Editorial: It’s Time To Defund Baker Places!

In the upcoming weeks, I will be visiting the members of the San Francisco Supervisors and asking them to defund Baker Places. In over two years, I have tried to rid Baker of Jonathan Vernick and have been met with one lie after another. Please note that Vernick has lied to the public in two press releases about retiring from Baker when, in fact, he remains there. See:

1) Press Release | Baker Places - San Francisco --In this press release, dated June 20, 2016 Jonathan Vernick agrees to step down by October 31, 2016.

2) [PDF]Jonathan Vernick Steps Down as Executive Director ... - San Francisco--In this press release, dated March 29, 2017 Jonathan Vernick agrees to step down by March 31, 2017.

 

The concern is the mismanagement of public funds with estimates of $100 million stolen from the taxpayers of San Francisco over the past 25 years. See “The Criminal Case Against Jonathan Vernick” posted on this blog this past March 13, 2017: The Criminal Case Against Jonathan Vernick . 

Theft of public funds at Baker Places occurred in 2014 when Judith Stevenson, Baker's CFO , allegedly embezzled $3.4 million . To make for the loss, there has been talk that Baker’s building at 120 Page Street will have to be sold and employees will be forced to work out of a woodshed-like structure on 3^rd street.  Clearly, this is unacceptable. [Editior's note posted on June 5, 2017: In the original post I misstated the fact that I was informed about this theft at Baker in the past few weeks; in fact, Ms. Stevenson was fired in 2014.]

Thus, I will request the Supervisors (www.sfbos.org) to defund Baker Places. To implement this plan I propose:

1. The 20 apartments Baker Places oversees can be given to “Community Housing Partnership." This nonprofit already has proved it can house various populations. See: Home - Community Housing PartnershipCommunity Housing ...

2. The employees who are under contract with local 1021 SEIU will continue to keep their jobs. The existing contract will remain in force with the only change being that they will work for Community Housing Partnership. 

3. Baker Places will lose its entire $12 million allotment for the Department of Public Health as their contract with the City is eliminated. 

4. The Department of Public Health will give new contracts to various nonprofits to oversee such programs as the “Joe Healy Detox” Center.

Last year there was a plan to merge Baker Places with Positive Resource Center--a merger which appears to be ill-conceived. While I like Brett Andrews, the executive director of Positive Resource Center, he appears to lack the specialized skill set necessary to run a vast multidimensional organization such as Baker Places. Mr. Andrews is a prolific fundraiser for gay causes and is well respected in the queer community where he has been a strong advocate for HIV+ individuals. I hope he continues to be successful in this role.

I invite readers to contact their various members at www.sfbos.org and request them to defund Baker Places. Sadly, this is necessary as the corruption at Baker Places is too vast and has been going for too long for just one individual to depart. In particular, I invite readers to contact Supervisors Jeff Sheehy, Aaron Peskin, and Jane Kim as these three have a proven track record of supporting housing programs funded by the City.

Finally, I invite the news media to investigate Baker Places. In the post, Financial Documents and Information Prepared for Tom Mesa, a Representative of the Department of Public Health,  I give a list of 9 contact numbers at the end which might be a way for investigators to find some leads.

I wish to thank the readers of this blog for the support I have received in the past two years. We need to end this bad nightmare by June 30, 2017—the date in which the Supervisors are required to approve the new fiscal year’s budget. Please do what you can as the programs at Baker are designed to help protect the most vulnerable among us.

This editorial is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Who Would You Like as the New Executive Director of Baker Places?” Vote Now!

Welcome to the third “Who would you like as the new executive director of Baker Places?” contest . The last election ended March 31, 2017 with no qualified candidates selected. So the election is being held anew. The rules are the same as last time:

1. List three traits you think are important for the CEO of a nonprofit to have and list these in your reply to the director of Public Health, Barbara Garcia :barbara.garcia@sfdph.org. 

 Example: 

A. Trustworthy—This is someone who is honest and follows through with his commitments.

B. Experienced—This is someone who knows how a nonprofit operates and works well with others.

C. Wisdom—This quality will allow one to see the higher values which are at stake and allow one to act with honor.

2. Only 1 vote per person.

3. The deadline for all votes is June 2, 2017, 5:00 P.M.


4. The announcement of the new Executive Director of Baker Places will be made by the Department of Public Health by June 5, 2017.   

Last year, I voted for Masami Endo, a long-term case manager for Baker Places. This year, however, I am voting for Jesse Ponce as he builds rapport with a diverse population. There have been many excellent reports about the extra help he gives clients. Who would you like to be the new Director of Baker? If you are qualified, why not send in your resume to Barbara Garcia?

Please cast your vote NOW by emailing Barbara Garcia at

barbara.garcia@sfdph.org.

 

Open Letter To the Members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Readers: Please share this letter with others and your Supervisor. See: www.sfbos.org for each Supervisor’s contact information.

 May 22, 2017

Dear Supervisor:

 Jonathan Vernick, the executive director of Baker Places, lied to you as he agreed to resign from Baker Places, Inc. by March 31, 2017 according to the following press release issue: PDF]Jonathan Vernick Steps Down as Executive Director ... - San Francisco

 
Vernick retirement plans were reported in the local press such as the Castro Courier in its April 2017 new briefs with the title, “Former executive director leaves post after 34 years.” See: News Briefs - Castro Courier.

Also, in an April issue of Bay Area Reporter it was reported that Brett Andrews would be taking over both Baker Places and Positive Resource Center, thereby earning a pay increase. See: Nonprofit execs say results weigh more than pay - Bay Area Reporter.

Please note that Jonathan Vernick has not left Baker Places as his site clearly indicates he is the Executive Director under the "Our Leadership" column. Also, note that he has refused to remove his name from the site after being requested to do so. Moreover, there have been reports that he remains at Baker Places. See: Baker Places: Residential Treatment Centers .       

