Asian Art Museum was originally
built to house the 4,500 items of the Avery Brundage collection,
only 10%-13% of the museum's present holdings can be displayed at
one time. The rest remains unseen by the public and is crowded
in storage. This space problem also affects new acquisitions,
loans and temporary exhibitions. This Grand Jury highly recommends
the exploration of additional space possibilities for the Asian Art
Museum.

ANIMAL CONTROL CENTER

Health and safety hazards caused by a high population of
unsupervised or abandoned domestic animals is a problem often under-
estimated. In 1977 there were 50,358 cases of dog bites reported in
the State of California alone.* This Grand Jury commends the Animal
Control Center, operated by the San Francisco Society for the Pre-
vention of Cruelty to Animals (SF/SPCA) , for performing services
above and beyond its designated civic duty.

The SPCA, directed by Richard Avanzino, is privately funded
by its members. The Animal Control Center is the only aspect of the
SPCA which receives City funds. Its duties are to schedule, dispatch
and conduct patrols throughout the City, providing trained, experienced
animal handlers to serve as uniformed Deputy Animal Control Officers
in specially-equipped, radio-dispatched vehicles; to impound stray
dogs; issue citations for violations of animal control laws; and pick
up confined and injured stray animals.

The Center's total City budget of $205,300 for 1978-79
covered the following:

a. salaries of 10 employees

b. taxes/fringe benefits

c. insurance/maintenance/repair

d. utilities/supplies/training/informational material

e. auto expenses

f. accounting/miscellaneous support services

g. equipment rental
h. facility rental

Although the Animal Control Center's major duty is to im-
pound stray animals, the self-appointed task of finding homes for

* 1978 statistics were not available at the time of this writing

-72-

ANIMAL CONTROL CENTER (Cont.)

unclaimed animals serves a financial purpose aside from the obvious
sentimental one, since all adoption fees are immediately turned
over to the City and County. This year the adoption rate reached
an all time high - 95% for cats, and 78% for dogs - which is a 15%
increase over last year. The national average is only 10%. Revenues
received from owner-redemption and adoption fees totalled approxi-
mately $50,000 this year. To perpetuate the exceptionally success-
ful adoption program a variety of services directly related to
animal control are provided by the Society at no additional cost
to the City. These additional services, totalling $180,000 this
year include administrative services; an infirmary and treatment
for stray, injured animals; veterinarian-supervised staff examina-
tions to determine condition and adoptability of Shelter animals; a
fully equipped Rescue Ambulance; a privately-funded low cost spay
and neuter clinic to cut down the number of unwanted animals; and
a public information program teaching pet owner responsibility and
obligation to City and State law. In addition to these services,
two new services will be added in the upcoming year: 1) a full-
time groomer to make animals more desirable for adoption, and
2) a "Petmobile" to be used in a satellite adoption program,
carrying animals to shopping centers, parks, street fairs, etc.
Both of these new services will help increase adoptions, adding
the fees to City revenue to underwrite some of the costs of animal
control.

Also, 1978-79 saw the debut of the Hearing Dog Training
Program, a most ingenious plan designed to stimulate adoption
while providing a valuable service to citizens of the deaf
community. Selected, abandoned dogs are trained to respond to
noises such as a doorbell, ringing phone, baby cry, etc., and to
alert the owner. The dogs are given to their new master free of
charge. Already the success stories of this new program are
bountiful.

New plans for the Animal Control Center include: 1) a
disaster program, a cooperative effort with the Red Cross whereby,
in the case of a disaster such as an earthquake, the SPCA would
handle the rescue and sheltering of animals as the Red Cross does
for humans, and 2) computerized dog licensing. This year an
estimated $200,000 was received in revenues from dog licensing
fees, and Mr. Avanzino predicted that this amount could double
if dog licensing was computerized. The SPCA would be willing to
fund a percentage of the computer costs, but no formal discussions
with the Board of Supervisors have yet taken place regarding this
matter.

Recommendation : The SPCA presently operates the Animal
Control Center on an annual contract. Each year the question
arises as to whether or not the contract will be renewed. This

-73-

ANIMAL CONTROL CENTER (Cont.)

seriously hinders the development of long-range plans. Animal
control is an ongoing problem in need of ongoing solutions,
and this Grand Jury found the staff at the SPCA to be highly
dedicated and qualified to perform this necessary function.
Therefore, we recommend that the Board of Supervisors negotiate
with the SPCA to develop terms for a multi-year contract.

John S. Collins
Morris Rabkin

Rebecca S. Turner, Chairman

-74-

OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY

The City Attorney's Office is located in Room 206 on the
Second Floor of the San Francisco City Hall on Polk Street.

This office is under the direction of Mr. George Agnost the
elected City Attorney. Mr. Agnost, was employed by this office before
being elected in 1978.

General

The City Attorney's Office is often called the "City Protective
Agency" since it is charged with the responsibilities of representing
the City in all litigation, giving advise to all City departments in
contract negotiations, and is primary legal advisor to the Mayor. To
discharge this responsibility Mr. Agnost is assisted by two staff assist-
ants, who act in his behalf when absent, and an Operations Officer, who
handles the day to day administrative function.

Budget

The City Attorney's Office received a budget of approximately
$4.l| million for fiscal year 1977-78. Ninety-two percent of this budget
was used for salaries, 8% went for other expenditures. The budget re-
ceived was far less than that requested, due mostly to the passage of
Proposition 13.

Personnel

This department is still understaffed for the volume of work
it does. Its present staff consists of 60 attorneys and 30 other admin-
istrative persons that handle more than ^4000 cases yearly. This rep-
resents hundreds of millions of dollars of litigation. The ration of
support staff to attorneys has not changed since the last Grand Jury
report (1977-78).

Equipment

One of the most pressing problems of this department is that
of equipment. Everywhere we looked we found the equipment to be out-
dated or in short supply, such as: (1) Typewriters still in need of
specialized characters needed for legal typing; (2) Desks were in short
supply, and in need of repairs; (3) The outdated switchboard was still
in use, and still inadequate to handle its assigned task. CO A short-
age of typewriters has caused the creation of a "typing pool", which
modern management systems consider inefficient for this type of
administrative paper work.

The only commendable aspect in this area is the installation
of the Wang Word Processing System. This system, however, is on a
rental basis that costs the City approximately $8,1*40 a year.

