Firm that owns S.F. SRO cited over sanitation
San Francisco building inspectors issued a criminal citation against the company that owns a single room occupancy hotel that they said violated the city’s health order by failing to clean shared bathrooms and creating filthy conditions ripe for spreading the deadly coronavirus.
The Department of Building Inspection on Monday issued a misdemeanor citation against Michael T. Heath of Novato after finding repeated sanitation violations at 790 Vallejo St., a 14unit singleroom occupancy hotel between Chinatown and North Beach, according to in
spection records.
The case marks the first time the department has issued a criminal citation to a property owner for failure to comply with the city’s March 10 health order that requires residential hotels to maintain clean common areas, provide soap and keep a record of cleaning.
Officials cited Heath, the company’s agent of service, after calling three times to explain the health order and visiting the building five times to inspect and reinspect violations — each time finding the owners had failed to comply, city records show. Heath was also cited for an outoforder fire alarm.
“This is a step we don’t take very often, to issue a criminal citation,” said James Sanbonmatsu, chief housing inspector. “It’s very serious.”
The issue arose when tenants complained about problems, prompting an inspection on March 19. The inspector found dirty bathrooms that lacked hand soap and sanitizer and issued a notice of violation that allows one day to comply with the requirements, according to city records. The inspector that day attempted unsuccessfully to reach a handyman and called the property manager to explain the health order requirements, records show.
When the inspector returned the next day and again on March 31, the owners had not yet complied, records show. During a reinspection on April 14, soap dispensers had been installed in the bathrooms and one kitchen, but not in a second kitchen. No cleaning log was posted, the inspector noted.
During a final inspection before the citation was issued, the inspector noted that he found dirty toilets and showers, and kitchens lacking both soap and hand sanitizer.
Social distancing and proper handwashing are among the best tools to combat the spread of the coronavirus, health experts say — both of which are difficult for residents who share bathrooms that lack soap. In addition, many SRO residents are older and have chronic health issues, making them more vulnerable to serious illness.
The property is owned by Laurel Realty, which is owned by Jeff Appenrodt, according to Sanbonmatsu. Heath, an attorney who was the person named on the citation, serves as the property’s agent of service.
When reached by phone, Appenrodt referred questions to Heath.
“I don’t know anything about any of that citation stuff,” Appenrodt said.
Heath said on Wednesday that he does not know who the tenants are and has never seen the building, but he has heard that the issues were corrected.
“Everything’s been fixed and they’ve been waiting on an inspector to come sign off on it, and hopefully that gets done today,” he said.
Laurel Realty owns at least five SROs in San Francisco, including four in Chinatown and one in the Mission District, said Sanbonmatsu. Building inspectors are “keeping (their) eye” on the other SROs, he said.
Heath is scheduled to be arraigned at the Hall of Justice on May 8. The district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Rita Lui, a community organizer who works with tenants through Chinatown Community Development Center, said tenants at this SRO told her even before the pandemic that communal bathrooms were cleaned only every month or two, creating “very filthy and dirty” conditions. Lui said nothing changed after she contacted the landlord.
The landlord is “behaving better” after inspectors got involved, but the cleaning remains surfacelevel and irregular.
“The intention is not really for the health of the tenants, but to just check off the box,” Lui said.
There are no confirmed cases of COVID19 in the building, but that’s to the credit of residents who have tried their best to socially distance because “they know how serious COVID19 can be,” Lui said.
There are roughly 20 to 30 residents, Lui said, including a mother and her newborn child. Because of repair issues, they share one kitchen.
Lui said she “can’t imagine” what would happen if one of the residents at 790 Vallejo became infected with the coronavirus.
“If one gets it, I’m afraid other people would get infected, too,” she said.
“Everything’s been fixed and they’ve been waiting on an inspector to come sign off on it, and hopefully that gets done today.”
Michael Heath, agent of service for Laurel Realty, who was cited for conditions at a San Francisco SRO