How many commissioners does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

Depends on how much taxpayer money is on the table.

A team of San Francisco city officials recommends "culling five homelessness oversight commissions that collectively cost taxpayers $2 million annually to operate," in a report submitted Friday, according to The San Francisco Standard. (RELATED: San Francisco Opens First-Ever Sober Homeless Shelter, And The Results Are Exactly What You'd Expect)

The recommendation comes from five senior staffers at the city administrator and controller's office, the Standard reports, and was sent for consideration to the Commission Streamlining Task Force.

"It's not clear that having multiple public bodies overseeing homelessness is making the city's homelessness work more effective," the report says, according to The Standard.

"Very few people are on the street simply because they can't afford the rent," writes Michael Shellenberger, journalist and author of "San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities."

"The evidence is overwhelming that the majority of people on the street are there because of untreated mental illness or addiction, which leads people to use all their money to support their drug habit and be high, rather than work," Shellenberger continues. "People who can't afford the rent but are able to work and aren't in the grip of addiction or untreated mental illness find a cheaper place to live, move somewhere cheaper, or live with family and friends."

There are 52 "politically appointed commissioners" on San Francisco's five homelessness oversight commissions, according to The Standard.

The report alleges that those commissioners failed to discover "several recent high-profile cases" in which homelessness nonprofits "either misused funds or mismanaged service delivery."

Baker Places and Positive Resource Center asked San Francisco for millions in emergency funding months after receiving $1.2 million in emergency funding, the Standard reported in October 2022, citing sources inside city hall.

Then there's the United Council of Human Services, under investigation for alleged mismanagement of funds. San Francisco reportedly wasn't aware that the homeless nonprofit had its nonprofit status suspended.

A 2024 statewide audit concluded that two of California's five homelessness programs were cost-effective. Auditors were "unable to fully assess" the other three programs because California "has not collected sufficient data on the programs' outcomes."

California allocated $24 billion for "homelessness and housing" from 2018-19 through 2022-23, according to the report.

Hey, who hasn't lost a billion or two between the couch cushions?

California funds Continuums of Care (CoCs), public and private organizations which are "charged with promoting and implementing evidence-based, best, promising, and emerging practices for preventing and ending homelessness."

"In multiple CoCs statewide we found a small number of likely fictitious clients," auditors reported.

"We identified more than 100 enrollment records with client names such as 'Mickey Mouse,' 'Super Woman,' or a name indicating it was a test client, such as 'Test Participant.'"

San Francisco lists about 116 active commissions and boards, as of Aug. 15. Those include the LGBTQI+ Advisory Committee, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on Aging Advisory Council, the Food Security Task Force, the Immigrants Rights Commission, and the Sugary Drinks Distributor Tax Advisory Commission. (RELATED: 'No More Excuses': Gov. Newsom Asks California Cities To Ban Homeless Encampments)

The Commission Streamlining Task Force is tasked with evaluating the other commissions on the list.

A place to start?

The Access Appeals Commission cancelled 19 meetings in 2024. They held 5.