I've been a fan of Tacos el Tucan in Richmond for years, so when I found out that the taqueria's owners, brothers Alfredo and Edgar Padilla, were bringing their Tijuana-style tacos, which specialize in meat grilled over an open flame, to the Castro, I was thrilled. The restaurant's opening day was last Sunday, and as expected, the lines were long.

I knew it would be worth the wait, though. A huge menu features photos of the usual suspects, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and of course, quesabirria. But my favorite is the simplest: the carne asada quesataco. For this, a handful of grated Monterey Jack cheese is melted on the plancha until crispy, then topped with handmade corn tortillas, smoky carne asada, diced onions, cilantro, and the obligatory dollop of smooth guacamole. Choose your choice of salsa at the bar. I'm particularly fond of the roja, which is only moderately spicy despite being made with killer little árbols.

$4.50
3600 16th St., San Francisco
tacoseltucan.com

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Apparently peeing outdoors is not everyone's cup of tea.

A religious group and several local residents have sued the City and County of San Francisco over the new outdoor urinal in Mission Dolores Park, calling it a “shameful” invasion of privacy and decency.

The San Francisco Chinese Christian Union, along with several neighbors of the park, filed a 25-page civil lawsuit in San Francisco County Superior Court on Thursday alleging gender and disability discrimination, as well as violations of health and sanitation codes.

The urinal, which city officials call the “pissoir,” opened in January as the city's latest measure to combat public urination. It was part of a major park renovation that included new irrigation systems, playgrounds and restrooms.

The open-air urinal, next to a Muni streetcar stop, consists of a concrete slab with a drain and a circular fence that offers limited privacy. It is located near the southwest corner of the park, affectionately known as the “gay beach.”

The San Francisco Chinese Christian Union, described in the suit as a religious nonprofit organization that includes 15 churches, and other plaintiffs said in their suit that the “sewage hole” forces unsuspecting parkgoers to see strangers' genitals in a public park. It also discriminates against people who need to pee but don't want to do so outdoors, the suit says.

“The outdoor urination hole violates the privacy of those who need to use the restroom but must expose their bodies and endure the shame and humiliation of urinating in public,” the lawsuit states. “Seclusion when defecating is a societal norm and represents one of the most basic expectations of privacy.”

The urinal is also unfair to women, the lawsuit says.

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“The hole provided for outdoor urination is particularly egregious for women and girls,” the lawsuit states. Using this facility would subject women to “extreme embarrassment not experienced by men or boys who merely unzip their pants and pee all over the place.” [sic] when urinating.”

The plaintiffs are represented by the Sacramento-based Pacific Justice Institute, a conservative legal group that is pushing to overturn a state law that requires public schools to allow transgender students to use restrooms and play on sports teams of the gender with which they identify.

“If San Francisco wants to be truly progressive, it needs to have public parks that are accessible to everyone, not just certain groups,” Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, said in an interview. “The city is not above the law. They put the urinal in a place where people will see it, whether they want it or not.”

The office of San Francisco City Attorney Dennis J. Herrera issued a cheeky statement in response to the lawsuit on Friday, titled “Isn't That a Urinal?!”, saying Dolores Park is “famous for its counterculture, rampant sunbathing, hash brownies, 'Hunky Jesus' and more.”

“If I had to predict the 100 things in Dolores Park that would likely most offend these plaintiffs, I would not have guessed this would be among them,” Matt Dorsey, a spokesman for Herrera, said in the statement.

The residents of the neighborhood had campaigned for the urinal, the statement said.

The prosecution pointed out in its statement that the Southern Poverty Law Center has classified the Pacific Justice Institute as an anti-LGBT hate group.

Dacus rejected the designation, saying it came from a “very far-left extremist organization” and said the city was “desperately trying to distract from the real issues” in the lawsuit.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Follow me at @haileybranson / Google+

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Charlie Walker, who recently starred in a film starring Luke Cage's Mike Colter, has died aged 89.

