MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

Why have San Francisco federal staff been asked to work from home? Nancy Pelosi building employees told to stay away for 'foreseeable future'

'The safety of workers in our federal buildings has always been a priority for Speaker Emerita Pelosi, whether in the building or on their commutes,' said spokesperson Aaron Bennett

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: A brand-new crime problem is currently plaguing the City by the Bay. According to several stories, the crime is "so out of control" that employees are forbidden from driving to work.

Employees at San Francisco's Nancy Pelosi Federal Building have been told to stay away from the structure "for the foreseeable future" due to the city's rising crime rates.

What is happening in San Francisco right now?

Officials at the US Department of Health and Human Services told its hundreds of federal workers to work from home indefinitely in order to avoid the risk of traveling to the downtown tower, which has recently become a hub for drug trades on the street. 

Cheryl Campbell, the assistant secretary for administration at HHS, recommended that employees "maximize the use of telework for the foreseeable future" in a memo dated August 4, 2023, that The San Francisco Chronicle obtained. 

Campbell also suggested that a recommendation be made to building staff members who do not yet make use of work-from-home possibilities. 

The memo was sent to HHS regional directors, although it's unclear whether other government departments that are housed in the historic building were also instructed to stay away from the area. 

The 18-story tower on Seventh and Mission Streets also contains the office of its namesake -- former Democratic House Speaker Pelosi as well as the US Department of Labor and US Dept of Transportation.

According to the Chronicle, Pelosi has not directed her five employees to work from home. Instead, the congresswoman is collaborating with local and federal law enforcement to keep her staff secure, according to a spokesperson.

However, during a meeting with the US attorney for the northern district of California last week, Pelosi did express worries about the safety of the building's tenants.

"The safety of workers in our federal buildings has always been a priority for Speaker Emerita Pelosi, whether in the building or on their commutes," spokesperson Aaron Bennett told the Chronicle.

"Federal, state, and local law enforcement — in coordination with public health officials and stakeholders — are working hard to address the acute crises of fentanyl trafficking and related violence in certain areas of the city," Bennett added.

Is San Francisco safer or Los Angeles?

In recent months, San Francisco has descended into a state of urban ruin marked by shuttered businesses, drug usage in public places, and homeless camps, with an increase in violence, particularly in the downtown region.

Local campaigners are referring to it as the "promised land of milk and fentanyl" despite efforts by law authorities to rein in the city's excessive drug use.

Saks Off 5th, Anthropologie, Coco Republic, and Whole Foods Market are among the notable stores that have left the area as it crumbles.

Despite both cities having a crime problem, Los Angeles seems safer than San Francisco, as per Property Club.

The crime rate in LA is 22% higher than the national average, with 2870 incidents per 100,000 people. The violent crime rate is 86% higher than the national average at 722 violent crimes committed per 100,000 people.

 Is crime a problem in San Francisco?

In September 2022, the San Francisco Chronicle claimed that a survey of 1,653 city residents revealed that 45% of San Francisco residents had experienced theft in the previous five years and 24% had either received a violent threat or had been the victim of a violent crime.

ABC News stated in June 2023, "We are not at Union Square or the Westfield Mall this morning because we have been advised it is simply too dangerous."

According to a tweet by CNN senior national correspondent Kyung Lah in July 2023, as published by the Toronto Sun, "In San Francisco, we went to the Walgreens that is the #1 spot for theft in all the 9000 US stores, per Walgreens. This is where chains once shut the freezer section. And we saw 3 thefts right in front of us. But across SF, coffee, mustard, nail polish-- are all locked up."

The San Francisco Chronicle now claimed in a recent story, "Crime is so bad near S.F. Federal building employees are told to work from home, officials said."

Is San Francisco getting better?

San Francisco reportedly came in dead last in national research that looked at why some American towns are thriving while others are perishing. 

After the pandemic's initial shock, downtowns became deserted. The urban center is no longer a buzzing hub of activity, even though life has gradually returned to malls and local commercial districts.

The study from the Institute of Governmental Studies public policy research center argues that this tendency has "led many to wonder: is this finally the death of downtown."

However, SF Chronicle stated that "San Francisco isn't dead." It was home to an estimated 173 of the country's 655 enterprises worth more than $1 billion as of March, as per the report published on April 1, 2023.

An upswing in travel is already visible. The population decline in San Francisco is also slowing down, according to recent census data, a hint that the city's "pandemic exodus may be coming to an end.

The population of San Francisco fell by about 7%, or 58,000 people between 2020 and 2023. This implies that, while the city has experienced fewer robberies so far this year than it did in 2019, the per-capita robbery rate for both years is the same — 175 instances per 100,000 people, as per SF Chronicle.