The controversy around San Francisco’s Ferris wheel is getting even more tangled.
Two city supervisors are now calling for an investigation into the nonprofit San Francisco Parks Alliance, which is overseeing the contract for the 150-foot tall Ferris wheel in Golden Gate Park.
The SkyStar Observation Wheel was originally installed last year as part of celebrations for the park’s 150th anniversary and scheduled to be removed at the end of March. But the wheel has been out of operation for most of the past year because of the COVID-19 pandemic so officials are considering keeping the wheel up for another four years to help recoup losses.
The San Francisco Parks Alliance’s contract with the city’s Rec and Parks Department allows the nonprofit to take a portion of the profits from the wheel, and supervisors Aaron Peskin and Connie Chan are now calling for an investigation into that agreement.
The supervisors are raising concerns because a corruption investigation last year found that instances of city agencies using nonprofit organizations to encourage contractors seeking lucrative contracts to make large donations.
The investigation found that the San Francisco Parks Alliance accepted about $1 million in donations from contractors under investigation by the City Attorney's Office and the money was then funneled back to the Department of Public Works to pay for lavish parties.
"Instead of going directly to our city's general fund, the revenue generated from SkyStar is going to a non-profit that is still under FBI and public corruption investigations," said Chan, whose district includes Golden Gate Park. "It raises the question of whether this is a good government practice and whether such practices contribute to the 'pay-to-play' culture among city agencies."
"These so-called 'friends' groups don't have an entirely friendly history. They have long operated in a largely unregulated behind-the-scenes capacity as power brokers controlling the purse strings to the pet projects of their donors," Peskin said. "Certainly, some of these groups are operating above board. But recent revelations have demonstrated that the opaque nature of several organizations, including the SF Parks Alliance, has aided and abetted corruption within San Francisco government."
The Historic Preservation Commission is expected to vote on whether to extend the wheel’s contract at its next meeting on March 3.
The Link LonkFebruary 25, 2021 at 04:06AM
https://www.radio.com/kcbsradio/news/local/sf-supervisors-call-for-investigation-into-ggp-ferris-wheel
SF Supervisors call for investigation into GGP Ferris Wheel - KCBS
https://news.google.com/search?q=Wheel&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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