Mayor London Breed has nominated a real estate agent to serve on the newly formed Homelessness Oversight Commission, replacing her previous nominee, who resigned before he was officially considered, as allegations surfaced of past misconduct in a government role.
Dena Aslanian-Williams’s nomination was approved unanimously at the Board of Supervisors’ Rules Committee on Monday, sending it to the full board for consideration. The full board is set to consider Breed’s nomination of Aslanian-Williams, a Compass real estate agent, to the commission on Tuesday.
If appointed, Aslanian-Williams will serve in a seat that’s reserved for a person with experience serving on a business or neighborhood association.
Aslanian-Williams previously served as the president of West of Twin Peaks Central Council, an organization that advocates for over 20 neighborhood and property owner’s associations located west of Twin Peaks. She also previously served on the San Francisco Association of Realtors.
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Breed initially criticized the prospect of the new commission, which was approved by voters last November, contending that it would introduce yet another layer of bureaucracy to the city’s cumbersome homelessness response.
One of Breed’s initial nominees to the commission, Vikrum Aiyer, stepped back before the Board of Supervisors could decide on his appointment. Aiyer, a tech executive, filed false expense reports and paid for personal expenses with tax dollars while serving under the Obama administration between 2014 and 2016, according to a U.S. Office of Inspector General report.
The homelessness commission, which met for the first time in May, has the power to solicit audits, establish performance standards and convene hearings to assess the effectiveness of programs run by the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.
The panel is composed of three members who are selected by the Board of Supervisors and four people who are selected by the mayor. Commission members have said they hope to make the homelessness department more efficient by increasing accountability for nonprofits, improving methods of data collection and monitoring spending. The department has a 2024 fiscal year budget of $690 million.