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OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY (Continued)

Space

This department is in need of office space as stated in the
1977-78 Grand Jury Report. Many attorneys do not have desks at which to
work. Most must use library tables. Those that do have desks are
crammed into noisy, small offices with one or two other attorneys. The
library is spread throughtout the offices and in corridors. It is diffi-
cult to use, because of traffic interruptions. Filing cabinets are lo-
cated wherever space permits; they are not readily accessible. The light-
ing and ventilation are still substandard.

The City attorney also has a branch office at the Airport. This
is also short of office space, typewriters, desks, chairs, and needs a
law library. This office is charged with the responsibility of defending
the 1*12 lawsuits, referrred to in the 1977-78 Grand Jury Report resulting
from Airport operations. This is a monumental task, involving millions
of dollars, to have to perform under these circumstances.

Recommendations

1. That the City Attorney's Office be allocated additional
space.

2. That the City Attorney's Office be given a one time in-
crease in budget to allow for relocation, if necessary.

3. Purchase of typewriters with Legal characters.

We strongly suggest that consideration be given for movement
of the Office of the City Attorney and that of the Public Defender into
one of the vacant schools.

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY

This office is locatated on the third floor of the Hall of
Justice at 850 Bryant Street, and is under the direction of District
Attorney Joseph Freitas, Jr., an elected official.

Mr. Freitas is charged with the responsibility of prosecuting
public offenses committed within the City and County of San Francisco.
In addition, the District Attorney has duties in mental health commitment,
consumer protection, family support, Juvenile prosecution, and election
and campaign law enforcemnet. To discharge his responsibilities effi-
ciently the District Attorney's Office is divided into seven major di-
visions: Criminal Prosecution, Administration, Consumer Fraud, Victim/
Witness Assistance, Family Support, Investigations, and the court system
which includes: Superior Court, Municipal Court and Juvenile Court.

-76-

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY (Continued)

Budget

The District Attorney's Office operates under the City Charter,
receiving a major portion of its funds from the City. Some of its major
programs, however, are federally funded by grants from the Law Enforce-
ment Assistance Administration. A budget of $10.4 million was allocated
for fiscal year 1978-79, with the major portion going to salaries. Mr.
Freitas hopes to receive an increase in budget for fiscal year 1979-80,
so that his office may make better use of Electronic Information Systems
now available to other branches of law enforcement.

Personnel

The District Attorney's Office has a staff in excess of 220
employees, including 85 principal attorneys, 30 investigators, and 105
persons in miscellaneous administrative positions. The District Attorney
states that his staff is adequate for the present. However, with the
development of the Electronic Court Management System during fiscal year
1979-80, some need for increased staff can be anticipated.

Family Support Division

The Family Support Unit was established in 1976 by state and
federal mandates to recover support obligations owed to both welfare and
non-welfare families by absent parents. This unit was expanded into a
separate functioning entity with a staff of 122 employees. Supporting
funds come from monies supplied by a combination of federal and state
grants through Support Enforcement Incident Funding (SEIF), which pays
San Francisco a bonus for every dollar collected. The federal govern-
ment also reimburses San Francisco for 75* of the direct and indirect
operating costs of both the Family Support Division and those Social
Sevices employees involved in child support activities. The Family
Support Division will collect approximately $300,000 during the fiscal
year 1979-80. The 1977-78 Grand Jury reported that this division had
problems in hiring adequate staff because of Proposition 13 induced
cutbacks. However, This problem has been alleviated by the Board of
Supervisor's vote to restore a portion of the District Attorney's budget
for 1978-79.

Administrative

The Administrative Division plans, organizes and directs the
administrative activities of the District Attorney's Office in all phases
of its operations. It coordinates and provides all support services not
directly related to case Investigation, preparation, and prosecution. It
is also responsible for consultation and correspondence with various
outside agencies, the general public, and the news media. This division
consists of approximately 28 to 30 people assigned to general administra-
tion, 16 people assigned directly to other organizational units, and a
number of others (CETA employees) involved in various duties that fall
under this division.

-77-

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY (Continued)

The Administrative Division processes all filings, subpoenas,
case files, and motions for more than 50,000 criminal and noncriminal
filings; keeps personnel and pay records for the office's 220 plus employ-
ees, and administers a sizable budget. Since the last Grand Jury report
( 1977-7o ) a Word Processing System has Deen installed and the Computerized
Court Management System (CCMS) is under development. This division is
under the direction of Ms. Virginia McCubbin.

Criminal Division

The largest division of the District Attorney's Office is the
Criminal Division, which includes all attorneys not assigned to one of
the other seven divisions. This division has five organic units:
Superior Court, Municipal Court, Juvenile Court, Special Prosecutions,
and Career Criminal Prosecutions. This division with its organic struc-
ture is responsible for a case, from its charging to its disposition.
This system of case assignment is designed for overall improvement in
accountability, accuracy, continuity, and technical competence.

The success of this division is spelled out in performance
statistics for fiscal year 1978-79, such as a 60? increase in State
Prison commitments, an increase in felony arrest charges filed in
Superior Court, and restraints on plea bargaining. However, this di-
vision is under-staffed, because of the lack of funds and the inability
of the District Attorney's Office to hire or keep experienced attorneys
in City government. The income disparity between the public and private
sector is great. A good attorney in private practice receives an annual
salary of $22,000 and up, while the City's top pay scale is $16,000-
$18,000 per year.

Victim/Witness Assistance

This program was established in 1977 under the direction of
Ms. Sue Gershensen, who since has been replaced by Ms. Nancy Walker. It
has offices at 560-7th Street. The program is administered by the
District Attorney's Office as a matter of policy. The project is funded,
however, by a Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) grant,
through the Mayor's Criminal Justice Council (MCJC).

The program U3es volunteers extensively in discharging its
responsibilities, which include: Assistance to elderly victims (over 55),
assistance to rape victims and victims of domestic violence. Services
to witnesses include: orientation as to courtroom procedures, and some
transportation to and from court apperances. Other required services to
the Victim/Witness Assistance Program are handled through other social
and private agencies, whose chairperson serves on the Mayor's Committee
on Victim/ Witness Assistance. This Grand Jury would like to commend
the Mayor and the District Attorney for their foresight in establishing
and managing a program of this magnitude. Too often in the Criminal
Justice System, the victim or witness is the forgotten person in the ad-
ministration of Justice.

