San Francisco should be ashamed of itself for a failed CityBuild program and more a Work Force Development Program that is an utter failure.

To date the Mayor's Office of Economic Development and Work Force - does not have a Business Plan nor a clear definition - linked to Work Force Development and its programs.

Earlier, the Private Industry Council (PIC) for years wasted millions and has since been shut down. Just a fragment of individuals remain - but PIC for all practical purposes is dead.

Some of us in the Bayview Hunters Point first created a plan for Work Force Development. I went before the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) and helped get over $270,000 for Work Force Development.

In comes Sophie Maxwell stole our plan and gave it to Laura Luster who using our method of planning - wrote a White Paper and received $50,000 from the $270,000 that was made available to the community for Work Force Development by SFCTA.

Laura really billed for $120,000 but I spoke up and Laura - got her $50,000. Laura Luster once served on the failed PIC board. She does not live in San Francisco but hovers around to make money in San Francisco. The Luster Company is also deeply connected with Lennar BVHP LLC and Laura Luster initially was involved with Work Force Development and Lennar BVHP LLC.

Rhonda Simmons came here from Seattle, Oregon and has NO idea about San Francisco and the multitude of businesses that do business in San Francisco - I am talking private industries.

Rhonda Simmons has NO clue about San Francisco City and County jobs. For every 23 constituents in San Francisco we have one City worker. The highest ratio in the Nation.

How can we tweak this fact and accommodate San Franciscans - rather then the many that come from outside San Francisco to leach on our City of San Francisco and its Economy built mostly in the private industry. San Francisco has too many City Employees and too many making over $100,000 doing mostly nothing at all.

Yet, Rhonda Simmons and her Department has spent over $41 million on some sort of Work Force Development - with no long time career goals achieved and no career jobs tracked. Rhonda Simmons after all these years - has yet to figure out a definition of Work Force Development linked to CityBuild - but has managed to waste millions of dollars.

Most City Department do not talk to one another - most City Departments have a culture - some racist and can you imagine Rhonda Simmons who is Black trying to sit own and making a deal with Rednecks.

The woman must be kidding herself. She must go as she has no clue - how City Departments works. Many City Department heads that I have spoken to - think poorly of her and feel she does not have a sound plan to work on a long term basis. That her Work Force trained have poor skills and cannot be trusted on the jobs.

Hundreds of youth have been trained and left to themselves and have fallen through the cracks. Many talk to me and I have diplomatically brought my concerns to the Chris and other at the Mayor's Office of Economic Development and Work Force.

Right now we have a situation at Apartment Investment and Management Company (AIMCO).
An Idaho company is using California State Bonds some $83 million to rehab units at Hunters Point that come under AIMCO.

Latino workers all Union are not paid fairly. Carpenters Union - some UNION workers higher up on the chain are depriving the Latino Workers of their pay. Union Workers stealing from Union Workers down the chain.

Be leery of the Carpenters' Union always trying to say what sound good but screwing their own Union Workers. CityBuild is involved in this mess but is looking the other way.

Do we have a Department of Labor that can deal with this situation at the AIMCO units now being rehabilitated at Hunters Point? Does Mayor Gavin Newsom know about his nonsense? Does Jessie Blout know about this nonsense? Does the Board of Supervisors know about his nonsense?

State Bonds meant for rehabilitation being used to fleece Union Workers. Union workers dividing the Union by pitting Latinos against African American Workers - all Union. What is happening? What is CityBuild doing to see to this injustice? What is San Francisco doing to see to this injustice?

It does not help - I see the blind leading the blind.

We cannot look to corrupt folks like Sophie Maxwell and Laura Luster to help San Franciscans and San Francisco.

We cannot look to the Board of Supervisors and those Supervisors that permitted millions to be spent on a Work Force Development that has no clear definition , no time lines, and of course no goals.

The same Board of Supervisors that gave AIMCO $83 million to rehab the buildings at Hunters Point. The same AIMCO has the City of San Francisco fined $3 million for not maintaining the units.

In fact the Bond Measure was brought before the Full Board without going to committee. Now, we happened to be there - shot it down and sent it to Committee. But, you all can see the crookedness of Sophie Maxwell who was behind AIMCO. And Sophie Maxwell is behind CityBuild and its failure to deliver with Accountability and Transparency.

Good leaders know the way, show the way, and go the way. Some BOS are no leaders they get their talking points from their aides. Other like Sophie Maxwell has a low no clue IQ.

We have the Mayor's Office of Economic Development and Work Force making deals with some Unions - where Union workers have been fleeced. AIMCO is one place. The high rises sprouting all over the City are other areas.

We have had City Workers working for the Department of Public Works (DPW) laid off for no reason.

Deals made with the Laborers Union, Mayor Gavin Newsom, and DPW negotiated a deal that adversely impacted - innocent workers who were working for DPW and without due process - are now suffering because they were fired without justification.

Some of us fought on behalf of the laid off workers and eighty percent were reinstated - the other twenty percent are still without jobs.

The BOS agreed to set aside after our protestations, $1 million dollars to accommodate the laid off workers- after nearly 9 months without work.

In the Bayview Hunters Point we have over 3000 small businesses.

For sure half of these business can accommodate one worker per business.

The Mayor's Office of Economic Development and Work Force has not done a Economic Analysis and further has no idea how to think outside the box - and bring about solutions.

The Mayor's Office of Economic Development and Work Force has failed San Francisco - and in my opinion Rhonda Simmons and others must be fired. We cannot encourage inept folks to carry on - with half-truths and a Seattle model that does NO good in San Francisco.

San Francisco has a failed Civil Service that encourages corruption. This is an added problem that Mayor Gavin Newsom is tying to fix - but he is too busy dropping his pants.

San Francisco has City Departments that will not bend backwards to fall in line with Rhonda Simmons and the new proposed legislation of Ross Mirkarimi. Let us not kid ourselves.

We cannot and should not encourage a dumb, inept, ignorant, arrogant person to have any role with Work Force Development. This woman, Sophie Maxwell has created situations where hundreds of youth and adults have been adversely affected.

Millions of dollars that could have been used to train folks for long time careers have been wasted because some have tried to hook wink the public.

We cannot waste millions of dollars without Accountability and Transparency.

Some of us will be there on Oct 18, 2007 at City Hall to address the added issues that could enlighten the Board of Supervisors and those behind the scenes that have been raking money - high salaries - lot of hot air - they talk the talk but cannot walk the walk.

The tax payers money must be spent with care and diligence. Check out the salary Rhoda Simmons makes and the salaries she asks for those in her inner circle - most of them inept, sorry ass folks that have no clue what they are doing.

The City's Audit on Work Force Development shows us all - that the Mayor's Office of Economic Development and Work Force - is not doing its job on many fronts.

This office has grown without justification with many employees and has little to show in terms of solutions and progress.

Go to http://www.sfgov.org and then agencies and check out the facts yourselves.

Francisco Da Costa
Director
Environmental Justice Advocacy