Earlier this month, I blogged about my public records request to the San Francisco Police Department for data on costs of their gun buyback efforts stretching back a robust number of years.
The department stated the Mayor's Office of Violence Prevention Services organizes the program with various public and private organizations, so I filed a new request for the fiscal info on the City's very life-saving and valuable efforts paying money and getting firearms off the streets.
Today, the Mayor's Office replied:
"This office does not have any responsive documents. Please note that we are responding on behalf of the Mayor’s Office only, and not on behalf of other City departments. We recommend that you contact the San Francisco Police Department and the Department of Children, Youth and their Families. Additionally you may want to connect with United Playaz, Omega Boys and Girls Club and CARECEN; however, they are not subject to public records laws."
As both a San Franciscan citizen's advocate and expanded gun control proponent, I want Mayor Lee and his staff to know exactly how much is being raised and spent to reduce the number of guns in the City, regardless of whether the funds for the buyback programs flow from City agencies or private nonprofits.
Yes, Mayor Lee, it is your responsibility to keeps extensive tabs on the City's gun buybacks. What possible explanation can you offer to explain why your violence prevention aides don't track the fiscal info I'm requesting?
Between the police department and the mayor, they is criminally minimal fiscal transparency and passing the burden to me to contact nonprofits not obligated to give me any records, has got to change.
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