-78-

OPPICE OP THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY (Continued)

Consumer Fraud Dlviaion

The Consumer Fraud Division was reorganized in March of 1976
under the direction of Ms. Judith Ford, and has offices in the Hall of
Justice at 850 Bryant Street. Its primary purpose is to protect the con-
sumer and other legitimate businesses from fraudulent business praotlce
through the enforcement of the California state consumer laws. Its pres-
ent staff consists of eight attorneys, six prosedutor investigators, and
30 plus interns, most of whom are on a volunteer basis and contribute a
vast amount of free labor.

The division collected fines of more than $300,000 in fiscal
year 1978-79* handled some 3*000 complaints, and received awards of over
$150,000 (awards represent actions settled out of court). The division
also has at its disposal a "Complaint Mobile" staffed with bilingual law
students and volunteers. It travels to neighborhood sites handling
complaints of those persons unable to come to the Hall of Justice. Slnoe its
Inception, the division has provided a much needed service to the people
of San Francisco. It exposed, for instance a store in the Hunters Point
Area that was selling spoiled meat products and had it closed.

Others

Some of the District Attorney's responsibilities, such as
election and campain law enforcement, training, arbitration as an alter-
native, bail bond collection, and psychiatric court, do not require the
usage of additional staff members to warrant discussion in separate
paragraphs. They are, however, being handled as additional duty assign-
ments by various staff members. Some of these functions, such as bail
bond collections, do include the handling of and accountability for a
considerable amount of funds. The disposition of these funds are shown
yearly in the District Attorney's Annual Report to the Mayor.

Recommendations

1. We strongly recommend that a study be made to determine the
steps needed to bring the income of attorneys in City government in line
with that of the private Beotor.

2. We also recommend that this office be allocated more space
to alleviate overcrowding and cluttering of hallways.

PUBLIC DEFENDER

The Public Defender's Office, under the direction of Mr. Jeff
Brown, operates according to the City Charter, and 1b governed by section
27706 of the Government Code of the State of California.

-79-

PUBLIC DEFENDER (Continued)

This office at present is located on the second floor of the
Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant Street.

Mr. Brown appears to be a very highly motivated public servant.
The function of the Public Defender is to provide legal aid to those
defendants who are financially unable to provide their own attorney in
criminal matters. He mentioned a number of innovations and/or changes
in organizational structure since the beginning of his administration in
January of 1979. These include:

1. An increase in services provided in misdemeanor cases;

2. the establishment of a trained Investigator Section and;

3. installation of a Word Processing Section where all
admins trative paperwork will be coordinated. The old problems of lack
of space, equipment, personnel and travel funds still exist. Some of
these problems, however, have multiplied since the passage of Proposition
13.

The Public Defender's Office has two other major areas of
responsibility. First, the Mental Health Section, located on the fifth
floor of the Hall of Justice, is under the direction of Ms. Estrella
Dooley. This section must handle all conservatorships involving civilly
detained, mentally disordered or mentally disabled individuals. On court
appointment, pursuant to mandates, this section represents actual or
proposed probate wards/conservatees. In the criminal courts ii represents
mentally disordered or mentally disabled criminal defendants. So far
these cases have shown a 7 3% increase over 1978. Most of these cases
involved some travel to and from places of confinement outside the City
and County, and the problem of insufficient funds somewhat hampered this
effort. Second, the Juvenile Com . Lotion, located at the Youth
Guidance Center, 345 Woodside Avenue, is under the direction of Mr.
Bonfilio and has a staff of five to ten law students, and five CETA
Attorneys. Mr. Bonfilio must staff four courts to handle juvenile defen-
dants. Since the City's new program to clean-up the streets, the work-
load of this section has increased twofold, without the benefit of addi-
tional staff.

Budget

The Public Defender received a budget of $2.2 million for
fiscal year 1978-79 with 92.535 going for salaries and 7.5* for other
operational expenses. The budget request for fiscal year 1979-80 must
be presented in three stages of 83* ($1,844,430), 88* ($1,949,439) and
92* ($2,033,446) of last year's budget. With the approval of the 83*
budget this office would lose 14 attorneys. With the approval of the
88 J budget the loss would be approximately 4 attorneys. Approval of
the 92* budget would result in a loss of only 2 attorneys. Any of the
above mentioned budget cuts would cause great difficulty in providing
proper legal assistance to clients, as required by law.

-80-

PUBLIC DEFENDER (Continued)

As of May 30, 1979, a Budget of 95 % was approved falling far short of
the required 107*.

To underfund this department is a false economy! To do so
would result in large future costs, spread throughout the entire Judicial
system. Defendants who are insufficiently and improperly represented by
this office will have valid legal grounds for appeal and reversal of
verdicts, resulting possibly in expensive and needless retrials and a
duplication of previous efforts, all at additional public expense.

Personnel

The Public Defender has a staff of 132 persons. Sixty- three
are budgeted positions; 6k are CETA positions, which are funded by feder-
al funds, and 5 are temporary employees. Mr. Brown states that he has
ample staff with which to discharge his duties. This staff will be
drastically reduced with the anticipated loss of the CETA personnel
during the month of August. Another problem is the income disparity
between CETA attorneys and principal attorneys. ($6,000 per annum)

Equipment

With only 7.5* of the total budget allocated for equipment
and supplies, this office has been unable to by new and/or better
equipment. Most effort in this area is based on preventive maintenance
of outdated machines and other office equipment. The last new equipment
purchased was the Word Processing Machine which cost approximately
$67,000. Additional funding is badly needed in this area.

Space

This remains one of the major problems facing the office. On
touring the facility we notice that all cubicles used by attorneys for
interviewing clients were overcrowded. In all instances, two attorneys
were sharing space designed for one; the hallways were cluttered with
filing cabinets and other boxes which constantly caused traffic Jams.
The front entrance was filled with persons seeking information and
employees trying to use the Electronic Data Processing terminals.

Recommendations We recommend the following:

1. The budget for this office should be funded minimally at
a full 100* of last year's budget for fiscal year 1979-80.

2. This office should be moved from it's present location in
the Hall of Justice, in order to conform with Federal Guidelines recommend-
ing that the Public Defender's Office be separated from the District
Attorney's Office and Police Department.

3. Additional office space should be provided. The present
office area was constructed to house 17 persons, and is overcrowded with
61.