According to a Private Investigator, Jonathan Vernick has stolen $100 million from the taxpayers of San Francisco over the past 25 years. What is the basis for this investigator’s claim?

 * Baker Places gets buildings donated to it via the Mayor’s Department of Housing and Development free of charge. These are buildings which are intended to house clients such as those who are HIV+.  After a few years the clients are evicted (usually under the pretext that the building is in need of repair) and then sold. This is what happened at 54-56 Francis Street in which 10 clients were evicted so that Jonathan Vernick could pay the IRS over $800,000 in back taxes. This misused of public funds, according to the investigator, has been going on for over 25 years. 

* According to the IRS 990s (forms nonprofits file), Baker Places has lost $3.4 million of the taxpayer’s money over the past 10 years.

 * There are ongoing concerns about how the Ryan White Act funds are being used. There have been several reports that these funds have been used in an unlawful manner.

The investigator examined the above data points and extrapolated them over 25 years to reach the total of $100 million as the amount Jonathan Vernick has stolen from the taxpayers of San Francisco.  Please see the post on my blog, www.defundbakerplaces.blogspot.com : The Criminal Case Against Jonathan Vernick. 

The theft of public funds can have deadly consequences as out of the several dozen reports I have received about Jonathan Vernick, none have been more chilling than the following which was reported on April 11, 2016. I quote the letter verbatim and without commentary: 

Hello Mr. Petersen.

I just wanted to say that I think what you are doing is great and I hope you are successful. Jonathan Vernick is trying to cover up something terrible that has happened at a Baker Places site. On Thursday the 31st of March at the San Jose Place site, a client named Scott McGreevy died after he hung himself in his room. He didn't get medical attention in time because Baker Places deliberately under-staffs the sites so they can keep the extra money. Please tell people about this. Don't let them cover it up like they tried to cover up what they did to you.

Sincerely,

Michelle Lott

Recommendation: Jesse Ponce is a well-respected case manager at Baker Places. He achieves rapport with a diverse population. Mr. Ponce will make an excellent new executive director of Baker Places.  Thus, I recommend that you communicate with Mr. Vernick that he needs to step down and allow Mr. Ponce to step up. If Vernick refuses to leave, then defund Baker Places.

Thank you for your kind attention to the above matter. If I can be of further assistance, please email me at safeway7354@gmail.com.

 Sincerely Yours,

Harry Petersen

Jonathan Vernick--Go Fuck Yourself!

Readers: Google “Defund Baker Places” or “Jonathan Vernick” or visit www.defundbakerplaces.blogspot.com.

Also, readers are invited to visit Historic Jonathan Vernick Post: Resources for Action! .

 

* According to a private investigator, Jonathan Vernick has stolen $100 million from the taxpayers of San Francisco. What is the basis of this investigator’s claim? Baker Places receives houses donated free of charge via the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Development and then turns around and sells the donated property. This is what happened when 10 clients were evicted from 54-56 Francis Street so that Jonathan Vernick could pay the IRS over $800,000 in back taxes. This is theft of public funds and has been going on for over 25 years. See the post: The Criminal Case Against Jonathan Vernick .

 * According to the IRS 990s forms (which nonprofits file) Baker Places has lost over $3.4 million of the taxpayer’s money in the past 10 years. See the post:  Financial Documents and Information Prepared for Tom Mesa, a Representative of the Department of Public Health.

* Criminal charges have been filed with the San Francisco Police Department against Jonathan Vernick. These charges include embezzlement, theft of public funds, and fraud.

 

If we unite in the “Jonathan Vernick—Go Fuck Yourself” Movement we can achieve together what we cannot do alone. So be part of a worthy cause and do a good deed today by telling Jonathan Vernick to go fuck himself!

Jonathan Vernick Is Still At Baker Places!

Background: Jonathan Vernick was to resign from Baker Places, Inc. by March 31, 2017 according to the following press release issue: PDF]Jonathan Vernick Steps Down as Executive Director ... - San Francisco

Vernick retirement plans were reported in the local press such as the Castro Courier in its April 2017 new briefs with the title, “Former executive director leaves post after 34 years.” See: News Briefs - Castro Courier.

Also, in an April issue of Bay Area Reporter it was reported that Brett Andrews would be taking over both Baker Places and Positive Resources Center, thereby earning a pay increase. See: Nonprofit execs say results weigh more than pay - Bay Area Reporter.

Present: Jonathan Vernick has not left Baker Places as his site clearly indicates he is the Executive Director under the "Our Leadership" column. Please note that he has refused to remove his name from the site after being requested to do so. Moreover, there have been reports that he remains at Baker Places. See: Baker Places: Residential Treatment Centers .       

What You Can Do:

1) Please contact your member of the Board of Supervisors at: www.sfbos.org and demand that Jonathan Vernick be removed from Baker Places.

2) Contact Barbara Garcia, the Director of Public Health, and tell her that Jonathan Vernick has refused to leave as he agreed to: barbara.garcia@sfdph.org.

 

3) Let the local press know that Jonathan Vernick lied to them and to the public. In particular, please let the reporters at Castro Courier and Bay Area Reporter know that they have falsely reported that Vernick would leave at the end of March 2017.

4) Please visit my previous post of April 25, 2017: Can A Reader Please Verify that Jonathan Vernick Has Left Baker Places--Thank You!

5) For more background info on this case, please see:  Historic Jonathan Vernick Post: Resources for Action!

Thanks to all readers who support the most vulnerable among us by having Jonathan Vernick removed from Baker Places. Please email me at safeway7354@gmail.com if I can be of further help. Thank you!