The curious matter of a $10,000 Martha’s Vineyard house rental paid for with your tax dollars had led to the resignation of an SF City Hall commission director, and she appears to have also approved more than a million dollars in contracts to a man that lives with her.

Update, 4 pm: And just like that, the Chronicle is reporting that San Francisco  Human Rights Commission executive director Sheryl Davis has resigned effective immediately, which is perhaps related to the matters discussed below.

Original Story, 2:40 pm: Thursday was a hell of a day at San Francisco City Hall’s Human Rights Commission, which gets plenty of city money for their “service of the City’s anti-discrimination laws to further racial solidarity, equity, and healing.” The commission’s executive director Sheryl Davis was nailed by a Thursday Chronicle exposé that alleged, among other things, a $10,000 Martha’s Vineyard cottage rental paid for by invoices that were split, seemingly to avoid city oversight of department bills larger than $10,000.

“Can you split the invoice?” Davis emailed to a nonprofit CEO who’d rung up that $10,000 tab for intern lodging at a conference. “Half before June 30 and the other half after July 1?”

The Chronicle also noted an internal city audit that accused the Human Rights Commission of “not properly monitoring nonprofits, overpaying people by tens of thousands of dollars, approving expenses without documentation and formally approving invoices months after they were paid.”

Then later Thursday afternoon, the SF Standard reported that same Human Rights Commission executive director Sheryl Davis had signed off on $1.5 million in grants to a nonprofit led by a man she lived with. That would be Collective Impact executive director James Spingola. The two deny having any romantic relationship, but per the Standard, “Davis and Spingola both registered to vote at the same home address in spring 2021.” The Standard adds that “The pair also currently co-own a 2008 Mini Cooper, which is registered to that same address.”

So about four hours after the first Chronicle story broke, that paper then reported that Davis had taken a leave of absence from the commission. The Chronicle confirmed with City Hall personnel that Davis is on paid leave.

When reached by the Chronicle, Davis simply said, “I’ve been working there for a while.” That almost sounds like… someone who does not expect to return to the job?

While the Standard noted that Davis had directly signed off on $1.5 million in grants to Spingola’s nonprofit, the Human Rights Commission's Dream Keeper Initiative had granted a total of $7.5 million to his Collective Impact nonprofit.

Needless to say, every other candidate for mayor is jumping all over London Breed over yet another improper spending scandal on her watch. And there’s not much support for Sheryl Davis, except from Supervisor Shamann Walton, who told the Chronicle, “I have never met a public servant as dedicated to community as Dr. Director Sheryl Davis.”

Mayor Breed will appoint a new interim executive director of the Human Rights Commission. But we’re likely to hear a lot more about the executive director who’s currently on paid leave before that new appointment happens.

Related: Nonprofit ‘SF Safe’ Improperly Spent Tens of Thousands of SFPD Money on Limo Rides, Tahoe Trips [Joe]

Image: Sheryl Evans Davis via Facebook