Disgraced SF human rights chief collects city retirement benefits as corruption case moves through courts

A former San Francisco human rights boss accused of squandering city funds to pay for personal projects and her son’s tuition is still collecting a taxpayer-backed check as she faces a battery of criminal charges in court.

Sheryl Davis — 57-year-old former head of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission who resigned in September 2024 after she was accused of conflicts of interest — is receiving a retirement benefit of $4,952.23 per month, according to the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement system.

Davis was hired in 2018 to lead the troubled Human Rights Commission and earned close to $340,000 in total comp in her final full year of employment.

She left following revelations that she steered contracts toward Collective Impact, a nonprofit run by her live-in partner James Spingola that raked in $8.5 million through the Dream Keeper Initiative, a flagship city program intended to help San Francisco’s black communities after the George Floyd police murder in Minneapolis in 2020.

A subsequent city audit and ethics probe alleged that Davis — as head of the Human Rights Commission and later the Dream Keeper Initiative — burned taxpayer dollars in “frivolous” and “unethical” ways and skimmed funds for personal use.

Prosecutors have accused Davis of using Collective Impact as a “slush fund” to help pay for parties and personal projects — such a premium flight upgrades, wine tastings, concerts, tables and admissions at VIP events in Beverly Hills, Martha’s Vineyard and New York City, and “multiple PR firms” to promote her children’s book, “Free to Sing,” and personal website.

An audit published in 2025 by the Controller’s Office detailed millions in “misused” city funds, including more than $685,000 on sports tickets, flight upgrades, hotels and events, $350,000 on restaurant buyouts and catering, and $80,000 for a house rental and other expenses in...

San Francisco Standard
By Jonah Owen Lamb
Senior Reporter
Updated Apr 2, 2026

A once-renowned figure in San Francisco’s Black community, Davis oversaw the distribution of tens of millions of tax dollars and was arrested on a slew of govt corruption charges including 17 felonies.

Her co-defendant, James Spingola of the nonprofit “Collective Impact,” has been charged with four counts of felony aiding and abetting a conflict of interest in a government contract.

The charges against Davis stem from her involvement in the black-based Dream Keeper Initiative — a signature program of former black Mayor London Breed that was managed by the Human Rights Commission that investigates “discrimination” complaints, advises the city leadership on civil rights issues, and works to ensure equal access to city services and contracting. It was merged, along with another scandal-ridden agency, the Department on the Status of Women, into the “Agency on Human Rights.”

Prosecutors allege Davis sent nearly $8.5 million in Dream Keeper tax dollars grants — and other city funds — to Collective Impact despite clear conflicts of interest,
<><>she and Spingola lived together.
<><>Davis’ son reaped benefits from entities that received Dream Keeper tax funds.
<><>Davis signed contracts for millions of tax dollars to the nonprofit Homeless Children’s Network,
<><>she paid her son more than $140,000 as a “contractor” between 2021 and 2024.
<><>payments were for questionable work
<><>tax funds were deposited into a bank account held jointly by Davis and her son.
<><>Collective Impact also paid $45,000 on payroll, rent, and graduate school tuition for Davis’ son.
<><>Davis used a combination of city and Collective Impact tax funds to pay for personal expenses,
<><>including a PR firm promoting her personal brand, marketing her children’s book,
<><>flight upgrades
<><>100’s of 1000’s of tax dollars on VIP admissions
<><>she attended elite Beverly Hills, Martha’s Vineyard, and NYC events.
<><>She also directed spending through an entity called Megablack,
<><>Megablack has no formal nonprofit status, no leadership structure, and no state registration.
<><>Funds raised for Megablack flowed into her Collective Impact’s bank accounts,
<><>Davis used tax dollars to fund activities a city agency is not permitted to make,
<><>including paying for musicians, banquets, and a wine-tasting.

Davis’ tenure at the Human Rights Commission, 2016-2024 reportedly signed off on city contracts worth at least $1.5 million to Spingola while the two were living together. The revelations created a scandal for Black Mayor Breed, who was in the middle of a reelection bid and said she was aware of the “very close” relationship between Davis and Spingola.

The investigation involved more than 50 search warrants and a large volume of emails between Davis and third parties. Jenkins said her office received tips through its Public Integrity Unit.

Davis’ arrest followed charges levied against other key figures in the San Francisco nonprofit world. Gwendolyn Westbrook, the former black head of a “homeless services nonprofit,” was accused in February of misappropriating more than $1.2 million in public funds.

In 2024, another former black nonprofit executive, Kyra Worthy, was charged with 34 felonies for the alleged misuse of $700,000 in public funds.

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