In the 1960s, Walker led protests to open public construction jobs to black contractors, who were excluded and intentionally discriminated against and passed over in favor of white truckers and white-dominated unions.

He later became one of the most successful truckers in the United States and was highly regarded for cleaning up San Francisco Bay after an oil spill in the early 1970s.

The post Charlie Walker, San Francisco's Black Contractor Hero, Honored by Biopic Star Mike Colter in Face of His Death appeared first on Blavity.

Walker's legacy was immortalized in the recent biography I Am Charlie Walker.

“Charlie Walker was a true original. Cut from the same cloth as men like my own father and uncles,” Colter said. Men from the 70s who seized the opportunity. Charlie was unapologetic about his ambition and his desire to carve out a place for himself in the world. He paved the way for his family and set an example for future generations. He was a character who moved through the world with a certainty and pride that made people notice him. He deserved to have his story told. It was an honor to portray him. He will never be forgotten. My condolences go out to his family and loved ones. May he rest in eternal peace.”

Mike Regan, producer of I'm Charlie Walker, said: “On behalf of our executive producer Bill O'Keeffe and our entire cast and crew, we are all devastated by Charlie's death, but at the same time we are here to celebrate his amazing To celebrate life.” Our thoughts are with his beautiful wife Annette, his entire family and his beloved community of Bayview Hunters Point in San Francisco. We could talk endlessly about Charlie's achievements and the impact he had on so many, but we also know that Charlie would tell us to get back to work. And that’s exactly what we will do to continue to honor his legacy and wonderful life.”

“Like many others, I had the honor and privilege of spending a lot of time with Charlie as he reveled in stories and wisdom,” said Patrick Gilles, director of “I’m Charlie Walker.” “He will be missed, but certainly not forgotten.”

In 2022, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to honor Walker by naming a street in Bayview Hunters Point “Charlie Way.”

Walker is survived by his wife of 63 years, Annette Walker, his daughters Charlette Carnegia and Ruedell Walker, his son Charles Walker Jr., his eleven grandchildren, including his eldest grandchild, Geoffrea Morris, whom he helped raise, and his Family 13, great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews as well as friends from the community.

The post Charlie Walker, San Francisco’s Black Contractors’ Hero, Honored By Biopic Star Mike Colter In Gentle Of His Dying appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Levi's Plaza. Image courtesy of Jamestown LP

Jamestown LP, owner of Levi's Plaza in San Francisco, has announced plans to invest in a clean energy transition program that will move the 930,000-square-foot creative office campus to net zero carbon operations by 2025. Jamestown will implement the program as part of its $50 million property-wide redevelopment.

The announcement comes two years after Jamestown acquired the nine-building property at 1155 Batter St. from developer Gerson Bakar & Associates for $920 million. A year ago, the real estate company announced its goal of achieving carbon-neutral operations across its portfolio by 2050.

“This ambitious goal is in synergy with other municipal and voluntary carbon reduction goals and provides Jamestown with the opportunity to create a strategic roadmap to achieve a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030,” the company noted in its 2020 sustainability report.

The company intends to achieve as much of its net zero goal as possible through energy efficiency, including at Levi's Plaza, where the focus will be on eliminating on-site fossil fuel use through energy efficiency retrofits. Jamestown will replace boilers with electric heat pumps, generate solar power on-site and source 100 percent carbon-free electricity from the grid.

Other changes that will help achieve the net zero goal at Levi's Plaza include replacing natural gas-powered HVAC central systems in each of the nine buildings with systems that run on electricity. The company will also install a photovoltaic system on the roof to eliminate dependence on the electricity grid, as well as a new drainage system to prevent water infiltration.

Upon completion of the four-year transition program, Levi's Plaza will become the first carbon-neutral property in Jamestown's portfolio, which spans the United States, Europe and Latin America.

