Planners Circulating Letter Urging Firing of Planning Director John Rahaim

By Joe Eskenazi Mon., Jul. 12 2010 at 10:45 AM

Categories: Government, Politics

Is it a mutiny against Captain John Rahaim on the Good Ship Planning Department?

Veteran city planner Jim Miller confirmed anonymous tips that members of the department are circulating a letter to Mayor Gavin Newsom urging the firing of department director John Rahaim.

Miller said he's seen the letter -- but did not originate or sign it. Miller's last day in the department after nearly 33 years on staff is scheduled to be this Friday. He is the fifth planner fired in the planning department's porn scandal; he claims that sending a photo of the Rio de Janeiro Carnival celebration to a colleague on his office e-mail has cost him his job.

A December e-mail containing the above photo -- uncensored -- led to an employee's whistleblower complaint. Allegations of years of raunchy e-mails being fired around the office led to four employees being shown the door -- including influential longtime Zoning Administrator Larry Badiner.

In recent months, however, department employees tell SF Weekly that the investigation has intensified -- and has led to a reign of terror within Planning. Between 19 and 24 department employees are purportedly slated for termination as a result of what was discovered by sifting through their hard drives, and a number of others are on suspension.

Department employees complain to SF Weekly that punishments are not being meted out evenly and that older, more veteran planners are being targeted for removal. One planner described the ongoing events as "a purge."

"The people being knocked out -- like Cecilia Jaroslawsky, like Jim -- felt like they could speak up because of seniority," said one longtime planner. "There is a pattern of disciplining people who are outspoken."

Rahaim has not returned SF Weekly's calls.

Follow us on Twitter at @TheSnitchSF and @SFWeekly

Tags:

Jim Miller, John Rahaim, Planning Department, porn planning department, Porn scandal

Write Comment

Email to Friend

Print Article

Related Content

More About:

This is a witchhunt plain and simple. The planning director is using the sexual harassment charge of porn to summarily dismiss good folks like Jim Miller who dedicated their careers to the city. That some 20 other people are now being forced out only confirms it. Larry Badiner was not accused of circulating porn only having it arrive in his in email. What if you got fired for everything that someone sent you. This is a shameful abuse of authority by the planning director. He is the one that should go. He is the one that lived in a staff's apt and then promoted her. He is the one that lived in a city house that got burned by an angry roommate. Now that he no longer has the confidence of his staff -- his solution is to say off with their heads. A pox on him.
Wow... that was quite comprehensive, thanks.
icarus12, you are correct. his partner was upset that he was not invited/included at a shmoozy party. it was either while the city was courting rahaim for hire or pretty immediately after he started. they were staying in the house as a perk too!
I have no sympathy for Jim Miller or any of the other planning staff who looked at porn or forwarded porn on the office computers while working as employees of The City. They were not doing their job. As an architect, I have spent many hours down at the Planning Dept. dealing with incompetent and arrogant staff who were not helpful at all. Time to clean house. Time to clean up their act. Good riddance.
Porn is people's choice - at home. At work it could be considered sexual harassment. Also, he did it in city-paid time. City employees probably waste a great deal of their salaried time doing personal internet surfing, and considering the planning depts reputation it seems that supervisors should be checking how much time employees are spending on personal internet, etc.
I have watched Badiner for years and he was anything but a rubber stamp. He was however not an absolutist nutty nimby, and ruled based on code, rather than politics. I didn't always agree with him (too much ugly stucco and out of scale buildings were approved) but no one I know who is a fair observer of planning is not respectful of how the guy conducted himself (in planning meetings at least).
Hey 360, Badiner's been the point man for selling out to developers since he became Zoning Administrator. Recall whom he replaced? Me either but she was the one who refused to allow a new slew of antennas on the Mr. Sutro Tower and was, uh, persuaded to take a job in Daly City where she's remained mum for years. Then Planning Director Gerald Green approved the new antennas. I agree with you that the porn is no doubt a ruse. Did you know that looking at porn is part of their jobs? Yeah, really. When someone asks for zoning for an adult venue they have to look at what they'll be showing. Strange case. Go Gigantes! h.
This is a big deal, and thanks to the Weekly for giving it virtual ink. As for analysis, if there is a good-government agenda, by all means, make it public. "Porn" seems like it is providing cover for dismissals, but to what end? The worst "rubber stampers" at Planning? Ridiculous. The rubber-stamping might just be starting: a scared staff can only say yes.
How great is Rahaim's credibility when it comes to personnel issues anyway? I heard recently that his late husband/partner torched the house the two of them were sharing after an argument, and that the house in question belonged to SF's fire chief. Is there any merit to that story? In any case, it seems from the outside looking in that Rahaim is overreacting to the porn scandal in his office. Aren't there a dozen other ways to discipline errant staff short of firing them?
Analysis? Rahaim's days are numbered. The people he fired (especially Badiner) are the worst tools of the developer rubber stamp machine in the City and you can bet that they have already informed Gavin that Rahaim must go. Kudos to Rahaim for his house-cleaning but it will not stand. I'm guessing that losing his partner (condolences, guy) he's decided to do something really positive in his memory. Again, Planning certainly needs fumigated but the people who elected Gavin are opposed. Where's your piece on Giants at All-Star break? Posey ... .350! h.