SF SAFE, the San Francisco Police Department-affiliated nonprofit that has been mired in a series of financial scandals, allegedly owes its landlord $445,306 in unpaid rent, according to a notice posted on the door of its former headquarters.
The organization recently vacated its headquarters at the US Bank building at 2601 Mission St., on the corner of 22nd Street. SF SAFE also rented out five other suites within the building.
The organization’s since-terminated director, Kyra Worthy, is facing a criminal investigation for possibly illegal spending of its finances that primarily come from the police department.
The notice demanding payment noted that the rent owed was for multiple suites in the building that were also rented under the SF SAFE name.
“This is to notify you that you are in default for delinquent rent payments for the following premises,” the notice reads, listing six suites and $445,306 as the total owed for them.
It is unclear how many office workers were employed by SF SAFE. Its website lists seven staff members, and around 16 ambassadors were contracted to patrol the nearby streets every day.
But even just the main headquarters are extensive for such a small office staff — let alone the multiple other suites within the building. The third-floor space spans what appears to be an entire story of the nine-floor building, and includes a well-decorated large office with art, plants, and industrial kitchen appliances.
Expensive-looking furniture and massive planters decorate its wraparound patio and are still there, although the organization left the premises weeks ago. A menu on a chalkboard in the kitchen shows various catered dishes to choose from for lunch.
It is unclear what SF SAFE was using the other units in the building for; at least one suite on the second floor was used as a meeting space.
Mission Local contacted the landlord, Vera Cort, who owns other buildings in the area, to confirm whether the rent is still owed. Cort declined to comment for this story.
Worthy did not respond to a request for comment.
SF SAFE was first created as part of the SFPD to foster community safety programs, before it became a separate nonprofit in 1980. Its mishandling of funds was revealed after a January controller’s audit showed the nonprofit inappropriately spent $79,655 in grant funds for its unauthorized expenses, like a staff trip to Lake Tahoe, limo service and luxury gifts.
Yesterday, the police department announced that it broke its contract with SF SAFE after a series of revelations over the past two months.
Also yesterday, Mission Local revealed that the organization purportedly owes Mission District flower boutique Diosa Blooms more than $17,000 for lavish floral arrangements. The Latino Task Force also alleges that SF SAFE owes it $625,000 for services already provided in their collaboration to train community ambassadors, who once walked the neighborhood dressed in gray.
“We have provided major support to the SFPD and Mayor’s Office by acting as a fiscal agent for federal and state funded grants, along with participating in numerous crime prevention activities related to these grants,” the organization’s website reads.
A source affiliated with the building said that SF SAFE did not have a lease on the top floor: “But they wanted it.”
https://sfstandard.com/2024/02/23/san-francisco-police-cancel-sf-safe-nonprofit-contract/
“The nonprofit board fired its director, Kyra Worthy, and closed up shop Jan. 24 on the heels of a report by the Controller’s Office that first found that the nonprofit improperly charged SFPD for a Lake Tahoe staff trip, valet parking and expensive luxury gift boxes. The report also found that SFPD failed to check receipts for $3.8 million of the $5.3 million that it disbursed to the nonprofit between July 2018 and March 2023.”
SFPD’s hands are far from clean here. I really hope somebody follows up on that thread of all this.
Their BOD should have known of the spending.
Sounds like the SFPD and their contractors need less oversight so they can do their jobs: pilfering the city.
The shameful part is the employees who were not paid and the checks that bounced that had been issued by SF Safe and Kyra Worthy but more alarming is how we are expected to believe with the past activities of the Executive Director nobody on the Board of Directors was not alerted to any financial problems before the actual termination of Ms. Worthy in January. Someone knew something believe that. And if I knew of her misdeeds from the past then the Board knew it to. The State Attorney General needs in on this and all need to have property ceased and arrested. The little people and those on the front lines deserve to be paid. Oh did I mention that the money withheld for payroll taxes from each employee has not surfaced? And that means that employees will find that the IRS is going to say that the employee is responsible and to pay what was trusted to be paid by a thieve And because the city benefitted from the deployment of 18 community connectors, the should be the first in line to assist those impacted by the actions of the Mayor’s and Chief Scott’s personal friend. IJS with friends like that nobody needs an enemy.
Fascinating how many commentators use the example of SF SAFE malfeasance to support opposing arguments. What they miss is that pretty much anyone who works in the NP world does not do it for money, but for meaning. And if you are disillusioned by the ongoing misery of humanity you deal with, and the callous treatment of people and programs by the folks responsible for continued funding, you can burn out and decide to “get yours” while you can. Who exactly attended the fancy trip to Lake Tahoe? Who received the luxurious gift boxes? It is clear the BoD was equally complicit in Ms. Worthy’s grift. Unfortunately, she and the other greedy managers of SF SAFE give organizations trying to make a difference a bad name.
The, “Homeless Coalition,” threw the door wide open to increased scrutiny and investigation of the so called non-profit and not-for- profit sectors when they decided it would be a brilliant idea to sue the City, the hand that fed all of these organizations with little oversight and less accountability in the past, but presently up to the fight.
This Lady Kyra is a fraud, I don’t believe she has the ability to tell the truth. There is nothing good about her financial dealings in the past. Just because a person has a good story, doesn’t mean you believe them. Her smile dupes her victims, but past that she is all smoke and mirrors.
fuel for movement to defund police departments
Some types just change their spots.
I hope Ms Worthy faces actual consequences before she can move on to her next nonprofit scam job
I think it’s so sad when people have an opportunity to do something good for the people that they’re greed gets in the way.
How come I am not surprised? 95% of the non profits need to be disfunded .The crooks running SF perpetuate these crimes by throwing money at anyone who asks for money.The homeless situation is happening because we fund non-profit organizations who will not solve the problem because if they did they would have no easy money.The waste of money is why they ask for bonds in elections.There is plenty of money.The elected and non elected people in government throw money away.This situation has been going on for years.Do not vote for any bond no matter what it funds.Make government spend money efficiently. SF put a stupid skate park where the Farmers Market was .Lots of people monitoring the park .5 skateboard users.Now no parking for people wanting to shop.Smart.The voters are stupid as well,voting for a homeless oversight committee adding more unqualified people to bloat government. The Fed’s should come in and dismantle SF government and cut half or more of it out.
Well said. Defund the non-profits and bring in the U.S. Attorney to
Clean up the rampant corruption.
Meanwhile, The City is still riddled with crime and filth. Ambassadors meant well, but we’re a bit of a joke.
Unfortunately these nine profits/NGOs are a bunch of piranhas. What the city needs is more trained police officers and less interference from city council members. Perhaps these politicians should spend no less than 30 days on police ride alones to understand the difficulties of the job. And no I’m not a cop just spilling some common sense