The six sitting members of the Presidio Trust Board, who were all appointed by President Joe Biden, have now been fired by President Donald Trump.
Mark Buell, the chairman, told The Standard that he received a very brief and perfunctory email from the White House on Wednesday, informing him and his fellow board members that their termination was “effective immediately,” and thanking them for their service.
“I was surprised that this didn’t happen sooner,” he said, noting that “we serve at the pleasure of the president.”
Buell said that Presidio Trust’s six board members (opens in new tab) and staff had decided to not go public with the news until new trustees were named, which has not happened yet. News of the board’s dismissal was first reported (opens in new tab) Saturday evening by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The members of the Presidio Trust board were Chairman Mark Buell, Vice Chair Chuck Collins, Lenore “Leni” Eccles, Patsy Ishiyama, Bonnie LePard, and Nicola Minor. Half of the trustee’s terms expired last May and the others were set to expire in May 2027.
Over a year ago, Trump issued an executive order in which he called for significant cuts to numerous federal entities, including the Presidio Trust, which was created by federal legislation in 1996.
As The Standard has reported previously, the park, originally a Spanish fort from the 18th century and later a U.S. Army post, was decommissioned in the late 1980s after the U.S. Department of Defense decided to close down military bases around the country.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi helped establish the Presidio Trust after debates over what to do with the green space that holds numerous military buildings. The facility has 200 commercial tenants and 2,900 people in housing.
The trust is controlled by a seven-person board. Six are appointed by the president, while the seventh is chosen by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior — that seat has been vacant for years.
Buell also noted that in 2016, Trump “appointed some very qualified people to the board and they continued the operation of the place.”
The now-departed chairman, who noted he has “lots of memories” at the Presidio, said he remains unconcerned that new appointees would significantly deviate from their legislative mandate.
“I have hope that the new appointees will recognize the extraordinary nature of the Presidio and continue to carry out its mission,” Buell said.
