Supervisor Connie Chan has called for a financial audit of the California Academy of Sciences and a pause on $9 million in city funding to the museum, citing an investigation by The Standard published last month.

At a Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting Thursday, the supervisor, whose district includes Golden Gate Park, where the museum is located, questioned executives over the institution’s financial decisions and continued layoffs. 

A nonprofit museum that sits on city-owned property, the academy receives several million dollars from the city each year to fund the maintenance and operation of Steinhart Aquarium. The total has climbed by 28% since fiscal 2023, when it was $7.5 million, and is projected to reach $9.6 million by fiscal 2028, representing about 10% of the academy’s budget. 

“Regrettably, I think that, given the condition you’re in, given the news reporting … it is our obligation to understand your financial condition, it is our obligation to understand whether you can continue to operate with labor harmony on city property,” said Chan, comparing the situation to that of the beleaguered San Francisco Zoo. “We want to see an audit, potentially, with our budget and legislative analysts.”

The Standard reported May 26 on allegations of financial mismanagement by the academy’s 45-member board of trustees and Scott Sampson, the former executive director, who resigned May 29. Allegations against Sampson range from poor leadership that led to the departure of more than 20 executives and department directors since 2022, hiring associates for projects that went over budget, abandoning programs central to the museum’s mission, alienating donors, and misusing an academy-owned mansion in Pacific Heights. The investigation was based on interviews with 16 current and former employees, including executives, department directors, and staff across the museum.

Chan’s call for a funding pause until the conclusion of an audit came as a victory for SEIU 1021, the union representing roughly 350 academy workers, which has been pushing for a city audit since March 2025, when it submitted an 11-page report to the Government Audit and Oversight Committee requesting one. 

• California Academy of Sciences chief Scott Sampson abruptly resigns

The report alleges that the academy’s board has repeatedly breached its fiduciary duties by mismanaging debt, overpaying senior executives, and neglecting the core public mission of science, education, and conservation. The report also accuses the academy of mismanaging the debt it took on to finance its 2008 building renovation, racking up tens of millions in interest payments and fees over 16 years without ever paying down the principal on its loans.

In April, the academy laid off 53 workers — 35 of whom were unionized — marking the third major round of cuts since the pandemic. At the budget hearing Thursday, Amber Mace, the museum’s interim executive director, echoed words Sampson used in April to describe the layoffs, calling them a “last resort (opens in new tab),” even as pay for executive staff rose to unprecedented levels, outpacing that of other local institutions. Mace added that the academy plans to bring back 12 of those union members. 

At the budget hearing, District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter noted the irony of the academy’s alleged $8 million cash deficit while maintaining ownership of an $8 million mansion in Pacific Heights that was allegedly occupied only part time during Sampson’s tenure. 

“Eight-million-dollar shortfall, $8 million mansion that is not being used. Uh, that’s curious,” Sauter said to Mace. “What is the future of this mansion? How are you contemplating that?”

“We’ll be speaking with our board about that, and if we had a mansion every year to sell, we would be able to cover our structural deficit,” Mace replied. 

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Sampson was allegedly treating the home as a pied-à-terre, spending a portion of his time there while living full time at his family home in Muir Beach. Despite this, the academy has allegedly taken staffers away from their primary museum responsibilities to work on maintaining the house and has spent tens of thousands of dollars on upgrades, including electric car chargers, new furniture, fresh paint, and manicured landscaping.

Prior to Sampson’s arrival, the home was a bargaining tool in the divorce settlement of the previous academy director, Jonathan Foley. The divorce agreement, which was viewed by The Standard, stipulated that Foley’s ex-wife and daughter would have “exclusive use of the California Academy of Science Main Residence, which use has been granted to Jon as a component of his employment agreement.” The house was to be provided to them “free of charge, with all expenses associated with the house to be paid by Jon’s employer,” while Foley lived in the home’s downstairs apartment. Foley told The Standard his ex-wife never received money directly from the academy. 

The academy is not the only cultural institution to be audited in recent years. In December 2024, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to audit the San Francisco Zoo, following a series of negative press reports about conditions at the city-owned attraction. The audit, published (opens in new tab) last month, found that over a roughly six-year period, the zoo spent at least $12 million on capital improvements without documented approval, as is required by its management agreement with the city. 

The Steinhart Aquarium, among the most popular attractions at the California Academy of Sciences, faces “extremely problematic, historically chronic” facility issues, ranging from mold to corrosion of metal columns to water intrusion, according to a January facility condition assessment by global inspection firm Bureau Veritas that was obtained by The Standard.

“Notably, in deck areas adjacent to the aquariums, ongoing water infiltration issues were reported by staff and confirmed during the assessment,” the report says. “In these areas, metal columns show visible corrosion, particularly at their bases, and adjacent materials also exhibit signs of moisture-related deterioration.”

The Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to pause city funding for the academy as part of its budget approval July 21 and again the following week before the budget goes to Mayor Daniel Lurie for final approval. If passed, the funds will be held in reserve until the audit is complete, according to Robyn Burke, a legislative aide for Chan.

The academy did not respond to a request for comment.