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Politics

City official got paid by architecture firm while approving its projects

Kathrin Moore receives up to $100K a year from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, whose developments she’s helped advance on the planning commission.

A person with light hair and glasses is speaking, seated indoors. They are wearing a black jacket and are positioned in front of a laptop next to a wooden wall.
Kathrin Moore was appointed to the planning commission in 2006. | Source: SFGov TV

A longtime San Francisco planning commissioner supported the development of at least two projects in the city by a well-known architecture firm from which she also receives income, according to city disclosure forms, an arrangement that appears to breach the city’s conflict of interest rules.

Kathrin Moore, who was appointed to the planning commission in 2006 and currently serves as the body’s vice president, has reported earning between $10,000 and $100,000 each year since 2012 from the global firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, also known by the acronym SOM.

In a 2012 financial disclosure, Moore reported that she retired from the company in 1999 and described the income as a “retirement payment.” Since then, she has listed herself on the forms as a retired associate partner.

Meanwhile, Moore voted in September 2021 to approve the firm’s San Bao Temple at 1750 Van Ness Ave. This May, she cast a vote supporting the company’s initial plans for a building at 520 Sansome St./447 Battery St., a project still making its way through the commission.

A person in a hat speaks at a podium in a wood-paneled room, addressing seated officials at a long desk. Laptops and flags add to the formal setting.
The city's seven-member planning commission has significant sway over the look and feel of the city's development plans. | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Standard

The city’s conflict of interest rules prohibit city officials, including planning commissioners, from making decisions that involve entities from which an individual has received more than $500 in the past year. The state has similar regulations.

The seven-member commission advises the mayor and board of supervisors on land use, transportation, and development in the city and votes to approve project permits. 

Sean McMorris, an ethics expert from the good governance nonprofit Common Cause, said Moore’s votes appear to be a conflict of interest because she was paid by the firm. 

“If there is anything that you could presumably be involved in that even gives the appearance of enriching yourself, then you need to recuse yourself,” McMorris said. “That’s why we have conflict-of-interest laws. Our representatives work for us, not for themselves. The public trust is diminished when things like this happen.”

In an emailed statement received after this story’s publication, Moore defended her votes on Skidmore, Owings & Merrill projects.

“Having retired as an Associate Partner of SOM in 1999, I receive a pension from SOM which I report on my annual public financial disclosure,” she wrote. “In accordance with legal advice from the Office of the City Attorney given to me many years ago, because my pension is unconditional, I have been assured that there is no conflict of interest and do not need to recuse myself from voting on matters involving SOM. My fixed pension does not influence nor is it effected by how I render my decisions. I will continue to hold myself to the highest legal and ethical standards as I have since I first was appointed to the Planning Commission in 2006.”

An inquiry to Moore and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill went unanswered. 

During a May 15 hearing on the 520 Sansome St./447 Battery St. project, Moore thanked a Skidmore, Owings & Merrill representative after his presentation and lauded the plans, saying they would positively impact the city’s beleaguered downtown.

“This project addresses all the critical points, including the major investment of the refurbishing of the Transamerica Pyramid,” she said. “I think you’re doing that very skillfully.”

During a September 2021 hearing to approve the Buddhist temple at 1750 Van Ness Ave., Moore similarly advocated for the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill design.

“I am in full support of the project, and I consider the project thoughtful, and as one of the [public] speakers just said, inspirational,” Moore said. “I think it will be a wonderful addition.”

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is an internationally renowned firm behind iconic buildings such as 7 World Trade Center in New York, the Sears Tower in Chicago, and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building. Its San Francisco designs include One Maritime Plaza and the San Francisco International Airport trusses.

Lydia So, the planning commission’s president, said she was “shocked” to learn of Moore’s connection to the architecture firm and called for an investigation. 

“We need to restore public trust in our government,” she said.

The Ethics Commission, which enforces the city’s conflict of interest rules, declined to comment.

“All complaints and enforcement matters are handled confidentially as required by the City Charter,” Michael Canning, the Ethics Commission’s policy and legislative affairs manager, said in a statement. “This requires that we do not disclose any information about any enforcement matters we may be handling, including if we have received a complaint or are carrying out an investigation.”

City officials regularly recuse themselves from votes due to conflicts of interest, actual or perceived. More than 20 city officials have withdrawn from government decisions this year, including a San Francisco Retirement Healthcare Trust Fund member who in June recused himself from a vote to invest in a company because he had worked there over a decade ago. 

The image shows a dense cityscape with tall skyscrapers, including a shiny, cylindrical tower. Streets and lower buildings are visible in the foreground.
The architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is behind multiple San Francisco projects, including One Maritime Plaza. | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Standard

In 2023, Moore recused herself from approving a project on Taylor Street because she resides within 500 feet of the property.

Moore’s links to the architecture firm come to light amid recent turmoil that has shaken the planning commission.

Mission Local reported last month that three commissioners, including Moore, walked out of a closed-door meeting to appoint a new planning director. The members said they left the meeting in protest over frustrations with Mayor Daniel Lurie’s process of choosing Sarah Dennis Phillips to lead the commission as director. Phillips was later confirmed

Moore then accused So of violating a state law that requires local agencies to hold open meetings for public access.

Update: This story was updated with a response from Kathrin Moore.