San Francisco – This week San Francisco Examiner columnist Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez reveals new evidence in his column that San Francisco publicity agent Lee Houskeeper may be at the center of the San Francisco City Hall scandal.
An email obtained by the Examiner demonstrates that publicist Houskeeper brokered a deal between his client, Nick Bovis, owner of Lefty O’Doul’s bar, and Mayor London Breed, for Bovis to pay for $1,250 for a float in the SF Pride Parade for Mayor Breed and her campaign. The payment may be illegal under campaign finance rules. Now other media are looking at Houskeeper’s possible role at the center of the San Francisco City Hall scandal.
Lee Houskeeper, who has done work for, or is close friends with disgraced Public Works director Mohammed Nuru, Bovis, Mayor Breed, throws lavish free parties for news reporters at the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, and other media. Now, he is at the center of the unfolding scandal in which Federal authorities charged San Francisco Public Works Director Nuru and Lefty O’Doul’s restaurateur Nick Bovis with fraud following a public corruption probe. The schemes involved an envelope of cash, fraudulent city contracts, improper gifts from a Chinese developer and a $2,000 bottle of wine, according to authorities.
Lee Houskeeper Was publicist and organizer of the Lefty O’Doul’s Christmas Holiday Toy Drive Party
Houskeeper was also the publicist and organizer of the Lefty O’Doul’s Christmas holiday toy drive party that San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera believes may have been used by Nuru and the Public Works department as a front to get unknowing corporations to make contributions to party they had no idea was being misused. Allegedly, Bovis and his confederates would secretly funnel the money to Nuru, who allegedly used the funds meant for children’s Christmas toys to throw staff parties for San Francisco City Hall Public Works employees.
A quick search of Google shows Houskeeper wines and dines San Francisco elected leaders, members of the San Francisco news media, and aging Hollywood and musicical performers at Lefty O’Doul’s, owned by Bovis, and John’s Grill, owned by John Konstin. San Francisco Chronicle Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper and other Chronicle reporters are close friends of Houskeeper and Nick Bovis and appear in dozens of photos together at John’s Grill and Lefty O’Doul’s parties hosted by the pair along with SF City Hall leaders.
Lee Houskeeper appears to be the connection between Mayor London Breed, restaurateur Nick Bovis, Mohammad Nuru, and the public works department scandal. Stay tuned. More to come.