Editor:

Are we missing something, or is it true that none of  Mayor Breed’s four nominees for the Homelessness and Supportive Housing Oversight Board seem to have any experience or credentials in dealing with the problems of homeless citizens?

In particular, her nomination of Vikrum Aiyer, who, as a federal appointee, continued committing fraud, even after he was caught and apologized for abusing public trust.  

The recent Chronicle article does not name the amount that Aiyer contributed to Breed’s mayoral campaign.  We wonder how much a nomination to this oversight committee costs?  

This kind of political maneuvering at the expense of grave human misery we see on our streets daily is unconscionable.  Will we need an oversight commission for the oversight commission? And what kind of salaries are we talking about here?  

None of Breed’s nominees seem to have experience in auditing municipal budgets. Will they need additional staff, at taxpayer’s expense, to gather and analyze financial information and the effectiveness of the various policies and many non-profit organizations the City contracts with to deal with homelessness. Will those costs be in addition to the $600 million budget for homeless services?

Given the recent scandal involving the head of one of these nonprofits in Bayview financing a lavish lifestyle, at taxpayer’s expense, we are convinced our concerns are totally reasonable. Is it any wonder that San Francisco is held up as an example of liberal policy failure and corruption by the worst elements of right-wing conservatives? We deserve better.

Chris Gray and Susan Chen, Parkside/Sunset District