More than green-deep

Levi's Plaza. Image courtesy of Jamestown LP

While the transition to clean energy is an important part of Levi's Plaza's redevelopment, there's more to the multimillion-dollar transformation of the property, which first opened in 1981 as Levi Strauss & Co.'s corporate headquarters.

The campus will be enhanced through the creation of shared recreational areas, including bicycle and shower facilities, community meeting and event spaces, and new retail and food and beverage operations for the community. The redevelopment will also modernize the property's infrastructure and update the landscape to improve the accessibility and functionality of the Lawrence-designed green space.

Levi's Plaza remains home to the prestigious apparel for which it was originally developed, and also counts a variety of other companies as tenants, including Hult International Business School, Pereira O'Dell advertising agency, Public Library of Science, BCCI Construction and others.

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SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Residents of a San Francisco building that has flooded twice since June report theft and people breaking into their vacant apartments.

At 2:27 a.m. on June 10, Kate Sutherland received a notification. A person was discovered in her empty apartment at Tehama 33.

“When I opened the video, I happened to see a person strolling through my device and taking a video with a flash. That sent goosebumps down my spine,” Sutherland said.

The eerie video showed what looked like a person moving slowly in the dark. The building was empty for several days after a burst water pipe flooded the building. Kate ended her lease four days after recording this video.

RELATED: Residents of a luxury apartment in SF displaced after pipes burst that flooded all 35 floors

Luz Pena: “How did they explain what happened?”

Kate Sutherland: “You really know how to explain it. They kept saying it was unauthorized.”

Kate's story is just the tip of the iceberg. This week another resident caught a contractor using the toilet in one of the apartments and taking something on the way out. Hines, the real estate company that owns the building, confirmed the theft on Monday, saying in part:

“It was recorded that a contractor performing repairs on one of the units at Tehama 33 removed items from the unit. This contractor was terminated immediately.”

In the case of Stephanie Sunwoo, thousands of dollars disappeared from her bank account this morning.

“Two fraudulent checks were cashed on my account. They both total over $1,500 each in my bank account,” said Stephanie Sunwoo, 33, a Tehama resident.

RELATED: Residents of flooded San Francisco luxury building may not be able to return home until 2023

Residents of the San Francisco high-rise that was damaged by a massive burst water pipe may not be able to move back in until the end of this year or possibly 2023.

Sunwoo says her entire checkbook is in her bedside table in her empty apartment.

“The thought of someone going through the bedside table in my bedroom, taking a box full of checkbooks is really alarming, and now I'm very afraid of identity theft,” Sunwoo said.

Residents also report theft in the bike room.

“Our bike room was completely looted. There are remains of people's bicycles. Some people’s bikes are completely missing,” Sunwoo said.

Regarding theft, Hines said, among other things:

“While we have not yet confirmed the validity of these claims, we have temporarily withdrawn all contractors’ access to housing units while we work on a solution to increase safety measures.”

RELATED: Residents report 2nd water leak, suspected theft, at luxury SF condos

And for residents like Maarya Abbasi, these reports make them want to get all their belongings out of the building quickly. She says Hines makes it difficult.

“It just feels like a nightmare that never ends,” Maarya Abbasi said.

Hines does not allow residents to enter the building and only lets them use Hines-hired movers.

“That's something I asked Tehama too: 'What can we do if our property is damaged?' I was just told we had to get our own renters insurance,” Abbasi said.

Hines said they are providing locked storage units for residents who are scheduled to move out by the end of the month.

As for the theft of bikes, they said they did not know if bikes were stolen, but said a large number of bikes were left behind.

RELATED: New 'catastrophic' details reveal what went wrong at flooded luxury apartment building in SF

ABC7 News has learned new “catastrophic” details about what went wrong inside the luxury apartment building 33 Tehama in San Francisco.

We also followed up and asked about the resident who said her checkbook was stolen and they said it was a police matter.