-81-

PUBLIC DEFENDER (Continued)

4 . An effort should be made to retain those CETA persons
scheduled to depart in September 1979. It is unfortunate and wasteful
that so much time has gone into their training, only to be lost to
private industry.

5. Some type of advertising program should be undertaken to
inform the public at large of the location of this office and the bene-
fits provided.

6. A background investigation should be conducted on all
clients using this office for the purpose of being able to ascertain
if clients are trully unable to afford their own attorneys.

Marvin Jones

William D. Kremen

William Noaks, Chairman

-82-

SHERIFF j S DEPARTMENT

The Sheriff's Department Is responsible for the management
and operation of the City and County Jails, courtroom security and
its own Civil Division.

The present Sheriff, Eugene Brown, was appointed by Mayor
Moscone after the duly elected sheriff, Richard Hongisto, left the
department on December 14, 1977. Sheriff Brown's appointment was
confirmed on February 4, 1978. This jury feels that Sheriff Brown
is a highly self-confident person with knowledge of his profession,
having served with the San Francisco Police Department.

Budget

The department was hit fairly heavily by Proposition 13
cutbacks. A budget request for $11 million was submitted, but
was reduced to $10.2 million, of which 85# was targeted for salary
expense. At this writing, the department has 406 permanently
budgeted positions; 334 of the 40o were eligible for deputization
as peace officers under Penal Code Section 830.1. Of the balance,
26 positions are being held vacant, and 46 positions are supportive
civilian positions. In addition to its budgeted positions, the
department employs some 90 CETA personnel in various projects
which are federally funded.

Space and Location

This department, according to Sheriff Brown, is ideally
located for the functions it performs. He is, however, somewhat
crowded for office space, namely in the Civil Division. It is the
opinion of this jury that more space should be allocated to the
department. This would allow for supervisory personnel to have
offices in which to transact business of a confidential nature.

Programs (Old and New)

a. Food Service Program

Prior to the arrival of Sheriff Brown there were many
complaints about the quantity and quality of the food served in
the City and County's jails. This type of problem has been the
cause of many riots at other prisons in the past. To eliminate
this problem the department has contracted its food acquisition
and preparation to ARA, a commercial food preparer, with a savings
to taxpayers of $25,000 yearly.

b. Prisoner Assistance Program

The Rehabilitation Division has been re-named the Prisoner

-83-

SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT (continued)

Assistance and Service Division. According to Sheriff Brown this
title aptly describes the functions of this division of the Sheriff's
Department. Prisoner Assistance offers programs and counseling
for the incarcerated who wish to increase their likelihood of
successful assimilation upon release from the Jail System. It is
the opinion of Sheriff Brown that this program will do much to
reduce the prison population in the near future.

c. Prisoner Education Program

The department has a Prisoner Education Program for those
prisoners in County Jail who wish to better their general education
level in the "three R's". This program is coordinated through City
College .

d. Recreation Program

Sheriff Brown stated that this is a neglected area in
City Jails , due to limited funds and lack of available space. To
institute a good recreation program that would be productive for
the prisoners would cost the City somewhere in the neighborhood of
$4 million.

e. Drugs and Other Medical Facilities

The previous Grand Jury mentioned in its report the im-
proper distribution of drugs to prisoners, namely Darvocet. Sheriff
Brown stated that his department has never been responsible for the
dispensing of drugs or any other medication to prisoners and that
the Jury had erred in its assumption. The blame for this situation
should have been attributed to the Department of Public Health.
After investigation into this situation a new program for safe-
guarding the distribution of drugs and other medication has been
undertaken in conjunction with the Department of Public Health.
Whenever a prisoner is found to be in ill health he is immediately
moved from his place of confinement to the hospital ward at San
Francisco General Hospital.

f . Prisoner Work -Furlough Program

The department maintains a Prisoner Work-Furlough Program
which includes both male and female prisoners. The male program,
however, is better organized than that of the female. The male
prisoner returns to a community house after his daily schedule of
work while his female counterpart must return to her cell block.
This situation creates ill-will among female inmates. The depart-
ment is trying to eliminate this situation by procuring another
community type house for female inmates. This has been hampered,
however, by the lack of available funds and available secure housing
and staff shortage.

-84-

SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT (continued)

Prisoner Population

As of October 30, 1978, there were a total of 1157 persons
confined in the City and County Jails. Of the total, 1034 were men
and 123 were women. The racial breakdown of males was 34.8$ White,
42.9$ Black, Id. 7^ Spanish, 0.7$ Oriental, 2.3$ American Indian and
0.75b Others. The female breakdown is approximately the same with
43.0$ White and 46.0$ Black.

The estimated cost to taxpayers to maintain a person in
confinement is approximately $23.08 per day, and rising.

Personnel and Equipment

The department's personnel were discussed in the paragraph
entitled "Budget11.

The equipment most vital to this department are vehicles
for transportation of prisoners. Sheriff Brown stated that his
department maintains a fleet of 44 vehicles, of which 3 were under-
going repairs. Forty-one were in running condition, however, these
vehicles had very high mileage and did require some maintenance,
but due to the overload of work orders at the City's Garage the
work would have to wait. This department also maintains a radio
control station, which was in good repair, but in one outer office
we found a rug that was badly worn with two or three large holes
that should be replaced as soon as possible. We suggest that a
second hand rug be purchased from available funds. Not replacing
this rug may cause the City a very large law suit.

City Prison

Mr. Noaks and Mr. Jones of this committee visited the City
Prison located on the 6th Floor of the Hall of Justice on December o,
1978, at approximately 1:00 p.m. We were met by Undersheriff Denman
and Sheriff's Captain Sante, Supervising Officer of City Prison.

The tour of the facility began with the front desk admin-
istration and the booking procedure. This jail handles approximately
90,000 persons per year who have been accused of misdemeanors and/or
felonies. Here they await preliminary hearings and court dates.

