SF Parks Alliance Sinks Deeper into Corruption Investigation
The more people who speak out, the more this case looks like massive corruption and misallocation of funds was conducted by certain people in the SF Parks Alliance (SFPA). The organization faces a criminal investigation by the district attorney, and the city attorney is conducting a probe to determine whether millions in public and private money were misused.
The SF Parks Alliance is a nonprofit that partners with public and private agencies to help with park-related projects across San Francisco. And to be fair, we’ve had a lot of amazing park-related programming here, like the art installations at Entwined or the Golden Mile in Golden Gate Park, to SF Live concerts in Crane Cove or Sundown Cinema in neighborhoods citywide, and those lovely murals painted on our slow streets…just to name a few!
But…and that’s a really BIG ‘but’… after misusing millions in restricted funds, leaving community groups and projects in limbo, SF Parks Alliance’s board voted to dissolve the nonprofit this month.
Rumors of financial mismanagement began to swirl in February, when the Head of SF Parks nonprofit Drew Becher resigned, and Parks COO Justin Probert was fired. Then, in May, the Chronicle reported on leaked emails between board chair Louise Mozingo and a donor over $3.8 million of misused funds.
Mozingo, who described the financial crisis facing her organization as “what a friend of mine would call a dumpster fire” in an email to the Baker Street Foundation last week, admitted the misspending.
Many neighborhood groups say the Parks Alliance was holding their funds when it folded in February. For example, The SF Standard reported that this week that Parks Alliance had $148,000 of the Friends of Franklin Square‘s money, which is now lost. At a conversation on Tuesday at Manny’s cafe featuring Recreation and Parks General Manager Phil Ginsburg, a Friends of Alta Plaza Park member, Anita Denz, said a $50,000 bequeathment was now missing.
Meanwhile, the Parks Alliance continued laying off staffers in June. Ironically, the Park’s home page is still asking for donations, with the slogan, “SF Public Places Are in Danger: Budget cuts threaten our parks–DONATE TODAY!”
In its 2023 IRS filing, Park Alliance reported revenue of $9.3 million and close to $15 million in expenses. Filings show declining revenue since 2019. Oh boy…
The SFPA board of trustees accused former COO Justin Probert of “financial malfeasance,” which you don’t do if you think someone simply mismanaged funds; this is an accusation made when they believe someone willfully did something wrong.
SFPA technical producer Austin Wasielewski told the SF Standard this week, “It is a great example of how greed can corrupt. It only takes a few people to destroy something.”
Supervisor Shamann Walton has subpoenaed documents from the Parks Alliance and is calling for Ogilvie, Becher, and board treasurer Rich Hutchinson to testify. Supervisor Jackie Fielder has called for an audit of the nonprofit’s relationship with the Recreation and Parks Department.
It will be a lengthy process to find out where all the money went, and if the organizations that were working with the SFPA, will ever be made whole.
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