Statement from Hines on 33 Tehama – August 16, 2022

“It has come to our attention that on August 15, 2022, a contractor performing repairs on one of the units at 33 Tehama was on record removing items from the unit. This contractor was terminated with immediate effect. All construction workers in 33 Tehama are licensed. We are bonded and insured and work with reputable subcontractors. We ensure security on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and keeping our residents' belongings safe is our top priority.

There are very few allegations of other security issues in the units. Although we have not yet confirmed the validity of these claims, we have temporarily withdrawn all contractors' access to housing units while we work on a solution to increase security measures. These measures include, at a minimum, a comprehensive video surveillance system to capture footage while contractors are in residents' units to protect their property on an active construction site.

When we learned that the timeline for re-occupancy of 33 Tehama would extend into 2023 and informed residents that they would need to find alternative housing, we began working with the city government and local building owners to find housing for our am to secure most vulnerable residents, which include residents of the 60 units below market rate (BMR) at 33 Tehama. We were successful with the city, who responded promptly to the request. We continue to work with local building owners to find housing solutions for these residents. We hope that building owners in San Francisco with vacant BMR units will agree to support these 33 Tehama residents by offering them housing at this time.

As financial and lodging assistance for 33 Tehama residents ends tomorrow, August 17th, we have extended financial and hotel lodging assistance to tenants who meet certain income requirements through August 31st. We continue to work closely with building owners and in Partner with Supervisor Dorsey and other government officials to find a longer-term solution. “

If you're using the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

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Chef Dontaye Ball, better known As Mr. Gumbo, I couldn't say exactly how old he was when he first tried gumbo at his grandmother's house in the Fillmore District. His grandmother always said she was eight years old. His mother thinks there were more like four. But either way, gumbo tastes like Christmas to him. Ball remembers the whole family elbowing their way into the kitchen and arguing about exactly what was going into the pot.

For a long time, good gumbo was hard to find in San Francisco. But thankfully, as we struggle through this wet winter, San Francisco appears to be nearing peak gumbo. Brenda always prepared a serious bowl full of chicken, andouille, and okra. Boug Cali will be coming to the Ferry Building this year bringing jars of seafood gumbo to take home. Meanwhile, Gumbo Social opened last summer in Bayview, where Ball delves deep into the iconic dish.

Many people know gumbo as the official state dish of Louisiana, although there are variations of it throughout the South. Ball's grandmother grew up on a farm in Mississippi and cooked for a family in San Francisco for 20 years, making her a gumbo expert and a “fantastic cook,” according to Ball. Ball was born and raised in Bayview. He attended culinary school at City College, trained in France, cooked at Delfina and worked in the restaurant industry. At Gumbo Social, he doesn't try to recreate anyone's grandmother's stew. For him, gumbo feels more personal. “I'm a firm believer that each bowl should taste a little different than the last depending on how the person is feeling,” says Ball. “The emotions of what they're going through in life comes through in this pot of gumbo. “

According to him, the key ingredients for gumbo include a roux made from fat and flour; the “holy trinity” of onion, celery and pepper; and “the Pope” or garlic. Some purists say the pepper has to be green, but the California chef loves colorful reds and yellows. Despite some haters, he insists on okra. Okra is originally from West Africa, where it is called “Ki Ngombo” or simply “Gombo”. So it is the name of the ingredient and part of the history of the dish. To get the most out of it, he thinly slices the okra, salts it, and roasts it, which he says is crucial to the stew's earthy flavor and viscous texture.

Chef Dontaye Ball of Social Gumbo Meika begins

“I'm not the gumbo porter,” he jokes, “but I like to talk shit.” There are a few controversial ingredients he can't stand, particularly tomatoes and corn. “Corn is one of those things. It's actually against the law. That can get you ten years in prison.”