The December 6th visit revealed that the conditions noted
in the 1977-78 Grand Jury Report had changed little or not at all.
Prisoners in the "Topper" (Drunk) Tank were still using the concrete
floor to rest while awaiting booking. Sheriff Brown made reference
to his budget request for 1978-79, in tfhich he asked for $107,000
for capital improvements in this area. It was disapproved and he
sees no improvements without funds. In reference to the use of
mattresses and blankets In the drunk tanks, the department is
attempting to alter its policy to comply with the Grand Jury's
recommendations . o_

SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT (continued)

The committee found the jail to be in a very untidy
condition. There were milk cartons, cigarette butts and heavy dust
on the floors. Food trays were still in some cells with leftover
foodstuffs. On a tour of cell AH8, the isolation cell where mentally
disturbed prisoners are confined (segregated), we found it to be
very untidy and in complete disarray. One prisoner awaiting trans-
portation to the Napa Facilities had undressed himself and wet his
bedding and cell. The bedding had been removed and left in a pile
at the end of the hallway. The lighting in this cell block was of
the worst type and the smell was unbearable. None of the recommend-
ations of the 1977-78 Grand Jury had been complied with, again be-
cause of the lack of funds. Undersheriff Denman stated that some
effort was being made to obtain monies for padding of doors and
renovation of the lighting system.

Recreation for these prisoners in isolation is not
recommended; however, for others there should be some type of
program.

Recommendations

1. The unsanitary conditions at this jail could be some-
what relieved by the utilization of the roof of this building with
minimum cost to the City. By enclosing the roof with a mesh wire
fence, it could be used as s sort of recreation area where prisoners
could be moved daily while their cells are being cleaned and searched
for contraband.

2. A system of privileges should be instituted for
prisoners. This would enable the department to obtain personnel
from among the population for cleaning and maintenance of the cell
blocks. The present system of letting those prisoners who wish to

do small jobs on their own initiative is inadequate to say the least.

3. A daily system of inspections by a Chief Deputy should
also be instituted to check on sanitary conditions and to ascertain
If the deputies on duty are taking responsibility for eliminating
unhealthy conditions and performing other requirements of the job.
We believe that a system of this type, where a deputy knows that
his performance will be a matter of record that might affect his
promotion to a better job level, he will take more pride in doing

a better job.

County Jail No. 2

General

The County Jail at San Bruno, San Mateo County, was con-
structed in 193^ by WPA Workers. The jail is a seven story structure
built on 159 acres of rolling farm land designed to house at full
capacity, some 650 persons. However, with some modifications its

-86-

SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT (continued)

capacity is now approximately 700. On our visit the prison popula-
tion totaled some 291 prisoners. The Acting Captain, Lt. Courtney,
explained his organization and the functions of his administrative
programs, such as, Prisoner Assistance; Farming Program; Education;
Recreation and the housing of prisoners from other counties. We
were then given a guided tour through the complete facility with
emphasis on organic organizational functions.

Personnel

This installation is authorized by budget to have 65
deputies, 1 building and grounds superintendent, 1 senior stationary
engineer and 4 stationary engineers. However, this staff is short
by 5 budgeted positions (deputies), which are being filled by 5 CETA
persons, who are at best ill -trained or equipped to function as
deputies in cases of emergency. The procedure for their use in
filling these vacancies is illegal according to federal guidelines
on the use of CETA personnel. The Supervising Officer, Lt. Courtney,
stated that the department has been unable to fill the positions
because of the low salary schedule of personnel coming into the de-
partment. In further discussion he stated that he would lose some
of his more experienced persons to the coming Police Department
Recruitment Program. We also discovered that personnel already in
the department were reluctant to take examinations for advancement
because of the income parity between Sheriff's Sergeant and that of
deputy. Some effort to improve the situation should be made during
the next budget session.

Food Program

Since the last visit of the Grand Jury (see Grand Jury
Report, 1977-78) the responsibilities of supply and/or preparation
of foodstuffs at this installation has been contracted to a private
management firm. This contract will enable the department to make
considerable savings in its food budget. However, prisoners still
complain of not getting enough to eat, which we found to be ground-
less. In inspecting the evening meal of ravioli, broccoli with
white sauce, garlic bread and assorted beverages, generous portions
were available. The Supervising Chef was found to be a man of many
years experience in the food preparation and distribution field.
The kitchen was very clean and orderly. We find this situation to
be greatly improved over the last Grand Jury Report*

Medical Facility

The Medical Section is staffed by 1 full-time physician,
2 nurses and 3 intern-medical Persons from the Public Health Depart-
ment which offers a twenty-four hour service. A schedule of hours
for prisoners to visit the attending physician was posted in addition
with a set time for prisoners to receive medication, called The Pill
Hours . In reference to the usage of the so-called "Squirrel Cages",

-87-

SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT (continued)

most of this practice has been discontinued as far as possible.
Prisoners are allowed visitors while in medical confinement.

Education

The Education Program is an extension of the program at
City Jail. It is staffed by teachers from City College and the Art
Commission. This program offers courses in the basic skills, with
added courses in basic and advanced music by the Art Commission.
These courses are designed to assist the prisoner on his return to
the outside environment. At the time of our visit there were some
20-25 persons enrolled in a number of different subjects. This
program is also made available to the women inmates of Jail No. 4,
making it a coeducational program, which we find commendable. All
classrooms were found to be very clean and in good order.

Prisoner Assistance

Under the direction of Mr. Ron Perez, Prisoner Assistance
is currently involved in Bio-Feedback, Para-Legal Services, Child
Support, Transcendental Meditation and Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
During our visit Mr. Perez was involved in getting a prospective
father a leave to visit his newly born child. We think this is a
very commendable program, however, more emphasis should be placed
on obtaining funds, office space and the keeping of adequate records
for study in making this a model program.

Recreation

There is adequate space available for prisoner recreation
at this installation. The Supervising Officer stated that prisoners
can participate in most sports, such as, baseball, basketball and
softball on an Intramural level during periods of good weather.

Security Procedures

We find the security procedures used at this Installation
are excellent, with one exception. We somewhat question the method
in which civilian personnel are allowed to roam throughout this
installation without the use of any visible identification readily
on display. We strongly recommend that badges of different colors,
with photographs, be used to identify personnel from administrative
sections, such as, green, for engineers; red, for medical personnel,
etc.

County Jail No. 4 (Women's Jail)

General

At the time of our visit there were 26 inmates at this

-88-

SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT (continued)

institution. We found the building to be in good repair and very
clean. Most windows had curtains, made by inmates in a sewing class.
The building was warm and very comfortable.

Personnel

This installation is authorised by budget to have a staff
of 14 deputies. We found it to be short of 2 positions due mostly
to the shortage of female personnel in the department.

Problems

The discontinuance of the visitors' cages is an excellent
idea, however, the practice of allowing persons to enter this prison
without being searched is considered to be hazardous and should be
stopped immediately. Weapons, drugs and other contraband have been
found in cell blocks in the past.

