Amid rampant crime, federal employees at the U.S. Department of Health in San Francisco have been instructed to work remotely until further notice.
The building, known as the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, houses HHS, the Department of Labor, the Department of Transportation, and the former House Speaker's office.
“In light of the conditions at the [Federal Building] we recommend employees … maximize the use of telework for the foreseeable future,” HHS Assistant Secretary for Administration Cheryl R. Campbell reportedly told regional leaders in an Aug. 4 memo. "This recommendation should be extended to all Region IX employees, including those not currently utilizing telework flexibilities."
Located on the corner of Seventh and Mission Streets, the building is now a backdrop to where drug dealers and users gather daily.
Other agencies in the building have not issued similar recommendations to employees, though Pelosi discussed the issue of employee safety in the building with the U.S. attorney for the northern district of California, Newsweek reports.
"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," Pelosi spokesperson Aaron Bennett said. "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."
The guidance to employees comes as multiple businesses have closed their San Francisco locations due in part to crime and drug use.
In June, for example, the investment firm that owns two of the city's largest hotels said it was ending payments on its local and surrendering them to its lender.
Still, San Francisco leaders are desperately trying to lure tourists back without addressing any of the reasons the city has become a hellhole in the first place.
San Francisco’s tourism board launched a $6M ad campaign to overcome the city’s global reputation as a drug and crime-ridden hell hole. Six days later, the owner of two of the city’s biggest hotels announced it was abandoning them because it lost faith that the city can recover. pic.twitter.com/uaZRXWpD3R
— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) June 6, 2023