Baker Places Board of Director’s Meeting on June 15, 2016: Reporter’s Notes

Below are my notes, Harry Petersen, acting as a reporter for this blog, concerning the Baker Places Board of Director’s meeting on June 15, 2016. In attendance for the Baker Places Board were: Nick Lederer, Chair of Board, Jonathan Vernick, executive director, Corey Busch, and Jo Ruffin. In addition, Michael Harrington listened via telphone and an Asian-American, acting as an attorney, was taking notes on a laptop.

1. First, I will deal with the violations of the law and/or possible violations which may include criminal conduct on the part of Vernick. The first violation of the law is the violation of the American Disability Act in that disabled people had to walk up four flights of stairs because allegedly the elevator for this building has been out of order for the past two weeks. Please note that Baker Places Board member Jo Ruffin had noted that she had to walk 4 flights of stairs; in addition, I accompanied a disabled person who took several minutes to walk the stairs.

 

2. The second violation of the law to be noted is at the end of the meeting in which all members of the audience were held in imprisonment for about 7 minutes. As members left the meeting the door to the conference room was shut and then Vernick, announced he had “locked himself out” (obviously all he had to do was knock at the door).  Apparently, the Baker Board was holding an impromptu meeting immediately after the audience members left; the doors to exit were locked and Vernick continued to play for the next few minutes that he was “locked out.” This is an outrageous act and the Baker Board is directly responsible for holding us against our will for several minutes.  


3. The third apparent crime is when Jonathan Vernick asked for the cell phone of a member who was waiting to leave. When she gave him the cell phone he moved out of sight and then telephoned the number to someone in the conference room (probably his own telephone number) and then return the phone to the member of the audience. The apparent purpose of this ploy was to listen to a private conversation in which the member of the audience and I were having (we came in together to the meeting and left together). This is obviously illegal, and if this hypothesis is correct, then this is sufficient grounds to charge him with criminal conduct. 


4. The fourth violation of the law is when Vernick announced that the next meeting in six months hence would be private and that the members of the public would not be invited. This is a violation of the “Sunshine Ordinance” which requires all meetings to be public. Probably, this announcement was just a ploy on Vernick’s part in which the listeners would believe he would still be around in 6 months with Baker; in fact, he needs to leave immediately!

 

5. The fifth violation of the law is when the executive session included discussion of “real estate transactions” in which the public was not allowed to attend. It needs to be noted here: Baker Places is both a nonprofit receiving $12 million from the taxpayers annually as well as a real estate holding company. These two separate functions are combined in one as this violation of the Sunshine Law would indicate.

 

6. The “call to order” of the meeting was given by Nick Lederer, Chair of the Board, about 6:45 p.m. on June 15, 2016.  


7. Next, we have Jonathan Vernick, the executive director’s report. The first comment had to do with houses which might be donated from the City and County of San Francisco to Baker Places via a grant or otherwise given to Baker.  Apparently, this is to counter the argument that Baker Places was buying property with taxpayer’s money and then selling them. In fact, I understood that some of the properties are donated to Baker Places with the requirement that they be used for housing various population. No matter how Vernick is acquiring these properties, they still are not his to sell under any condition and to do so constitutes criminal conduct. By mixing the Baker Places funds from the taxpayers with his real estate holdings, I estimate the possible theft of $100 million from the taxpayers of San Francisco over the past 25+ years. 


8. Note again how the con game is played: Vernick embezzles money directly from the Baker Places general account, then sells property which is dedicated to housing various populations such as those HIV+ (one funding source for this population is the “Ryan White” fund) ; in most cases, the property is donated (e.g., the Mayor's Office of Housing). Since the money being embezzled can easily be explained away as an expense and since the money is returned by selling property, it’s almost impossible to detect. I will write a paper within the next few days and post it on this blog giving additional details. (Readers are invited to see the May 7, 2016 post for documents in which Baker Places lost over $.3.4 Million over the past 10 years, according the IRS 990 forms.) 