Re commendation

The offices of this department should be moved to the Hall
of Justice so the Sheriff would be close to his areas of respon-
sibility.

Marvin Jones

William D. Kremen

William Noaks, Chairman

-89-

ASSESSOR

First of all, we appreciate the budgetary limitations
caused by the passage of Proposition 13. With this in mind, we
feel that any budgetary cuts in the Assessor's office that would
not allow for the maximum net revenue for the county would be
counter-productive. Unlike many other county entities, the
Assessor's office is a revenue producing agency. According to
the Assessor: "...the audit tax dollar recovery to expenditure
ratio have ranged from $13 to $20 recovery to $1 expenditure."

The Assessor considers these as being his critical needs:

(1) Proper staffing of auditor-appraisers complimented
by adequate clerical support.

(2) Sufficient funds to perform out-of-state mandatory
and priority audits.

We feel that these needs should be met.

We feel, as does the Assessor, the "overall audit program
should be increased to ensure equal treatment of all taxpayers of
the county. "

Although most of the needs of the Assessor's office can be
estimated there are at least two that are contingent upon future
events .

At this writing, the present CETA employees are scheduled
for termination. The quantity and quality of their CETA replacements,
if provided, are unknown factors. Even if we assume that the present
number is replaced, extensive training will be required to bring such
employees to an acceptable job performance level.

When new legislation concerning the Assessor is enacted
necessary adjustments must be made to reflect such legislation.

We thank the Assessor, Mr. Sam Duca, and his staff for
their cooperation.

TREASURER

One of the principal duties of this office is to invest
monies received as quickly as possible so as to ensure the maximum
amount of interest from such monies.

A substantial amount of the money received by the Treasurer
is paid directly to individual county entities. Oftentimes, there is
a delay between the time a county entity receives such monies and

-90-

TREASURER (Continued)

the time the Treasurer receives the monies from the county entity.
This results in a loss of interest money to the county.

To alleviate this situation, a cash manager will be hired
for the fiscal year 1979-80. He will be hired on a one year con-
tract. The cash manager will serve as a liason between the
Treasurer and county entities receiving monies due the county. The
cash manager will review all sources of monies due the county. He
will try to determine better methods by which all such monies are
turned over to the Treasurer expeditiously.

He will be charged, further, with the responsibility of
reviewing contracts between county entities and others. From these
reviews he should be able to determine whether or not those con-
tracting with county entities are paying on time. The cash manager
will scrutinize these contracts and determine whether such contracts,
as written, are in the best interest of the county.

Another area of concern is where vouchers are given in lieu
of payment. For example, a voucher is given to Hetch-Hetchy and
Hetch-Hetchy gives the voucher to the Treasurer: The Treasurer
must then return the voucher to the payor for actual payment. Such
dilatory tactics by a payor result in a loss of money to the county.
We feel that a cash manager will be able to solve these and other
concomitant problems.

As of this date, June 26, 1979, approximately $29,600,000
have been realized in interest from the general fund. The rate of
interest has been more than nine percent. Excellentl

The Treasurer says that he has had a good working relation-
ship with the Mayor's Office, both past and present. It seems that
where the Treasurer has demonstrated a certain need the Mayor's
Office has been very understanding. For these reasons, we do not
make any recommendations.

We commend the Treasurer, Mr. Thomas Scanlon, and his
staff for the good job they are doing.

Clara T. Delgado
Olimpia M. Xavier

Marvin Jones, Chairman

-91-

SUPERIOR COURT

As Executive Officer of the Superior Court, Frederick J.
Whisman is responsible for administering the many functions of this
department: the qualification and selection of some 30,000 to 40,000
jurors a year, including two Grand Juries, Criminal and Civil; admin-
istration of Juvenile Court, Mental Health Court, and ten court
commissioners .

The new section of the Hall of Justice, currently under
construction, will provide additional space for Superior Court; four
courtrooms for the Criminal Division, while this may solve the court-
room crisis, additional office space is a top priority. Some of the
rooms alloted to Superior Court look more like incubators than offices.
The prime example of this problem is Room 165 where this Grand Jury had
more than a few occasions to visit. Congratulations go to Mike Tamony
and Gloria Clemis and the dedicated staff for being able to work in
such a dismal, congested area.

Thanks to Judge Mayer, Superior Court has made some progress
in providing Room 417 of the City Hall as an Assembly Room for the
comfort of San Francisco citizens who are called for jury duty.
Prospective jurors now have a place to watch television or read until
their services are required.

Eight of the twenty-six Superior Court Judges handle criminal
cases. Approximately 175 cases are pending at any given time. In
criminal cases, the case is brought to trial within 60 days, once the
plea has been entered. The complex Master Calendar continues to operate
smoothly.

In civil cases there is a seventeen month waiting period after
the filing of an "At Issue Memorandum," allowing attorneys discovery
time. In criminal and civil cases, approximately 90# of all cases filed
are settled out of court; 10# go to trial.

Eighty per cent of all cases filed with Superior Court are
disposed of for less than $15*000. Hopefully, by July 1st we will
have mandatory arbitration. Every case worth $15,000 or less will go
to arbitration, saving the court considerable cost.

Several legislative changes affecting Superior Court have been
made concerning civil claims as well as jury selection. No individual
may be exempt from jury duty because of physical handicaps such as
deafness or blindness. As of July 1978, and effective January 1979,
Jury duty per citizen has been reduced to a maximum of ten days a year.
This legislative change has put additional strain on personnel in
processing the many prospective jurors.

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SUPERIOR COURT (continued)

Having served Its term, this Grand Jury has become cognizant
of legislative and organizational changes needed to achieve not only
accurate and comprehensive investigative work but also the truth.
Unlike the Criminal Grand Jury, the Civil Grand Jury is restricted
in its reports to comments on persons not indicted (California State
Penal Code 930) . The effect of Section 930 is to inhibit a true
presentation of all the facts when the possibility of libelous action
exists, even when groundless. We are of the very firm opinion that
the removal of civil immunity from grand Jurors is a strong deterrent
to the effective performance of their task. This law must be changed
if any Civil Grand Jury takes its oath seriously, "i will investigate
no person, department or governmental entity through malice, hatred
or ill will, nor leave any uninvestigated through fear, favor, or
affection..." We alert next year's Grand Jury to the implications of
Section 930.

