SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A week after San Francisco’s Pier 39 reported a surge in sea lions, the docks are looking emptier on Tuesday.

The harbormaster’s office tells us there were so many sea lions hanging out there, the floating docks needed repairs.

Crews had to herd the sea lions away as they fixed the docks.

MORE: You might be unintentionally harming young marine mammals, rescue center says

The repairs are done now, but the harbormaster says some of the sea lions may be cautious about coming back.

Just look at the comparison to one week ago.

The harbormaster told us they counted about 1,000 sea lions on the docks – the most they’ve seen in 15 years.

VIDEO: Record number of sea lions swarm SF’s Pier 39; largest gathering in about 15 years, officials say

The City of Denver has authorized as much as $100,000 for an independent investigation into the Denver Fire Department command staff’s use of flex time, which first came to light via a CBS News Colorado investigation in April.

According to a contract signed last month between the city and former U.S. Attorney Robert Troyer, the investigation could run as long as two years. CBS News Colorado obtained the contract via an official request to Denver’s Department of Safety.

The Department of Public Safety gave CBS News Colorado Investigator Brian Maass this statement regarding the investigation, “We anticipate a quick and thorough investigation. While it is likely that the investigation will be completed within a few months, the contract timeline ensures that the investigation and any follow up identified as the investigation progresses can be completed without having to seek a contractual amendment. For the same reasons, the contract amount was set at $100,000 to avoid having to amend the contract if it exceeds anticipated timelines or costs. We do not expect the investigation to cost $100,000.”

In April, we reported that Denver Fire Chief Desmond Fulton, who makes $230,000 annually, amassed more than 400 hours of comp or flex time in a recent three-year period by attending memorial services for firefighters, retirement parties for his employees and going to a candlelight vigil for victims of a 2022 mass shooting.

“Disgusting” is how one current Denver firefighter characterized the practice. Numerous other firefighters, who requested anonymity, expressed similar sentiments.

Following our investigation, Denver Department of Public Safety Executive Director Armando Saldate ordered an immediate halt to the practice, saying he was unaware of it, and records show the city signed a $100,000 contract with Troyer in late April to conduct an investigation that’s capped at two years. The agreement calls for Troyer to “conduct an independent investigation into the practice of the Denver Fire Department Command Staff’s usage of ‘Kelly Flex Time.’”

Denver’s municipal code appears to explicitly forbid Fulton and the fire department’s executive staff from accruing comp time. The city code reads, “Division chiefs, deputy chief and the chief of the fire department who work overtime after the end of a regular shift shall not be compensated.”

One issue that will likely be probed is if Fulton or his command staff used comp or flex time to take time off and vacations, which then allowed them to cash out or “sell” unused vacation days back to the city at the end of each year. Selling unused vacation days is allowed under the collective bargaining agreement between the fire department and the city, but rank-and-file firefighters are heavily pressured not to engage in the practice, apparently to save the city money.

Records show that in 2023, the city paid Fulton $14,987.30 for vacation days he didn’t use in 2022. The city paid Division Chief of Operations Robert Murphy $10,992.66 for vacation days he didn’t use in 2022. For Fulton and his command staff, the city paid them a total of  $81,043.93 for unused vacation days in 2022. When Fulton accepted the job as fire chief in 2020, he noted, “we’re facing a budget crisis like we’ve never seen.”

While top department commanders were pocketing thousands of dollars for unused vacation days, internal emails from 2022 show they were simultaneously pressuring rank-and-file firefighters not to do the same.

In a December 2022 email to department commanders, Murphy wrote to his colleagues, “Please take a look at the following members and let me know the plan to get rid of these vacation hours before the end of the year. These hours need to be used before January.”

That same month, Deputy Chief Kathleen Vredenburgh emailed department division chiefs and copied the email to Fulton.

Titled “2022 VACATION AUDIT,” Vredenburgh alerted the commanders to “look at the attached people listed from your division that still have vacation and ASL (accumulated sick leave) balances and make sure they get the remainder of their time in the books. There’s only three and a half weeks left in the year.”