9. Harry Petersen’s Public Testimony: Baker Places, Inc. owed the IRS over $825,000 in back taxes (according to IRS 990, 2013). To cover this loss, Vernick had Case Manager Masami Endo lie to various tenants, including James Smithson about the building needing to be repaired, when, in fact, it was being sold to pay the IRS. Please note: Baker Places permanently took away housing for 10 people who were residing at 54-56 Francis Street in addition to stealing money. [Here readers can note an example of how the con is played as outlined in point 8 above.] The theft of public funds is clear: This building had been dedicated by the taxpayers of San Francisco to house population such as the homeless, those with substance abuse issues, and the like. By selling this building (which was not his to sell), Vernick paid the IRS back taxes. This is theft of public funds. 


10.  According to the IRS records, the building at 54-56 Francis Street was sold on February 12, 2015 for nearly $800,000 (to pay the back taxes which was owed). Please note that Vernick telephoned me on February 12, 2015 and confirmed the building had been sold. I subsequently vacated my studio apartment on February 24, 2015 for an equivalent one at 337 Fulton Street. This transaction was agreed to in writing on April 9, 2015 in a letter Jonathan Vernick signed. 


11. The exchange of apartments required a contract drawn up by an attorney, which Jonathan Vernick is not. By the Stature of Fraud laws, this real estate transaction is illegal, prima facie. It was this set of facts which caused Fancher Larson of the Client Rights group at 1663 Mission to recommend filing Fraud charges against Baker. I refused to do so because at this time (April 10, 2015 I did not want Baker Places defunded and legal advice said this was a likely outcome of such a lawsuit). 


12. Upon Vacating 56 Francis Street, Vernick played various ploys to evict me a second time. Readers are invited to read the September 29, 2015 post on this blog (which was a complaint given the Rent Board of San Francisco) and also see the November 5, 2015 post on this blog for additional information.


13.  Tom Mesa of the Department of Public Health [correction: I misspoke at the meeting and said “housing rights committee”] on April 7, 2016 in front of 3 witnesses outline how Jonathan Vernick had mismanaged the public money and was on a “pay back” plan and also said three times that Vernick is a bully towards his employees and others. 


14. At the conclusion of my public testimony, I demanded that the Baker Board immediately fire Jonathan Vernick (as I had emailed Nick Lederer over a week earlier and requested that he do this during the Board’s meeting). The Board refused and do so and Lederer stated, “we are here to listen.”


15. As I left the meeting, I directly spoke to the board members and told them that it is time for action. Also, I told them they would be held accountable for the abuse and theft Jonathan Vernick has engaged in for over 25 years. Moreover, I noted that I would publicly charge each of them with “crimes against humanity.” I am giving the Baker Board until Monday, June 20, 2016 by 5:00 P.M. to announce Jonathan Vernick’s resignation.  Otherwise, I will publicly campaign against them as being complicit in Vernick’s crimes. 


16. A second member of the public also spoke and he alleged that Case Manager Jessie Ponce of Baker Places had recommend that he as an HIV+ person commit a felony. He indicated he was prepared to take his complaint to the media this coming Monday.


17. After the Baker Places completed their impromptu meeting (in which members of the audience were held against their will for several minutes), Jonathan Vernick escorted us down the 4 flights of stairs. He was confused, however, about how to get out of his own office, taking a couple of minutes to figure this out! Finally, we were directed to go to an opening at the end of the hall. 


18.  Summary: A public meeting of the Baker Places Board of Director’s occurred on June 15, 2016 at 1000 Brannan Street, Suite 401. By the Board’s inaction, they show they support the abuse of clients and the theft of public funds; they have been given until Monday, June 20, 2016 to dismiss him or I will continue my public campaign against Baker Places. Please note: I will no longer post any flyers about Barbara Garcia, the director of Public Health, since she is no longer responsible for Vernick criminal conduct—the Baker Board is.  In this meeting, Jonathan Vernick committed several violations of the law, including two which constitutes criminal conduct. I testified to the Board about Vernick’s theft of public funds and abuse towards clients and employees. 


19. This meeting had a series of interesting games, ploys, and an encounter with that which is evil!