We recommend the following:

1. Amend Section 930 of California State Penal Code.

2. Extend the Civil Grand Jury term to two years. The first
six months should be spent studying procedures, acquiring needed in-
vestigative skills and understanding the make-up of local government
under the guidance of the previous Grand Jury. Thereby having gained
sufficient background, knowledge, the jury can do more thorough
investigations «

3. Concentrate, early in the year, on specific departments
with problems. The entire Grand Jury should investigate this problem
area, not juBt the sub -committee.

We thank the court for allowing us the educational experience
we had this past year, a responsibility we took most seriously. We
hope that needed changes will be seriously studied by the court as well
as the next year's Civil Grand Jury in order to preserve the integrity,
viability and usefulness of this important duty, so that this so called
"watchdog" of local government will not be afraid to bark when nec-
essary nor be unwilling to wag its tail.

Clara T. Delgado
Rebecca S. Turner

Vivian M. Kalil, Chairman

-93-

YOUTH GUIDANCE CENTER AND JUVENILE COURT

The Youth Ouidance Center, under the direction of Joseph
Botka, Chief Probation Officer, provides youth services for those
detained, court services and probation services.

Alleged status offenders, children who are runaways, beyond
parental control - are placed in the non-secure facilities, Cottage 2
and Cottage 3, or in Shelter Care or Crisis Resolution Homes. There
appear to be various opinions regarding the placement of status
offenders. The Youth Authority recommends the removal of youths from
the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court and placement in other resources
in the community. Juvenile Court feels that it must maintain shelter
for these youths. This area of concern should be researched by the
incoming Grand Jury.

Children who violate the criminal laws are detained at
Juvenile hall, a secured facility, designed for the temporary detention
of youths involved in law violations. Artist Ruth Asawa has helped to
reduce the institutionalized appearance of Juvenile Hall with the
creation of murals on the walls.

Thanks to a dedicated Volunteer Auxiliary, additional re-
creational programs, gifts, and furniture are available to further
serve the needs of children detained in this institution. The Volunteer
Auxiliary also sponsors and manages a shop for visitors. Profits from
this shop are used to further serve the needs of the children. The
impact of Proposition 13 has resulted in the closing of Hidden Valley,
a residential treatment facility for boys between the ages of 12 and
15 who are law offenders. Some of the youngsters at Hidden Valley
have been transferred to the nearby Log Cabin Ranch. The remaining
youths who had less severe offenses have been released.

Log Cabin, a ranch for boys between 16 and 18, located in
La Honda, is directed by the dedicated James Licavoli. Youths are
committed here from 90 days to one year. We found a most positive and
enthusiastic staff who create a loving, caring, pleasant, non-threaten-
ing environment at this facility. Here, youths are counseled and
schooled with academic emphasis on reading and mathematics, preparing
them hopefully for emancipation into the community. This program works
strictly on behavior modification , and the building of self-esteem;
perhaps this is the one time in a youth's life that he receives any
level of success or support from what appears to be a surrogate extended
family, dedicated to meeting the needs of disadvantaged youths. Log
Cabin not only receives youths from San Francisco County but also
receives some youths from Merced County, which pays $975 a month per
child. These fees go into the City's General Fund. This involvement
of Merced youths has served to provide a more racially balanced group
of youngsters. One of the problems that exists for Log Cabin youths
is boredom. While Log Cabin has facilities for swimming, football,
and basketball, youths do need some vocational training - further

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YOUTH GUIDANCE CENTER AND JUVENILE COURT (Continued)

assisting their emancipation into the community. For awhile, the auto
shop remained closed because San Francisco Unified School District
did not provide an auto shop teacher to replace the auto shop teacher
who went out on disability. Finally, the CCC paid for the auto shop
teacher. The CCC is currently using the shop for its own programs as
well.

Future plans include the development of a youth transition
home for the boys released from Log Cabin. This program is a necessity,
for the return of the youth to the home environment he came from will
only expose him once again to the same peer pressures and family
environment that may have caused his problem in the first place.
Youths should have the opportunity to live in the community away from
their homes before making their final step into society.

We recognize the difficult circumstances under which Mr.
Botka and his staff work at Youth Guidance Center in dealing with the
problems of youths as a result of our complex society.

Loss of staff and decrease in budget would further hamper
them in a task already burdened with tremendous responsibility.

Clara T. Delgado
Rebecca S. Turner

Vivian M. Kalil, Chairman

-95-

ADULT PROBATION

The glories of ancient Egypt fly in and out of our fair city
on man-made wings, new edifices are erected in the name of progress
and civilization, trees are planted, cable cars hike hills ; glittering
sights for tourists and inhabitants of San Francisco, the eighth wonder
of the world.

Amidst this veneer of civilization lies the Adult Probation
Department at the Hall of Justice, headed by the capable and concerned
Walter Morse, Chief Adult Probation Officer, whose responsibilities
include: the surveillance of convicted felons and misdemeanants;
deviants whom this department must somehow fit back into the mainstream
of life; pre-trial investigations; counseling services.

The aftershock of Proposition 13 registers a 7 on the Richter
Scale for this department, serving to increase the pulse rate of per-
sonnel with the threat of budget cuts, loss of probation officers,
depletion of clerical staff and deletion of viable community programs.
While San Francisco may continue to be an attractive city for tourists
and inhabitants, it is increasingly becoming an unattractive place
to work for employees in this department.

While some organizational problems have been resolved with
the filling of positions for Senior Probation Officers and supervisory
positions, the remaining problem for journey men probation officers
continues. Little chance for promotion, limited tenure positions, and
the threat of dismissal are contributing factors to the disillusionment
and low morale amongst personnel.

Some organizational changes in the department have taken place
over the past few years to clarify and formalize personnel policies,
procedures, and management of this complex system. One such program
is the Community Resource Management Team, designed to assist more than
1,100 probationers to gain services from community agencies. This
program utilizes community resources. A unit supervisor, eight line
probation officers and a unit clerk assess the needs of the probationer
for a particular type of service in the community such as employment,
mental health, or a drug abuse problem.

During the year 1977-1978 outside management was given to Adult
Probation via the Pacific Telephone Company which loaned three of its
managers to assist Adult Probation for six months in improving opera-
tional efficiency, revising procedures and updating and developing a
management manual.

