Sent 11/29/2011
UPDATE ON CONTROLLER’S REPORT AND UPCOMING PUBLIC MEETINGS

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

I am reaching out to you to clarify some of the recent findings and our responses to the recent Controller’s Office report, which we have sensed are being widely misunderstood by the community. The results of that report, and the corresponding Controller’s Office recommendations, are here.

The SFAC’s responses to the audit indicated that all programs will be made legally compliant.  It is most important to note, however, that our responses in no way indicated that any funding to the community through our grant programs would cease or decrease.

The report was an impartial report by the city auditing agency, the City of San Francisco Office of the Controller.  ALL of the agency’s programs were reviewed.  The report does not suggest or dictate agency policy, it simply recognizes shortcomings in certain agency fiscal, administrative, and staffing practices, and its findings also observed issues in the Cultural Equity Grants Program.

The SFAC remains steadfast in its mission, policies, and full support of its highly valued programs, and especially its groundbreaking Cultural Equity Grant Program. To that end, the Controller’s Review provides us with a roadmap as we move forward with polices that will ensure our shared goal of continuing support for San Francisco’s rich and diverse arts and cultural organizations.

In order to ensure optimum public access, we are holding a special meeting of the Full Arts Commission on December 12th, at 2:30 p.m. in Room 416, City Hall. The meeting will be dedicated to addressing the findings in the report and to providing an opportunity for public comment. The Controller’s report will also be discussed at the December 5th Full Commission meeting, which will take place in the aforementioned location from 3-5 p.m. An agenda will be posted 72hrs in advance here. In the meantime, we realize that you may want to speak with someone regarding the report, so we are writing to invite you to contact us directly with your comments and concerns.

Please send your comments to kate.patterson@sfgov.org or you may wish to attend the Arts Commission meeting listed above.

Sincerely,

JD Beltran
Interim Director of Cultural Affairs