Democrat San Francisco Mayor London Breed will pay nearly $23,000 in fines for a number of ethics violations.
Breed must pay $22,792 if the city’s Ethics Commission approves the fine at its next meeting.
Commission members have alleged that Breed — along with several family members — inappropriately lobbied former California Gov. Jerry Brown to release her brother, Napoleon Brown, from prison nearly three years ago, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Napoleon Brown is serving a 44-year sentence for robbery and involuntary manslaughter.
Breed admitted her role in the scandal was a “mistake.”
“There were mistakes made,” she said during a press conference Tuesday. “I take full responsibility for those mistakes, and I’ve learned a lot since becoming mayor and being in office. At no time have any of the things related to the stipulation had any impact on my decisions as mayor.”
Breed also reportedly failed to report donations pertaining to her float at an annual Pride parade in 2015 while she served on San Francisco’s board of supervisors.
She allegedly solicited two donations from Nick Bovis, a restaurateur, and John Konstin, another restaurant owner, both of whom were seeking a city office, to donate $1,250 each to the float — even though donations were legally required to be capped at $500 for city candidates.
City officials also accused Breed of allowing Mohammed Nuru, the former head of the city’s Department of Public Works who dated Breed, to pay for the repairs to her personal vehicle.
This payment should have been legally disclosed as a potential donation, according to the city.
All of these ethics violations prove Breed used her title as mayor for personal gain, the Ethics Commission said.
Breed’s lawyer, Tom Willis, said Breed will pay all of the fines if they are approved by the Ethics Commission.
However, he also claimed the monetary punishment is unnecessary.
“Although there are reasonable explanations for all three matters covered by the stipulation, the mayor has taken responsibility for her mistakes and is ready to move on,” Willis said in a statement.
