The City Attorney and Controller will take immediate action to investigate misuse of money donated for San Francisco public parks
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (May 23, 2025) – City Attorney David Chiu and Controller Greg Wagner announced today that their offices will conduct a joint public integrity assessment of the San Francisco Parks Alliance. This review comes after widespread media reports of financial mismanagement and improper use of restricted funding. The Parks Alliance has publicly acknowledged using donations intended for specific public projects for the nonprofit’s general operations.
The San Francisco Mayor’s Office, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, and the Port of San Francisco requested that the City Attorney and Controller conduct a joint Public Integrity Review of Parks Alliance’s finances to understand how the non-profit intends to meet its obligations to its donors and the City.
“The public reports of financial mismanagement at the Parks Alliance are extremely troubling,” said City Attorney Chiu. “Any contributions meant to benefit the public should be used for that purpose. We are working together with the Controller to assess compliance with our agreements and ensure transparency.”
“The serious allegations we’re hearing about Parks Alliance need to be addressed with urgency,” said Controller Wagner. “This organization was entrusted as a steward of funding for important community projects—we need to get to the bottom of what’s happened.”
Background
The Parks Alliance raises private, philanthropic dollars for a number of different functions, including minor civic improvements and large-scale construction on public spaces. It has active agreements with the Recreation and Park Department and the Port of San Francisco for these purposes. Many of the funds raised under those agreements are restricted, meaning they can only be used for City-approved projects and purposes. They cannot be used for Parks Alliance staff salaries or other unrelated administrative overhead.
The City Attorney and Controller will immediately commence, at the request of the San Francisco Mayor’s Office, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, and the Port of San Francisco, an independent review of the Parks Alliance’s finances and its compliance with agreements with City departments. Based on the findings of the review, the City Attorney and the Controller will issue a joint Public Integrity Report.
Additionally, various City departments issue grants to the Parks Alliance for initiatives like space activation events and neighborhood improvement projects. Mayor Daniel Lurie instructed City Departments to pause any outstanding grants to the Parks Alliance, allowing time to assess whether the funds can be used as directed. Mayor Lurie also directed Departments not to enter into any new partnership agreements with the Parks Alliance.
Together, the City Attorney and the Controller have issued 16 previous Public Integrity assessments, reports, and audits on a range of topics. Many of their recommendations have been implemented to improve city systems, policies, procedures, internal controls, and transparency.
Tips
Any member of the public may report allegations of improper or illegal public activity to the City’s Whistleblower Program at sf.gov/whistleblower-program. That program, administered by the Controller’s Office, often partners with the City Attorney’s Office on investigations.
###