Editorial: The Jonathan Vernick Team Still Controls the Department of Public Health in San Francisco

Jonathan Vernick and his team of enablers continue to control the Department of Public Health (DPH) in San Francisco. In his latest iteration, his team is having 41 permanent treatment beds closed for mental health patients at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH). Then he is transferring the funds saved to his own group, PRC (formerly Positive Resource Center) for two-week respite services at SFGH for psych patients.


Last week dozens of protestors gathered at SFGH to demand that the 41 beds remain open to those with various mental health challenges. Under the proposed plan, the patients will be transferred the Hummingbird center for two-week stays. After this period, one assumes they will roam the streets of San Francisco causing distress to all who come in contact with them. Please see last Sunday’s San Francisco Examiner’s article, “Cuts to mental health beds prompt protest,” by Laura Waxmann and
See: Protestors Rally Against City Plan to Close Mental Health Beds .

Analysis: There are several problems here: First why is 120 Page Street, historically known as West Side Lodge, not being used as it had been from about 1980 to 2005: Accepting psych patients from SFGH for 90-day periods before they are referred to other resources? This would cost the taxpayers of San Francisco nothing as the building, worth an estimated value of $3.4 million, was donated to Baker Places, Inc. Then medical and/or medicare would be billed for the services they received. Instead, the taxpayers are paying millions of dollars to house patients for two-week stays. This appears to be theft of public funds.

The second problem is it appears as though the Vernick team is going to sell the building at 120 Page Street. While the building was emptied as of April 4, 2019 as the Baker Places new building is at 170 9^th Street, and accepted clients from SFGH psych ward for a few weeks, it now appears that 120 Page will be sold for $3.4 million. This appears to be theft of public funds.

Readers are invited to see my previous post on West Side Lodge: Good News: West Side Lodge Is Reborn!

A third problem concerns the dishonesty of Brett Andrews, the CEO of PRC. Please note that while to the media Mr. Andrews claims to be in charge of Baker Places, Inc. and PRC, insiders have informed me that, in fact, Jonathan Vernick is in complete charge. There are two disturbing issues of lying:
1) On PRC website there is a press release, issued by Jonathan Vernick on March 30, 2017, claiming that he was stepping down as the Executive Director of Baker Places, Inc. as of March 31, 2017. Please see: PDF] Jonathan Vernick Steps Down as Executive Director ... - San Fra
Mr. Andrews must know that this is a lie since both he and Vernick work in the same building, 170 9^th Street, and thus he would know Vernick has not retired or otherwise left.

Why would Mr. Andrews lie for Vernick? It impossible to say for sure, but one assumes that this has to do with their friendship for the past 20 years and the fact that Vernick has served as a mentor to Mr. Andrews. In my view, to be mentored by Vernick is to be guided by darkness. Please note that there have been several reports that both Vernick and Mr. Andrews have misused the funds from the Ryan White Act (this is to help those with HIV) as they recently received grants totaling over $3 million. This appears to be theft of public funds.

2) In his fortnightly column in the San Francisco Bay Times, “From the Frontlines,” Mr. Andrews now claims to have an MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from George Washington University. Yet, in the same paper, in the February 25-March 9, 2016 issue, Mr. Andrews claims to gone to college at Pennsylvania State University. It is my understanding that he has a degree in English.


Please see: Brett Andrews Exemplifies Compassionate Leadership - San ...

Also, please note that Vernick has claimed to have the same degree, a M.A. from George Washington University! While it is possible that they might have earned a degree via on-line, I am skeptical and thus would invite investigators to validate their claims.

Summary: It appears as though the Jonathan Vernick Team continues to be in complete control of DPH in San Francisco. Also, it appears as though the Director of Public Health, Dr. Grant Colfax, is doing what his predecessor, Barbara Garcia did: close down beds at SFGH psych ward and then shifting the funds to the Vernick team. This appears to be theft of public funds.

Note to Dr. Grant Colfax: I invite you to reverse your course with the closing down of psych beds at SFGH and what appears support of theft of public funds. Also, I invite you to see that 120 Page Street is used for its intended purpose—housing psych patients for 90-days—and not allow it to be sold for $3.4 million. Finally, I invite you to get rid of both Jonathan Vernick and Brett Andrews as they appear to be actively involved in the theft of tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer’s money. I wish to remind Dr. Colfax that his predecessor was forced to resign amid a corruption probe of her theft of a public funds.

