Payam Javan: In a significant step toward addressing the pervasive culture of alleged corruption, San Francisco is poised to install a federal prosecutor as its first-ever Inspector General (IG) tasked with rooting out misconduct at City Hall. The appointment of Alexandra Shepard, who previously handled the high-profile bribery case against former Public Works director Mohammed Nuru, signals a serious commitment from city leadership to utilize federal-level enforcement experience against local malfeasance. This move comes amid a series of scandals that have severely eroded public trust.
Shepard’s confirmation by the Board of Supervisors is expected to create a much-needed, independent layer of accountability within San Francisco’s complex municipal structure. Her background, steeped in the rigorous standards of federal prosecution, suggests a new, aggressive approach to investigations that may have previously stalled at the local level. The primary goal of the new IG office is to preemptively identify and dismantle systemic corruption, preventing taxpayer funds from being compromised by backroom deals and illicit schemes.
The need for this independent oversight was recently underscored by continued legal developments across California. Just today, a federal judge ruled that President Trump’s acting U.S. attorney in Los Angeles was “unlawfully serving in that role,” highlighting procedural irregularities at the highest level of federal legal appointments. While in a separate jurisdiction, such rulings fuel the public’s general cynicism toward officialdom and underscore the imperative for transparent, legally-sound appointments like the San Francisco IG.
Further compounding the sense of necessary clean-up, a councilperson in nearby San Leandro was federally charged today with felonies related to a scheme to help a housing company win city contracts in exchange for kickbacks. This pattern of local officials exploiting their positions for personal gain highlights a dangerous and widespread problem in Bay Area local governance. The use of federal charges in these cases demonstrates the seriousness of the offenses and the willingness of federal authorities to step in where local checks have failed.
The selection of a federal prosecutor for San Francisco’s top corruption-fighting role is a direct response to a crisis of confidence in local government. It represents a conservative principle in action: holding public officials strictly accountable to the rule of law and ensuring that taxpayer money is not treated as a personal slush fund. San Francisco residents will now look to Shepard to deliver swift and decisive results that can restore integrity to a badly damaged political landscape.
