SF Corruption Rolls Downhill, Hits Homeowners

More than 130 San Francisco homeowners have been caught in a web of corruption and red tape after buying homes that were inspected or worked on by a now-convicted city building inspector and a politically connected structural engineer.

The homeowners, many unaware of the faulty work done on their properties, now each face tens of thousands of dollars or more in repairs, city fines and bureaucratic hurdles to bring their homes up to code, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The scandal traces back to inspector Bernie Curran, a former Department of Building Inspection official who pleaded guilty in 2022 to accepting bribes in exchange for approving permits. Many of the approvals were tied to engineer Rodrigo Santos, who also admitted to bribing Curran and pleaded guilty to fraud.

In the wake of the corruption probe, the department audited more than 5,400 properties and issued violation notices to 134 homeowners, requiring expensive corrective work. Another 79 properties faced less severe compliance issues.

The city’s demands for costly renovations, coupled with high permit fees, have left homeowners feeling abandoned.

Real estate attorney Andrew Zacks criticized the city’s approach, arguing that innocent homeowners are being forced to pay for mistakes made by corrupt officials.

“The idea that San Francisco is forcing people to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix problems created by a corrupt government agency is shameful,” he told the Chronicle.

City officials initially defended their stance, insisting that homeowners should seek legal action against previous sellers or those involved in the bribery.

But after media scrutiny, supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced legislation to waive permit fees for affected homeowners and to offer reimbursements to those who had already paid.

The Building Inspection Department stated that while they must enforce building codes, they will work to ease the financial burden on those homeowners.

Critics argue that the city’s permitting process, long known for inefficiency and corruption, contributes to high housing costs and bureaucratic nightmares for homeowners.

Despite efforts to address past misconduct, affected homeowners continue to struggle with financial and emotional stress as they work to resolve issues they didn’t cause. Many say they simply seek fairness in a system that has failed them.

— Dana Bartholomew