Oakland ethics panel to review freebie sports tickets cases, one involving mayor

Fans cheer after the Warriors score in the first half of Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals 2017 NBA playoffs between the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, on Thursday, May 4, 2017. less Fans cheer after the Warriors score in the first half of Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals 2017 NBA playoffs between the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, on ... more Photo: Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Oakland ethics panel to review freebie sports tickets cases, one involving mayor 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

The issue of Oakland officials attending sought-after sporting events in luxury suites without paying for their tickets is coming back to the city ethics commission.

In two investigations, the commission’s staff has concluded that Mayor Libby Schaaf and Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney did not violate the city’s ethics rules. Commissioners will decide during their meeting Tuesday whether to accept the staff’s recommendation and close the cases.

For more than a year, the board has been reviewing the city’s ticket policy and any possible breaches of it. Commissioners concluded that officials use an ineffective system for tracking tickets to games and concerts and treat the free events at the Oakland Coliseum and Oracle Arena as a perk of office.

The commission has recommended a new policy, saying the status quo raises concerns about self-dealing and conflict of interest. It will be up to City Council members — who are under investigation for their ticket use — to accept the suggested changes.

Under the city’s policy, last amended in 2009, officials can properly use tickets if they are doing so for a “governmental purpose,” such as overseeing a facility that receives city funding.

Stephen Shefler, who has been following the issue and served on the commission from 2015 to 2017, said it doesn’t matter whether the officials claim a governmental purpose on their reporting forms — it’s whether they are actually accomplishing that aim. For instance, no one seems to have produced any reports following their facility oversight, he said.

Between Jan. 1, 2015, and Sept. 24, 2016, the investigation found, Schaaf used 18 tickets, worth $54,000, and McElhaney used 73, valued at $320,000. The tickets included NBA Finals games worth $10,000 each.

Shefler said it’s “inconceivable” that McElhaney needed to attend 73 games to achieve her stated public purpose, which included overseeing the city’s job training and creation goals.

“There’s no reason to believe anything on job training would be going on during a nationally televised game with all that excitement,” said Shefler, a former chief assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California.

In 2014, nearly 3 in 4 Oakland voters approved a ballot measure that strengthened the ethics commission. Shefler said the public wants a commission willing to take on the City Council for impropriety.

“Not only are they not doing their job,” he said of the commission, “but they are creating public cynicism that, for better or worse, is already fairly high in Oakland.”

The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Hearing Room 1 of City Hall.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov