San Mateo County to require quarterly reports on big-ticket purchases

Prompted by the San Mateo County Sheriff s Office s attempt to purchase massage chairs the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution requiring quarterly reports for all county purchases over The new oversight measure set to take effect in October directs the procurement department to provide quarterly reports in two categories The first includes all county goods purchases exceeding including aggregated items meaning multiple smaller purchases from the same vendor that together surpass the threshold The second includes all non-competitive purchases of goods or services over that were not previously approved by the board Competitive bidding involves soliciting multiple vendors to ensure the best value while non-competitive purchases are made directly from a single source often in specialized or exigency situations Related Articles Sheriff s union accuses San Mateo County of labor violations Former top sheriff s aide seeks million from San Mateo County over firing Search for missing -year-old Peninsula hiker is scaled back Procedures for Sheriff Corpus removal approved with certain amendments San Mateo County supervisors to vote on rules for removing sheriff The resolution aims to improve transparency and give the board and the populace regular insight into high-cost or sole-source procurements which do not typically require board approval unless a fund transfer is involved The move follows a constituents outcry earlier this year after the sheriff s office requested the purchase of massage chairs Although the county s Procurement Office ultimately declined the request the case underscored the need for greater board oversight of spending according to Supervisor Jackie Speier who sponsored the resolution Earlier I referenced those massage chairs that were requested by the sheriff s office reported Speier The procurement office declined to process that but I think it s vital for us to be providing the oversight that we re charged to do Speier a former Democratic U S representative added that while the board might eventually consider increasing the reporting frequency right now we re going to keep it simple Board President David Canepa expressed concern about whether the new reporting requirements might slow down critical purchases I do think that this is cumbersome and I am concerned that when it comes to critical purchases that there may be a feasible delay he commented In response Speier clarified that the reporting is retrospective and will not delay purchases in real time While procurement information is available on the regime transparency site OpenGov county staff acknowledged the figures can be hard to tackle The new quarterly reports aim to make that information clearer and more accessible The resolution passed amid ongoing tensions between the board and Sheriff Christina Corpus who is facing growing calls for removal over claims of corruption misconduct and workplace bullying The accusations were detailed in a -page independent document issued last November by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell Corpus has denied the accusations and assailed the review as biased and flawed In March a special voting was held to give the Board of Supervisors the authority to remove an elected sheriff by a four-fifths vote until The measure known as Measure A was approved by of voters A new amendment to the San Mateo County Charter took effect in April temporarily granting the Board of Supervisors that authority Earlier this month the board approved procedures that would allow it to remove a sheriff County administrators revealed once the process begins it could take up to four months Although no agenda item addressed her feasible removal Tuesday Supervisor Ray Mueller who has previously called for Corpus resignation voiced frustration over the delay in initiating the process Colleagues I have been purposefully quiet since Measure A passed to avoid accusations of bias but this morning I feel compelled to speak Mueller commented I believe it is manageable to be both time-efficient and fair Fairness doesn t just apply to the sheriff it applies to those who work in the sheriff s office and the residents of this county It s time for this board to move forward Canepa announced the board was taking its time to ensure a collaborative and fair process Corpus has pushed back against her critics She filed a lawsuit against the county seeking documents related to the Cordell account and commissioned a separate review by retired Riverside County Superior Court Judge Burke E Strunsky who criticized the document s heavy reliance on anonymous sources and unrecorded interviews calling it impossible to properly assess witness credibility Tensions between Corpus and county leadership have simmered for months with a slew of lawsuits and legal declares exchanged on both sides In September Corpus filed a formal complaint accusing County Executive Mike Callagy of bullying and undermining her leadership On Wednesday the county disclosed the scrutiny into that complaint has been completed The Board of Supervisors is set to meet Thursday morning to decide whether to make the findings population