Note to Readers: Please contact Dr. Colfax, the members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and Mayor London Breed’s office regarding the theft of public funds. Also, demand that both Jonathan Vernick and Brett Andrews be removed. I would recommend Masami Endo, a long-term case manager for Baker Places, Inc. who now works for PRC as the new director of the combined nonprofits.




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

Good News: West Side Lodge Is Reborn!

Update on June 25, 2019: Since May 23, 2019 there have been weekly meetings at 120 Page every Thursday where clients use computers and attend classes. Apparently, the clients are being escorted from San Francisco General Hospital’s Psych ward. Thus, while West Side Lodge is being born, it is not a done deal as clients are not living there. Hopefully, as the apartments are cleaned out clients will be admitted for 90-day periods before they are referred to other resources in the mental health system. I invite my readers to contact your public officials to ensure that 120 Page Street is used for its intended purpose and not to be sold for an estimated $3.4 million.  




West Side Lodge, located at 120 Page Street, existed from about 1980 to 2005 and served about 30 clients for 90-day periods. These clients generally were escorted from San Francisco General psych ward to a residential program so they could be referred to other resources in the mental health system.

After 2005 West Side Lodge closed down as Jonathan Vernick turned it into an office space for employees and rented the apartments above. According to Baker Places insiders, Vernick had been attempting to sell the building, worth an estimated $3.4 million, as of 2017. 

As of May 23, 2019, West Side Lodge has been reborn! I received a document showing that 120 Page Street is now opening its apartments to clients from SFGH psych ward. This is great news as this donated building will not be sold after all!  And the taxpayers of San Francisco will see that their investment is used for its intended purpose: To house those who need referrals in the mental health system.

I wish to thank the readers of the blog , the  Director of Public Health, Dr. Grant Colfax, and Mayor London Breed for their assistance in making this happen.

Co-Exisiting Peacefully with Baker Places: A letter to Luisa Francisco

Readers: This is a draft copy of a letter which I am presently sending to Lusia Francisco, a financial manager at Baker Places.


April 9, 2019


Dear Luisa Francisco:


Thank you for meeting with me this past April 3, 2019 at Baker Places' office, 120 Page Street, between about 9:30 A.M. to10 A.M. During our meeting you accepted April's rent and gave me Baker Places new address in which to send May's rent:


"Baker Places, Inc.
170 9th Street
94103"


Also, you gave Bakers' new telephone number as: 415-777-0333.


During the meeting you requested that I send both February's rent check and May's rent check the in May. Per agreement the checks will be sent certified mail early in May. Please instruct anyone working at the front desk that he needs to sign the return receipt so I have proof of payment.


Based upon your agreement to accept all future rent checks at the address above, an attorney has advised me to not engage in any public campaign. My two conditions for peaceful co-existence:
1) The rent checks are accepted and everything is okay with the rent.
2) The "Defund Baker Places" Blog remains in place.


Should Jonathan Vernick wish to honor his agreement on January  27, 2015 and send me a contract that is approved by the Baker Board, then I will consider taking the blog from public view.
 
Again, thanks for meeting with me as I hope we can continue to co-exist peacefully.




Sincerely Yours,


 


(Harry Petersen)

A Private Investigator’s Report: Jonathan Vernick Has Stolen $100 From the Taxpayers of San Francisco

Below is a brief sketch from a report I received from a private investigator in 2017. Investigators in this case may be able to use the references to access possible leads.


1. According to IRS 990s (these are forms non-profits file) as of 2015 Baker Places owns $47 million in property and buildings. Note that all properties own by Baker Places are donated from the City and County of San Francisco. 


2. One source of the donated properties Baker Places owns are the 15 (or so) apartments which serve as co-ops for clients. Except for a few long-term co-ops, these apartments are recycled with the apartments being sold when a new apartment becomes available. In general, the apartments, houses, or buildings are donated by the Mayor’s Office on Housing and Development. The Investigator was unclear if there are other departments in the City which donates buildings or if other outside sources have donated to Baker Places. If one values these buildings at $1 million each this accounts for a present value of $15 million. Of course, since the co-ops are recycled Baker Places has owned on the order of 40 co-ops over the past 30 years (this is the period of Jonathan Vernick’s tenure as Executive Director of Baker Places) which places the total value at $40 million in today’s terms.


