San Fran Chief Survives Panel, Keeps Job

Jan. 21, 2015
Chief Joanne Hayes-White has come under scrutiny recently.

San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White has survived a closed-door review of her job performance by the city’s Fire Commission.

The public wasn’t allowed in the room Tuesday during the evaluation, and afterward commissioners didn’t publicly disclose details of what was discussed. But one thing was clear: Hayes-White still has her job.

Fire Commissioner Ken Cleaveland said there would be “additional meetings and additional opportunities to evaluate the chief” in the future.

There also didn’t seem to be any particular urgency in providing the commission’s job performance findings to Mayor Ed Lee, who had requested the review but has also been publicly supportive of the chief.

The commission will report its findings to Lee’s administration “probably sometime next month,” said Cleaveland, who is also vice president of public policy at the San Francisco chapter of the Building Owners and Managers Association, which represents the commercial real estate industry.

Hayes-White has been on the hot seat in recent months, with members of the firefighters union and even some of her own command staff questioning her leadership.

The review was expected to cover everything from the rancor in the ranks to excessive overtime, ambulance shortages and the fairness of promotional exams. Hayes-White could not be reached for comment afterward.

— John Coté

E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @sfcityinsider

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