In September, Mission Local reported on the strange and terrible saga of Bob Mason’s garden wall — which he feared might topple upon his 74-year-old wife. The wall had been […]
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Posted inGovernment
DBI inspector leading Rodrigo Santos audit had work done on his home by Rodrigo Santos
If ever a film was made of San Francisco’s rather theatrical forays in municipal corruption, there’s a hell of a part for a suave, middle-aged Latin actor able to project […]
Posted inGovernment
San Francisco has the legislation to crack down on rogue builders. Does it have the political will?
Legislators legislate. But legislation alone cannot solve this city’s problems — and, for this legislation to succeed, some of this city’s most hidebound and corrupt institutions will have to change their ways, and begin doing things that, truth be told, they could have done long ago.
Posted inToday's Mission
Rodrigo Santos, former Building Inspection Commission president, accused by City Attorney of $420K in check fraud, permit forgery
Checks allegedly altered from being paid to ‘DBI’ to ‘RODBIGO SANTOS’ A January 22 amendment was partially unsealed today, revealing that the City Attorney’s 2018 lawsuit against engineering firm Santos […]
Posted inGovernment
Rodrigo Santos was coddled by DBI for years. Now it wants him gone — but can’t get rid of him.
allies and enablers. Santos was the man you’d tap to come up with plans that, provably, violated the laws of physics, and he was also the man to get these plans expediently permitted.
Posted inToday's Mission
Rodrigo Santos, former Building Inspection Commission president, hit with federal criminal bank fraud charges
The US Attorney’s Office moments ago announced it has filed federal criminal bank fraud charges against Rodrigo Santos, a San Francisco structural engineer, onetime president of the Building Inspection Commission, […]
Posted inGovernment
Rodrigo Santos and the imaginary toilets: a strange and terrible saga
Say what you will about engineer, permit expediter and accused federal criminal Rodrigo Santos, but the man has range. His alleged misdeeds span from the abstract to the concrete. Or, […]
Posted inMobile
Supervisor Ahsha Safaí puzzled why $1K of checks made out to him ended up in Rodrigo Santos’ bank account
The affidavit underlying the federal bank fraud charges leveled against former Building Inspection Commission president Rodrigo Santos last week methodically lists the 461 checks – totaling nearly $480,000 – he […]
Posted inGovernment
Rodrigo Santos admits to hiring ex-DBI director’s kids — plural —and other gems from Dennis Richards’ ongoing litigation
In depositions, Rodrigo Santos did, notably, admit to having employed not one but two of former DBI director Tom Hui’s children. We are informed these are Hui’s only children, and that makes sense — if there were more, Santos probably would’ve hired them, too.
Posted inGovernment
What does one job posting tell us about San Francisco? Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.
San Francisco’s job posting boasts a top salary $12K higher than San Jose’s, despite far thinner requirements. You’d think building professionals would factor this into their decisions.
But they don’t. They can read between the lines.
Posted inGovernment
The logical flaw at the heart of the City Attorney’s vindication of DBI director
Following its fifth meeting this month, the Department of Building Inspection’s oversight commission on Jan. 21 selected interim director Patrick O’Riordan as the next full-time director of the department. Once […]
Posted inToday's Mission
Accused serial forger worked to construct ‘Nuru’s Penthouse’ office tower
San Francisco has spawned so many interconnected local and federal corruption probes that it’s beginning to feel a bit like Law & Order. The (ostensible) original has, by now, branched […]
