SAN FRANCISCO—Sheryl Davis, 57, who was the former Executive Director of San Francisco’s Human Rights Commission (HRC), surrendered at 10 a.m. and former head of nonprofit, Collective Impact, James ‘Jerry’ Spingola, 65, was apprehended and booked at San Francisco County Jail Monday, March 30 for misappropriation of funds, conflict of interest and perjury.
Both are being held on $50,000 bonds. Davis has denied doing anything wrong, but she did indicate she disclosed her relationship with Spingola as a “mistake.” On Tuesday, March 31, Davis’ pled not guilty during her scheduled arraignment.
Davis is charged with 17 felonies and two misdemeanors, including improper spending and accepting prohibited gifts, which included covering personal expenses, while Spingola is charged with four felony counts of aiding and abetting.
From July 2021 to 2022, Davis and Spingola signed contracts between HRC and Spingola’s nonprofit, Collective Impact, totaling over $1.5 million grant money.
Davis retired on Friday, September 13, 2024, when it was revealed that she signed off on at least $1.5 million in San Francisco contracts to Spingola’s nonprofit while they were sharing a home in 2015, bank account and vehicles, funneling city funds to Collective Impact, using those funds for personal usage.
In March 2025, San Francisco cut public funds to Collective Impact after investigating the misuse of funds. On Tuesday, August 12, 2025 reports indicated that Collective Impact was on the fringe of ceasing operations as the company relied on private donors, but donations eventually stopped.
A joint audit by the San Francisco Controller’s Office and City Attorney Office with HRC during Davis’ four-year tenure showed that she knowingly misused over $4 million in public funds.
On Thursday, October 9, 2025 a “midnight move” gave Collective Impact reason to get public funding back, but the city wished to appeal the decision. On Thursday, November 6, 2025, San Francisco Ethics Commission formally charged Davis with 31 ethics violations, including accepting prohibited gifts.