The most important technique is to be patient with the roux. His grandmother relied on her cast iron skillet and always used oil. (One time an uncle washed it in water and hit him with it.) His Texas grandfather preferred aromatic lard or bacon grease. Ball uses a combination of oil and butter to add a hint of toasted flavor to the browned butter. He lets it gurgle in large vats in the restaurant for two and a half hours until it is darker than mahogany. His broths, which are enriched with chicken carcasses, ham bones or shrimp shells and simmer for up to 24 hours, also sink for many hours. Additionally, he smokes his own turkeys, another 8-hour project.

Building on this foundation of deep flavor, Ball makes several versions, including classic chicken and sausage, smoked turkey, and black-eyed peas (gumbo can't be gluten-free because of the roux, but it can apparently be vegan). From there, he gets a little West Coast flavor with the toppings, like crispy duck like carnitas, smoked pork belly and fried chicken wings. His uncles always argued about who gets more shrimp or crab, so he offers blue crab most of the year and promises Dungeness during the season (he's between crab guys at the moment, so stay tuned). On unusual occasions he has even prepared a butter-poached lobster, presented in the shell.

Finally, his grandmother liked a pinch of filé—the ground sassafras leaves first used by the Native Americans of the American South, which included the people of the Choctaw Nation; It was later adopted by French chefs – it thickens the stew and adds herbal flavor. However, his mother always passed on the strong spice, which is why Ball optionally stores it in a shaker. A collection of hot sauces, many shared by locals, once numbered 69 bottles but now number just a dozen. Ball recommends tasting the gumbo before adding hot sauce, and for some heat, he goes with the classic Louisiana Crystal or the East Bay's local Lucky Dog.

From the open kitchen, Ball watches as customers dig in and sit back. He often hears people say, “Man, this is taking me back” or “Damn, I haven't had a good bowl of gumbo in a long time.” Sometimes he can see the wheels turning, and especially when a customer with one When someone has a clear opinion, it may take them all the way to the bottom of the bowl to figure out exactly what they like. “It's a dish that reflects well what America is supposed to be,” says Ball. “A melting pot of different cultures.” He tastes the African ingredients, the indigenous flavors, the French techniques and different perspectives. “Similar to jazz, we all play together. It doesn’t matter who comes from where, we all make music together.”

Don Bowden

Gumbo Social (​5176 3rd Street) is open Wednesday through Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

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The post San Francisco’s Gumbo Scene Is Heating Up This Winter appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Charlie Walker, who recently starred in a film starring Luke Cage's Mike Colter, has died aged 89.

In the 1960s, Walker led protests against opening public construction jobs to black contractors, who were excluded and intentionally discriminated against and passed over in favor of white truckers and white-dominated unions.

He later became one of the most successful truckers in the United States and was highly regarded for cleaning up San Francisco Bay after an oil spill in the early 1970s.

The post Charlie Walker, San Francisco's Black Contractor Hero, Honored by Biopic Star Mike Colter in Face of His Death appeared first on Blavity.

Walker's legacy was immortalized in the recent biography I Am Charlie Walker.

“Charlie Walker was a true original. Cut from the same cloth as men like my own father and uncles,” Colter said. Men from the 70s who seized the opportunity. Charlie was unapologetic about his ambition and his desire to carve out a place for himself in the world. He paved the way for his family and set an example for future generations. He was a character who moved through the world with a certainty and pride that made people notice him. He deserved to have his story told. It was an honor to portray him. He will never be forgotten. My condolences go out to his family and loved ones. May he rest in eternal peace.”

Mike Regan, producer of I'm Charlie Walker, said: “On behalf of our executive producer Bill O'Keeffe and our entire cast and crew, we are all devastated by Charlie's death, but at the same time we are here to celebrate his amazing life celebrate.” Our thoughts are with his beautiful wife Annette, his entire family and his beloved community of Bayview Hunters Point in San Francisco. We could talk endlessly about Charlie's achievements and the impact he had on so many, but we also know that Charlie would tell us to get back to work. And that’s exactly what we will do to continue to honor his legacy and wonderful life.”

