SF mayor seeks to fire building inspection director over alleged corruption
San Francisco mayor London Breed speaks during a press conference on November 21, 2019. (Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Mayor London Breed asked the city Building Inspection Commission on Tuesday to fire Director of Building Inspection Tom Hui after the city attorney found Hui allegedly committed ethical violations, including receiving improper gifts from well-connected consultant Walter Wong.
Breed placed Hui on paid administrative leave while the commission decides whether to fire him. The commission has 30 days to act on the mayor’s recommendation.
“The City Attorney’s report shows a number of legal and ethical violations committed by the Director of DBI since 2011 that compromise the public’s trust in city government and are completely unacceptable by any civil servant,” Breed said in a statement.
The mayor’s request comes as the latest fallout following bombshell federal fraud charges against Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru and restauranteur Nick Bovis.
The public corruption probe has since expanded. The same day the U.S. Attorney’s Office unsealed the charges against Bovis and Nuru, the FBI raided Wong’s office on the edge of the Mission District.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera has subpoenaed multiple potential witnesses in the case as part of an administrative and civil investigation.
The investigation into Hui, the longtime head of the Department of Building Inspection, began after the city attorney’s office determined he was “DBI Official 1” named in a federal complaint detailing the charges against Bovis and Nuru.
The city attorney determined that Hui violated the law by providing intentional preferential treatment and access to Wong, who operated as a "permit expediter" with a long time relationship with the Department of Building Inspection.
Hui allegedly accepted gifts from Wong, including dinners, while discussing a major development at 555 Fulton Street that was one of the major alleged schemes revealed in the FBI probe.
“There is no place in public service for serf-dealing,” Breed wrote to Angus McCarthy, President of the San Francisco Building Inspection Commission.
The mayor asked McCarthy to take up matter of firing Hui at the next commission meeting on March 18.
Breed, though, has not escaped fallout herself from the federal investigation. Last month, the mayor admitted that she had let Nuru pay around $5,600 to repair her car – a gift she didn’t disclose. Breed had dated Nuru some two decades ago and remained close friends, she said.
Evan Sernoffsky covers crime, corruption, politics, investigations and more for KTVU's investigative unit. You can reach him at evan.sernoffsky@foxtv.com.