They met in one of the smallest rooms in City Hall, but within ten minutes, the board that oversees the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission managed to make a huge decision that will cost tax payers $400,000, when they voted to fire SFPUC General Manager Susan Leal, this morning.
SFPUC General Manager Susan Leal talks to the press about her record at the agency, the lack of stated reasons for her termination and her future aspirations.
Photos by Charles Russo
“It’s a sad day when someone doing a good job gets removed to the tune of $400,000 from rate payers for no stated reason,” Sup. Bevan Dufty told the Guardian, after the vote to fire Leal, his friend and political ally, went down.
Commissioner Dick Sklar told reporters, “We’re not discussing it,” as Commission staff distributed copies of an unsigned PUC resolution that cites Leal’s August 23, 2004 employment agreement. That contract allows the Commission to terminate Leal’s agreement “without cause, and without stating any reasons therefore, and upon at least 30 days written notice.”
Commissioner Anne Moller Caen said that with Leal gone, people could expect, “ a change of policy, a change in direction.”
Meanwhile, Leal, a former supervisor and City Treasurer, expressed few regrets, other than wishing that the agency had done a biofuel program three years ago, instead of during the past year. Oh, and wishing she’d been wearing an old suit, the day she got run over outside City Hall.
“I Iost a good suit,” Leal joked.