“Like many others, I had the honor and privilege of spending time with Charlie as he reveled in stories and wisdom,” said Patrick Gilles, director of “I’m Charlie Walker.” “He will be missed, but certainly not forgotten.”

In 2022, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to honor Walker by naming a street in Bayview Hunters Point “Charlie Way.”

Walker is survived by his wife of 63 years, Annette Walker, his daughters Charlette Carnegia and Ruedell Walker, his son Charles Walker Jr., his eleven grandchildren, including his eldest grandchild, Geoffrea Morris, whom he helped raise, and his family of 13, great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews as well as friends from the community.

The post Charlie Walker, San Francisco’s Black Contractors’ Hero, Honored By Biopic Star Mike Colter In Mild Of His Dying appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

More than a year before the election, the race to represent San Francisco's Mission District is already heating up.

Leading candidates are touting early fundraising successes, and the race – which has included multiple candidates so far – is already heating up with a campaign finance investigation also in play.

Progressive activist Jackie Fielder and former tech executive Trevor Chandler released fundraising statements within days of each other last week — both aiming to position themselves as front-runners for District 9, which includes the Mission, Bernal Heights and Portola neighborhoods.

Fielder, who most recently ran an unsuccessful campaign to unseat state Sen. Scott Wiener, is currently the fundraising leader with $52,000 as of June 27 and said she has committed to $255,000 in public funding qualified. In a July 1 statement, Chandler boasted of $53,649 in donations and expected public funding of $179,315.

District 9 incumbent Hillary Ronen is retiring in 2024, filling a seat that has leaned reliably progressive since the city reinstated district elections in 2000.

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History and local connections matter when building in San Francisco — especially as the city emerges from the post-pandemic collapse of its downtown office market and tries to overcome negative coverage in national news.

Firms based in the city dominated TRD's first ranking of San Francisco general contractors. Several of them have belonged to the same family for generations.

“We have relationships that go back 30 years or more,” said Bob Nibbi, CEO of third-place Nibbi Bros., founded in 1950 by his grandfather. “That’s an advantage in times like these when things get tight.”

The pandemic and resulting negative perceptions of San Francisco represent another chapter in the city's ongoing boom-and-bust story, beginning with rapid development during the Gold Rush era, followed by the famously destructive earthquake and fires of 1906.

The top-ranked company on the list, Cahill Contractors, was founded when founder JR Cahill was “inspired to rebuild the city” after the 1906 earthquake, according to the company’s website. Today, Kathryn Cahill Thompson, the company's CEO since 2016, represents the fourth generation of family leadership.

Thompson and others on the list are all operating at a time when financing construction loans and slow-moving projects is difficult.

“The construction sector is always the last to feel a recession. We are out there building it, and in the meantime the developers are not preparing the next project.”
Bob Nibbi, Nibbi Brothers

According to the city's planning department, there were 6,600 housing units under construction in San Francisco in the first quarter of 2023 – a key segment for general contractors. That's down from 9,600 in the first quarter of 2020.

The TRD ranking is based on a three-year review and records both the number of projects that companies are working on and the total cost of the projects. The construction projects did not have to be in progress to count toward the total, and both companies received joint venture credit. Data is based on San Francisco permits issued between November 15, 2020 and November 15, 2023 and only covers projects within city limits.

According to the city, during that time Cahill was the general contractor on 10 approved projects totaling about $600 million. All of these projects involved housing, except for a $16 million Buddhist temple and community center near the Polk Street corridor. Another notable project is in Bayview, where 118 affordable housing units account for $100 million of that.

Swinerton Construction took second place with 10 projects totaling about $485 million. Nearly half of that came from one project, a 16-story, 500-unit apartment building in SoMa.

The company recently announced that it will name President David Callis as CEO this month when current CEO Eric Foster retires. Swinerton is even older than Cahill, with more than 130 years of history in San Francisco.

Nibbi Brothers had approved eight projects with a total value of about $450 million. CEO Bob Nibbi is the third generation to lead the company alongside his brother Michael, vice president, and father Larry, chairman.