3. A second source of buildings are part of the mental health system in which clients are placed in a 90-day treatment program before being referred to other resources. These include Grove Street House, Baker Street House, Robertson House, San Jose Place, Jo Ruffin. Since these are large building complexes holding 20-30 clients they are worth several million dollars each. The total value of these treatment centers is valued at $20 million.


4. A fourth source of buildings include:  Joe Haley Detox Program, which treats those with acute drug addiction;  Fergunson House, which treats those who are HIV+ and have drug addictions; Acceptance Place which house gay and bisexual men. These 3 buildings have an estimated value of $10 million.  


5. Baker Places also owns its own office at 120 Page Street. Previously, this space had been known as West Side Lodge and housed 20-30 clients for 90 day periods. Today the apartments have been rented out; however, I have been informed by Baker Places insiders that Vernick has been trying to sell this building. As of 2015, it had an estimated value of $3.4 million. Please note again: This building was donated to Baker Places and now it appears as though Vernick is trying to sell it. 


6. Baker Places first donated building was the Castro County Club located at 18^th street and Castro. It serves as a 12-step clean and sober meeting places for those who are struggling with various drug addictions. From what I can gather from the Investigator, it appears that Vernick sold the building a few years back, then rented the building from the new owner. Then the building was sold a second time and this time the new owner demanded rent on the order of $600,000 per year. Vernick was unwilling to pay this rent and thus Baker Places lost its historical legacy which began circa 1969. In today’s terms, the building is worth on the order of $6 million. 


7. Investigators looking into this case will want to look at the real estate holdings of Pablo Tisker of Bernstein Realty. It appears as though Vernick and Tisker have had a tangled history for the past 20 years (or so)  in which Vernick sells or exchanges property with Mr. Tisker. It appears as though there are 20 buildings which are owned by Mr. Tisker but were bought or exchanged with Baker Places. The estimated worth of these buildings are between $20 million to $50. Because the Private Investigator was unable to piece together all the various holdings, I am using the lower estimate of $20 million of properties which were donated to Baker Places, but which are subsequently are owned by Mr. Tisker. See: Home - Bernstein Realty Property Management.

8. Investigators into this case might look at Jonathan Vernick’s company Ljv Holding Llc.  For additional insights, please see Jonathan Vernick Et Al v. Mynette Boykin :: Superior Court of California ...


Summary: Baker Places has acquired property and buildings worth an estimated $100 million over the nearly 30 years of Jonathan Vernick’s tenure as Executive Director of Baker Places. Many of the buildings have been sold or traded while others are subject to being sold at Vernick’s whim. The term “stolen” is used in a moral sense, not a legal one, since it is unclear what the legal status of donated buildings which are to be used to house clients which are then subsequently sold. Should the San Francisco Board of Supervisors wish to defund Baker Places, they will need to ask the City’s Attorney to place a lien on donated buildings so that Vernick cannot sell them. Investigators of this case will need to look at the real estate holdings of Pablo Tisker of Bernstein as they relate to the holdings of Baker Places. An unknown is whether Vernick has comingled Baker Places funds with his private company Ljv Holding Llc. Also, it is unknown if Vernick has other ties to other companies or has made real estate exchanges with various real estate brokers other than Mr. Tisker.
 

Jonathan Vernick--Go Fuck Yourself!

Note to readers: Because February’s rent check was returned by the post office with a return receipt required, I assume that the Vernick team is refusing to accept my monthly rent. If this is a misunderstanding, then I invite Vernick to clear this up by April 3, 2019. Otherwise, I will proceed with a new campaign to have Vernick removed from Baker Places. This campaign will include the public posting of flyers, contacting the police department to re-file fraud charges, contacting Brett Andrews who is the CEO of PRC and Baker Places, the local media, and various public officials such Dr. Grant Colfax, the director of Public Health in San Francisco.
 

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 misuse 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 indictments have been filed against Jonathan Vernick and Barbara Garcia for public corruption. See: Criminal Indictments Against Jonathan Vernick and Barbara Garcia .

 

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!