The idea to construct a solitary public toilet in the picturesque town square of San Francisco could be flushed down the drain, as California Governor Gavin Newsom threatens to cancel funds in response to popular anger.
Assemblyman Matt Haney has been planning for over a year to construct a 150-square-foot restroom in the Noe Valley Town Plaza after local authorities informed him that there was no cash to install a restroom when the square was completed in 2016.
Therefore, he got money from the Recreation and Parks Department without questioning the $1.7 million price tag, which is approximately equivalent to the average cost of a single-family home in the neighborhood.
The figure was revealed by the San Francisco Chronicle, which prompted Newsom, the previous mayor of the city, to threaten to veto the money.
Newsom continues to deny that he intends to run for president and on Sunday swore he would serve a full four-year term if reelected in November, attempting to debunk rumors that he intends to replace Democrat Joe Biden on the ballot if Biden does not seek a second term.
Officials scrapped plans to construct a public restroom in Noe Valley Town Square after learning the project would cost $1.7 million and take two years to complete.
Sunday, during a gubernatorial debate with Republican opponent state Sen. Brian Dahle, Newsom swore he would spend a full four-year term if reelected in November, attempting to dispel rumors that he intends to replace Biden on the ticket.
During a one-hour debate with his Republican opponent, state Sen. Brian Dahle, on Sunday, Newsom pledged to serve a full term. This was the only time the two candidates will meet face-to-face before the Nov. 8 election.
Newsom is anticipated to win reelection with ease in November, more than a year after fending off a recall effort fuelled by resentment at his pandemic policies, which included the nation’s first statewide stay-at-home order.
Erin Mellon, a spokeswoman for Newsom, told Fox News Digital on Sunday that a single, modest bathroom shouldn’t cost $1.7 million.
The state will withhold financing until San Francisco submits a plan for more efficient use of public funds. If not, we will return to the legislature to withdraw this allocation.’
Haney told the Houston Chronicle, “I advocate not spending the money because the cost is absurd and it will take much too long.”
‘Noe Valley should receive a bathroom, but $1.7 million should cover the cost of seven bathrooms, and the process should be accelerated’ I absolutely support and agree with the governor, and we will work together to get this done more quickly and affordably, while simultaneously sending the message that San Francisco must improve its flawed systems.
Residents have long complained about the city’s failure to address increasing potholes. The city’s streets are also infested with homeless individuals who have transformed portions of the city into an open-air drug market; some residents claim they are too afraid to stroll the streets without a baseball bat as crime continues to escalate.
The toilet is to be installed in the 2016-built Noe Valley Town Square park.
Haney had been planning to construct a toilet for about a year, but he didn’t know the price and timeline until he read a local news article.
On Sunday, festivalgoers stroll down 24th Street at the 10th annual Noe Valley neighborhood SummerFEST in the Noe Valley Town Square.
Haney renounced the plans and canceled a news appearance in the neighborhood, where the average home price is $2 million, later on Wednesday, stating that when he initially learned the cost of the project, ‘it sounded startlingly exorbitant to me.’
Then, he temporarily halted the plans, telling the publication, ‘Noe Valley will eventually receive a bathroom, but it shouldn’t cost this much or take this long, and I’m upset about it.’
At 13.3 percent, California has the highest income tax rate in the country, and San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities to live in.
A new poll reveals that over two-thirds of locals believe their city is deteriorating due to rampant homelessness, violence, and rising housing expenses.
Since 2011, as the city’s homeless population has exploded, there has been an increase of human feces on the streets of the city of gold.
Despite the fact that city officials may be seeking to stop these problems with costly remedies, it appears that some citizens are not on board with the plan to clean the city.
Despite the fact that city officials may be seeking to stop these problems with costly remedies, it appears that some citizens are not on board with the plan to clean the city.
Despite the alarming cost, the state budget has already allocated $1.7 million for the Noe Valley toilet. However, Haney stated that he would like to find a solution to reduce project costs.
