The San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance Task Force voted unanimously on October 25, 2023, urging Mayor Daniel Lurie to release documents related to his phone call with President Donald Trump that took place on October 22, 2022. This call, which preceded a significant withdrawal of federal forces from the Bay Area, has raised concerns among some about potential undisclosed agreements made during the discussion.
Lurie’s office has denied several public records requests for documents associated with the call. They have stated that no promises were made during the conversation. Instead, the mayor’s office claims the records they possess pertain only to a “legal consultation” with the city attorney, which they argue falls under attorney-client privilege and is therefore exempt from disclosure.
During the meeting, members of the task force expressed frustration over the mayor’s office’s lack of transparency. The commission, which consists of ten members, argued that Lurie may have broadly misinterpreted the law by withholding records, such as notes documenting the conversation with Trump, by claiming they were exempt.
Dean Schmidt, an attorney on the task force, highlighted the potential existence of documents that do not qualify as privileged. He emphasized that if Lurie’s office were to release these documents, even in a redacted form, it would aid the commission in determining whether the assertion of attorney-client privilege was overly broad.
The mayor’s office had initially failed to provide basic call logs for the day of the conversation, which typically include the date, time, and participants of phone calls. This oversight drew sharp criticism from members of the commission. Ankita Mukhopadhyay Kumar, a documentary filmmaker and task force member, expressed disbelief at the lack of transparency, stating, “Do they really believe that we are that stupid?”
Commissioner Maxine Anderson echoed this sentiment, urging the mayor’s office to recognize their duty to the public and to approach requests for public records with a spirit of cooperation.
The task force had previously determined in December that Lurie violated state law by withholding records related to the Trump call. While the mayor’s office has suggested that there are no notes, transcripts, or other records from the call itself, a log released in October noted a phone call with Trump discussing the cessation of a potential federal deployment in San Francisco.
After the call, reports indicated that billionaire allies of the mayor intervened, leading to an agreement to halt the deployment of federal forces. The matter has since been referred to another committee of the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, which may decide whether Lurie’s office committed a “willful” violation by not producing the requested records. If so, the case could escalate to the city’s ethics commission, although both bodies have limited power to compel the release of documents.
The ongoing discussions highlight the tension between public accountability and the administration’s claims of legal privilege. The Sunshine Ordinance Task Force’s insistence on transparency reflects a broader demand for government accountability in San Francisco. As this situation develops, it remains to be seen how Lurie’s office will respond to the commission’s call for increased disclosure.