City records show Vredenburgh was paid $9,243.77 for her unused vacation days from 2022. 

A spokesperson for the Denver Fire Department said Fulton and his command staff would not discuss any current issues given the pending investigation.

Mayor Mike Johnston wrote to Chris Ferguson. the president of the Denver Firefighters Union, on May 1 officially informing the union of the comp time investigation.

“I know we are aligned on our expectation that Denver’s public safety work is conducted with integrity and transparency, at every level, and especially in leadership,” Johnston wrote in the one-page letter to Ferguson.

He asked in his letter “that local 858 support the investigation and await its completion before taking any formal action.”

That line appears to be aimed at fending off a potential “no confidence” vote in Fulton, which has been discussed among Denver firefighters.

“I recognize the frustration and anger your members may feel,” read the mayor’s letter, which noted, “our desire to get an accurate account of what happened.”

Although Fulton has repeatedly declined to be interviewed about the flex time issue, he previously released the following statement:

“I want my team in the fire department and our broader community to know that I’ve always followed what I believed were best practices to promote transparency and uphold the public’s trust. Tracking Flex Time is a long-standing practice that fire chiefs have used for many years. During my transition into the Chief’s appointment in 2020, I continued to follow the practice and track all activities and hours in our reporting system — a practice that has been in for at least the last decade by other department leads. I fully support an investigation of how these hours were used and have asked that department leaders cease this practice immediately.”

SEATTLE – A renewed push for action on Seattle’s notorious Aurora Avenue has emerged. 

Reports show that City Councilmember Cathy Moore suggested the reinstatement of an old loitering law to address escalating concerns over crime in the corridor. The proposal comes amidst mounting worries about exploitation and trafficking, issues that Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office has also vowed to tackle.

Harrell’s office announced Tuesday that May 7th will be designated as Child Sex Trafficking Prevention Day. The proclamation was made during an annual luncheon hosted by the non-profit organization StolenYouth, which identifies Aurora as the epicenter of sex trafficking in Washington State.

Renee Wallace, representing StolenYouth, highlighted the severity of the problem, noting that trafficking extends along the 99 corridor from Pacific Highway in the south to Aurora in the north. She emphasized that many children engaged in the sex trade are doing so out of necessity and may not fully comprehend the exploitation they endure. 

StolenYouth estimates an estimated 500 children and youth (under the age of 24) are trafficked each year in Seattle alone. 

“It’s a huge issue, especially since the pandemic, it has increased,” noted Wallace. “It’s not only on Aurora Avenue but it’s online as well.”

Wallace’s concerns are echoed by recent events, including a disturbing case earlier this year where Bellevue Police arrested a man who used Snapchat to lure underage girls from Oregon to his Federal Way home. Subsequently, the girls were forced into sex work on Aurora.

The issues on Aurora extend beyond exploitation, as evidenced by a recent incident captured on camera in March, depicting gunfire exchanged during a turf war between pimps near Northgate. Residents in the area have expressed growing fear for their safety amidst the escalating violence.

Aurora Avenue falls within District 5, represented by newly elected City Councilmember Cathy Moore, who has been inundated with complaints from constituents. In response, Moore has floated the idea of reviving an old city ordinance related to prostitution loitering, which was repealed unanimously in 2020 due to concerns over the potential discriminatory impact and arbitrary enforcement of such laws.

While some advocate for a crackdown, others, like Renee Wallace, emphasize the importance of prevention and addressing the root causes of exploitation. As a former victim of trafficking herself, Wallace believes that understanding and addressing the underlying vulnerabilities is crucial in combating sex trafficking.

“We tend to put a lot of Band-Aids on things and the city is hemorrhaging,” Wallace pointed out. “There is the misconception that it’s only happening out on the streets. Kids are more susceptible to getting exploited by playing online video games.” 

As discussions continue, attention turns to whether Mayor Harrell will support Moore’s proposal. Her office reports she has been discussing solutions with his office in addition to former sex workers, the city attorney and Seattle Police. 

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