Aside from having to handle the organization and mangement of
this department, investigative units, consisting of three supervising
probation officers and 18 probation officers, offer services to the
Superior and Municipal Courts with pre-sentence investigations as well
a3 provide services to the District Attorney's office, Public Defender's

-96-

ADULT PROBATION (continued)

office. Police and Sheriff. These investigative unltB provide informa-
tion on the background, bahavior and needs of individuals, making
sentencing recommendations as well as recommendations as to the granting
or denying of probation and conditions of probation. The Intake Unit
of the Investigations Division was designed for persons granted pro-
bation who had no prior referrall for a pre-sentence report. This
unit functions to accumulate a case history, assess needs for services
and schedule the individual for meetings with the probation officer.
Cost per new case is $95.47.

Of serious concern to the Qrand Jury Is the questionable
statUB of needed programs already in existence. After the budget out,
Adult Probation may lose the Drinking Driver Program, a program whloh
enables persons arrested for drunk driving to retain their licences,
provided they participate In a treatment program. Deletion of thli
program restricts Adult Probation from performing one of its chief duties
rehabilitation; offering the violator of the law a chance to be a part
of his community.

Other projects include Project 20, which involves persons who
are referred by the Municipal and Superior Courts to do community
service work assgnments with private and public agencies as an alter-
native to a fine or penalty. The Work Furlough Program consists of a
24- hour residential program which enables persons to work while in
custody in order to partially reimburse the community for prison costs,
yet gives the individual connection to his community by allowing him a
means to earn wages and support dependants, as well as receive educa-
tional and vocational training. This program assists selected County
Jail inmates by affording them the opportunity of transition and
assimilation into the mainstream of life. The above are only a few
examples of the ongoing projects deemed necessary to achieve the goals
and objectives of this department.

With the extensive multi-services required by Adult Probation,
the demands and needs have become great:

1. Additional office space;

2. Increased clerical staff to handle the mounds of paper
work;

3. PundB to preserve existing programs such as Drinking
Drivers;

4. Administrators who are responsible for the performance
ByBtems as well as instituting changes in the department*

-97-

MUNICIPAL COURT

Under the capable administration and efficiency of the dynamic
Judge Robert L. Dossee from mid-1978 to April 1979, nineteen Municipal
Courts routinely handle civil, small claims, and criminal cases, in-
cluding misdemeanors, felonies and traffic citations.

With an increased number of civil cases filed in 1978 and
pending Jury cases averaging 117 per month, the court calendar still
continues to run smoothly with jury trials being set within M5 days
of filing. Non-Jury cases under the civil division average 175 cases
per month and are set for trial within 30 days. The most significant
change in Municipal Court begins July 1, 1979. The claim limit will
be increased from $5,000 to $15,000. Mandatory arbitration is a means
of expediting potential court case backlog.

The experimental state- funded program involving small claims
court on Saturdays and at night ended on March 31, 1979* Two legal
advisors were involved in personally interviewing approximately forty
persons a day, advising the litigants on process and procedure of claims.
Even though there was no significant change in the number of filings
while this program was in effect, we hope Municipal Court will seek
means to retain both the evening court sessions as well as the free
legal advisors. We commend those Judges who volunteered to preside over
the evening court sessions, thereby further serving the citizens of San
Francisco.

The successful reorganization of the misdemeanor departments,
instituted in December 1977 created four misdemeanor Jury trial depart-
ments, plus a fifth department to handle motions. This greatly assisted
in alleviating the increased misdemeanor caseload. The court calendar
indicates that two months after filing the case goes to trial.

Four felony courts handle arraignment cases. Despite the 15*
increase in caseload, the 1978 court calendar of approximately 5,000
cases ran very smoothly.

Revenue obtained through traffic citations reached a new high
of $12,959,606. In addition, no longer will unpaid traffic citations
go to warrant, but instead will be recorded with the Department of
Motor Vehicles, making it impossible for the offender to renew his
license without having first paid for the citations.

While we anxiously await the completion of the six courtrooms
in the Hall of Justice, 4 for Superior Court and 2 for Municipal Court,
the main problems of security and space continue to exist. Some of the
main problems are found in existing courtrooms. Department 18, where
serious misdemeanors go to trial, has no holding cell. The defendant
has to be manacled to the chair. An escape attempt was made this year.
This poses a dangerous situation for the Judge as well as the citizens,
for not only is it easy to escape, but also an inadequate communications
system makes one unable to respond to the immediate crisis. Department

-98-

MUNICIPAL COURT (continued)

20, Traffic Court, hears 240 cases a day, but only has a seating ca-
pacity of 38. Department 19, a Felony Court, has a seating capacity
of merely 23.

Supervision at the City Hall is needed, since the eight courts
at the City Hall have a limited number of bailiffs who float between
courts during civil hearings. Municipal Court tries to restrict
criminal jury trials to the Hall of Justice. If a trial must be placed
in City Hall, the Sheriff is advised so bailiffs are assigned to the
trial department.

The diligent efforts of Judge Dossee to meet the increased
needs of Municipal Court are noteworthy. Judge Raymond D. Williamson,
Jr., was named as Presiding Judge of the Municipal Court in April 1979.
We wish him much success in his new position.

Clara T. Delgado
Rebecca S. Turner

Vivian M. Kalil, Chairman

-99-

LAW LIBRARY

The San Francisco Law Library, administered by librarian-
secretary, Harold Rowe, receives its financial support from the
legal filing fees of the Superior and Municipal Courts. Interest
from U. S. Bonds, Utility Bonds and interest in savings accounts
provide additional revenue.

In addition, the City and County of San Francisco appro-
priates funds to be used mainly for salaries. However, a deficit has
remained in the budget since 1972. An increase to $7.00 in filing
fees from Superior and Municipal Courts took place on January 1, 1979;
this will not however, solve the financial problems of the library.
The library will most likely seek legislative means of further
increasing the filing fees, perhaps to as much as $12.00 as well as
research other means of finance, or limit its services.

This library is frequented not only by attorneys, but also
k5% by law students, paralegals, students, and local citizens who
are able to research the most technical aspects of law as well as
"how to do your own divorce."

The combined collection of the Main Branch and Mills Branch
consists of 25^,289 volumes, after the acquisition of new volumes and
the selling of obsolete volumes. Sufficient space for the vast
assortment of books continues to pose a problem. Mr. Rowe has done
a commendable job in utilizing all available space to store the
pyramid of books.

Clara T. Delgado
Rebecca S. Turner

Vivian M. Kalil, Chairman

-100-