Some 300 San Francisco Health Workers Seek Approval for Side Jobs After Executive's Moonlighting Exposed

At least 300 employees of San Francisco's Department of Public Health have been working second jobs without authorization and are only now asking for approval, as the city scrutinizes the practice, according to figures released by the department.

The department said it has received 300 additional requests for secondary employment since Oct. 21. That was the day Lisa Pratt, director of Jail Health Services, resigned from her second job at Baker Places, a nonprofit that holds city contracts. The department had reminded staff of their obligation to obtain permission for outside work, and the wave of applications followed.

The city launched an audit after The San Francisco Standard reported that Pratt, a senior public health executive, was working about 20 hours a week for Baker Places in violation of city rules. Of the 304 applications now pending, the department said, 44 need further paperwork and 260 are under review.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin was blunt in his reaction. "In other words, those 300 were violating the law, never asked for permission and are now asking for forgiveness?" he said. "Well shit, somebody call the police."

Another 137 health department employees already have approved side jobs with organizations outside city government, the most of any city department by a wide margin. Combined with the pending requests, that puts 441 employees in second jobs, or 6% of the department's workforce. The Public Utilities Commission ranks second, with 18 employees, or 1% of its staff, reporting side work.

At least 22 department employees hold jobs at organizations affiliated with, or funded by, the department. Those include Instituto Familiar de la Raza, Institute on Aging, San Mateo County, and seven hospitals and schools.

Supervisor Ahsha Safaí said the numbers point to a larger problem. "This seems to be just the tip of iceberg. This is just shocking," he said, asking how many of the arrangements involve an inherent conflict. He added that the situation was eroding his faith in the department's leadership. On Tuesday he sent a letter of inquiry to the city's Ethics Department urging stronger oversight of how secondary employment is approved.

The health department said it is overhauling the approval process and working to raise awareness of the rules. City employees may not hold jobs that contradict, interfere with or create a conflict of interest with their city work, according to the city attorney's Good Government Guide. The department said it is confident the new process will improve compliance and reduce confusion about employees' responsibilities.

In Pratt's case, her city role overseeing health care in the jails requires her to be on call around the clock, yet public records emails obtained by The Standard show her answering nonprofit emails during normal business hours. She earned $123,000 a year from Baker Places on top of $428,750 in city compensation.

The arrangement drew alarm at City Hall because Baker Places was in financial trouble. The organization and its administrative arm, Positive Resource Center, have asked the city for two cash bailouts since the summer and are moving four of their programs to other providers. Pratt resigned from Baker Places in October.