Haney remarked, “The expense is ridiculous.” The procedure is absurd. The amount of time required is absurd.
Officials from San Francisco Recreation and Park said they are attempting to reduce the cost of a single toilet, but building prices have increased by around 30 percent over the past five years.
A spokeswoman told Fox News, ‘It is also crucial to highlight that public projects and their overall cost estimates do not only reflect the cost of erecting structures.’ These expenses include planning, design, permits, reviews, public engagement, and construction management.
Officials from the Department of Recreation and Parks told KTLA75 that future improvements and maintenance of the toilet could result in a million-dollar price tag.
Some individuals were astounded by the city’s decision to build a $1 million toilet without their knowledge.
One Twitter user remarked, “State legislators should have never approved that $1.7 million.”
Someone else remarked, “Someone in the shadows is getting extremely wealthy off of taxpayer money.”
Another participant stated, “We need to vote on what percentage of our taxes go to what, and then the government must spend it accordingly.” We pay so many taxes and now fees so that government personnel can earn $100,000 per year by selecting how to spend tax dollars. This system is not functioning.
At 13.3 percent, California has the highest income tax rate in the country, and San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities to live in.
A new poll reveals that over two-thirds of locals believe their city is deteriorating due to rampant homelessness, violence, and rising housing expenses.
In a survey of 1,653 persons, 65 percent indicated that the city was decreasing, while 37 percent indicated that they would relocate within three years. An astounding 84 percent of those aged 65 and above stated that they intend to leave.
In February, about 8,000 people were counted as homeless in the city, the second-highest monthly total since 2005.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development recently awarded $117 million for the construction of 290 affordable housing units by 2023 in an effort to eradicate homelessness.
According to the count conducted every three years, the number of homeless individuals in San Francisco hit 8,000 in February, the second-highest level since 2005.
In August, homeless folks put up their meager belongings near the San Francisco City Hall.
A lawsuit filed in September said that the city violated the rights of homeless people by discarding their items that are on the streets. However, as officials seek to clean up the streets, some think the efforts are too excessive.
“Instead than focusing on ineffective criminalization measures that terrorize homeless people in a manner that is illegal, we should abandon these practices.” Zal Shroff, an attorney, told ABC7 that the city needs to focus on the true problem, which is that it is too expensive for people who were born and raised in San Francisco to continue living there.
Some of the city’s homeless avoid shelters because they prohibit the usage of animals and illegal substances.
The awakened city is notorious for its open-air drug marketplaces where dealers can sell without fear of arrest.
Since 2020, almost 1,700 death overdoses have occurred as a result of the “soft touch” drug policy implemented by Mayor Breed.
As a result of Breed’s recent opening of a new drug sobering facility in the SoMa district of northeast San Francisco, locals are arming themselves with baseball bats and shock guns.
The facility, which opened in June, has attracted aggressive drug addicts to an otherwise tranquil neighborhood. The center was described as a secure sanctuary for addicts seeking to regain their footing.
Mark Sackett, a SoMa resident and business owner, stated that the city’s intentions were not being realized.
Sackett told ABC7, “They’re allowing their clients to come out here and get high, then go inside and get sober and then get high again.”
Earlier this summer, homeless encampments in San Francisco are pictured above.
On September 2, a homeless drug user injects fentanyl into his arm near City Hall.
ABC7 reports that the center will get at least $4.2 million from taxpayers in 2022 and 2023.
Breed has announced a U-turn in her attitude to the pervasive drug problem and committed to employ law enforcement to combat the issue.
In a press appearance earlier this month, the mayor was accompanied by the top brass of San Francisco law enforcement as she vowed to crack down on drug sales and ‘unacceptable’ public drug usage.
She had declared an official state of emergency in the Tenderloin in December and promised to crack down on the ‘bulls*** destroying the city’ in a fiery address.
In the ensuing ten months, however, initiatives have been implemented, including a trial of the infamous taxpayer-funded ‘open-air drug markets,’ which were shut down in June.