San Francisco named its first Inspector General this week, after voters created the position tasked with citywide accountability in 2024’s general election.
Alexandra “Alex” Shepard, an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, was selected for the role and will start in January, according to the city Controller’s Office.
The position will be part of the Controller’s Office and will have a wide mandate to investigate public corruption in city government.
The inspector general has expanded investigative authority compared to what the Controller’s Office previously had. They will have the power to subpoena and seek search warrants directly from a judge. The inspector general will be able to act on whistleblower complaints, investigate conflicts of interest or abuse of contracting procedures, investigate violations of law or policy involving waste, fraud or abuse, and collaborate on city audits.
The position is also empowered to hold public hearings and will make formal reports to the Board of Supervisors and Mayor’s Office twice a year.
Shepard was part of the team that prosecuted former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru on federal corruption charges in 2021 for taking bribes from the city’s garbage and recycling contractor Recology, a sprawling scandal that implicated several city agencies and officials.
This year, the city suspended the nonprofit San Francisco Parks Alliance from doing business with the city as it investigates allegations of misappropriating funds.
“Alex Shepard has the ideal combination of experience and perspective to serve as San Francisco’s first Inspector General,” Controller Greg Wagner said in a statement Tuesday.
“She brings exceptional legal and investigative expertise to the role. As a San Francisco resident she cares about the future of our city — but as an outsider to local government and politics she will also bring a fresh, independent perspective to promote accountability and integrity in City government,” Wagner said.
Shepard’s appointment came after a nationwide recruitment effort, according to the Controller’s Office.
She earned her law degree from Stanford University Law School and worked for 14 years as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s anti-trust division before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.
Prior to her time at the DOJ she worked for the San Francisco-based law firm Gibson Dunn and Crutcher LLP.
Shepard has prosecuted cases involving public corruption, fraud, civil rights, money laundering, bid rigging, and many others.
Her appointment will be voted on by the Board of Supervisors in mid-November before the selection is finalized. She will then begin hiring investigative staff and develop policies and procedures for the new position, according to the Controller’s Office.
