What is the crisis facing San Francisco’s building inspection department?

A: The crisis facing San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection is multi-faceted and encompasses issues of corruption, inefficiency, and excessive wait times for building permits. The department has been plagued by corruption scandals, including instances of bribery and favoritism, which have eroded public trust and hindered the effectiveness of inspections.

The department has also struggled with significant delays in processing building permits. Wait times have stretched from weeks into years, hampering construction projects and exacerbating the housing crisis in the city. This backlog has been attributed to a combination of understaffing, outdated technology, and a cumbersome bureaucratic process. These inefficiencies have resulted in frustration among developers, residents, and businesses, further straining the already tense housing situation in the city.

Addressing the crisis facing the building inspection department will require comprehensive reforms, including increased transparency, stricter oversight to combat corruption, and investments in modernizing technology and streamlining processes. These measures are crucial to restore public confidence, expedite permit approvals, and facilitate the growth and affordability of housing in San Francisco.

Leo Peak, Peak Real Estate Group,

415-816-1469, leo@leopeak.com.

A: Let us start with a thought experiment:

Imagine a city where the nurses, firefighters, police officers, and day care staff live two cities over because the city they serve has a housing shortage and is not affordable. They have to wake up earlier to make a long commute and come home late. How well will they serve their community if they do not live in the city that employs them?

Despite legislation to streamline the process (S.B. 35, S.B. 828, S.B. 9, A.B. 1174, et al.), San Francisco's building department is underperforming in its approval time compared to other cities. It is concerning because eligible projects ought to be completed in a timely manner to improve the housing supply to those who need it.

Factors like land scarcity, building codes, permits, environmental review, and public hearings affect the processing time.

Some ideas for discussion: Legal: stretch existing streamlining laws to affect more projects.

Accountability: audit the building department/adjacent stakeholders to discover bottlenecks.

Grassroots: research new legislative measures and recruit the public at large to support “good” housing projects.

Dean Paul Dominguez, Alliance Bay

Realty, 510-304-6060, deanpaul.dominguez@gmail.com.

A: San Francisco auditors are reviewing work within its Department of Building Inspection, to determine if any alteration uncovered in a federal examination led to any safety issues. The department has sent letters to owners of properties seeking additional information, and inspectors have issued notices of violation for problems associated with the various properties.

The Department of Building Inspection handles complaints involving structural issues, vacant or abandoned storefronts, accessibility, and hazards involving the safety code.

In February, Mayor London Breed declared, “San Francisco needs to fundamentally change how we approve and build housing.”

With high construction costs and lengthy project approval processes, San Francisco produces only a few thousand units each year. Combining these ongoing challenges with the steep decline in demand for office space resulting from the pandemic, the city is facing a less vibrant downtown, as well as a housing crisis.