Bob Nibbi said affordable housing projects keep his staff busy while the rest of the development pipeline dries up and market-rate multifamily housing is “virtually non-existent.”

With fewer projects to choose from, Nibbi is competing “aggressively” for GC work and as concrete subcontractors for other GC projects, he said. But even if labor costs have fallen slightly, higher material prices, higher interest rates and lower rents still mean most projects outside of affordable housing and public sector work are out of the question for developers, he added.

“The construction sector is always the last to feel a recession,” he said. “They have the work on the books and we are out there working on it and in the meantime the developers are not preparing the next project.”

Fourth-place Webcor Construction had three projects in the works totaling nearly $260 million, according to permitting data.

Two of Webcor's projects – an $84 million residential tower on Treasure Island that broke ground in mid-2022 and a $45 million R&D building near Potrero Hill that was completed last year – According to the city, they are joint ventures with other construction companies. Webcor's only single project, also on Treasure Island, is also its largest: a 22-story mixed-use building with 250 apartments estimated to cost $130 million.

At 50 years old, Webcor is one of the younger companies on the list. It started on the peninsula. Oracle's headquarters in Redwood City, the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and SFO's Terminal One are among the most significant projects in its history, according to the company.

Turner Construction was the only construction company based outside the Bay Area to make the top five. The company is headquartered in New York's Hudson Yards and has a Bay Area office in Oakland.

Its work on a $231.1 million project called Brannan Square, developed by its New York landlord Tishman Speyer, landed the company on the list. Turner built two of the three buildings in the 1 million-square-foot SoMa office and retail project centered around a 1-acre park and recently began leasing.

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In October 2022, San Francisco Raised eyebrows when the city budgeted $1.7 million for a single public restroom in the city's Noe Valley neighborhood. According to city officials, the high price was due to high construction prices in San Francisco as well as remaining supply chain issues.

But shortly afterwards the state intervened, which scrapped the planned bathroom after outrage spread over the high cost to taxpayers. Fifteen months later, there is still no place to pee in the public square where the toilet was originally planned – and it doesn't look like there will be one any time soon.

“Why isn’t there a toilet here? I just don't understand her. Nobody has them,” said a resident told The New York Times last week. “It’s another example of the city not being able to do it.”

San Francisco has the most expensive Construction costs worldwide – and that is hardly surprising. To build a public toilet in Noe Valley, a place that already had the plumbing necessary to install a toilet, developers had to overcome a dizzying number of regulatory requirements. This includes obtaining approval from the Arts Commission's Civic Design Review Committee, passing review under the California Environmental Quality Act, and approval from the city's Rec and Park Commission and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. As if that wasn't enough, the project would also be subject to a “community feedback” phase.

Even after receiving approval, the city would not be free to simply find the cheapest acceptable bathroom — likely a prefabricated option — and connect it to city plumbing. According to a year 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Article, Prefab bathrooms violate the city's public works agreement. In addition to the cost, the city would also have to use union labor to build the bathroom.

While the $1.7 million price tag was rightly criticized, if the project had been allowed to move forward, the budget might not have been set too high. The regulatory burden in San Francisco for new construction—even something as simple as a single-stall bathroom—is just so high.

Even the San Francisco government has acknowledged that the Noe Valley bathroom fiasco was a sign that the city is over-regulated. “It is worth changing the current laws around construction projects such as toilets that slow things down,” said a spokesman for Mayor London Breed Just.

However, this is far from the first time that local governments have allocated absurdly large sums of money to fund public toilets. In 2017 New York City spent 2 million dollars in a public park toilet. And last year, Philadelphia caused controversy when it announced it would spend $1.8 million on six modular buildings Portland loo bathrooms over the next five years — a model that cities across the country have spent millions on in recent years.

The post California Stopped San Francisco’s $1.7 Million Rest room. The Metropolis Cannot Construct One thing Cheaper. appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.