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Mission Local

Mission Local

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Posted inGovernment

San Francisco has the legislation to crack down on rogue builders. Does it have the political will?

by Joe Eskenazi February 22, 2021February 22, 2021

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

by Joe Eskenazi March 12, 2020September 29, 2020

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 […]

"Rodbigo" Santos: A check to Ahsha Safaí
Posted inToday's Mission

Rodrigo Santos: Engineer charged by US Attorney was working for US Attorney’s wife

by Joe Eskenazi September 24, 2020September 29, 2020

In May, United States Attorney Dave Anderson charged Rodrigo Santos with bank fraud relating to some $480,000 in clients’ money purportedly being deposited in Santos’ account. And hundreds of the prolific […]

"Rodbigo" Santos: A check to Ahsha Safaí
Posted inGovernment

RoDBIgo’s last stand? Legislation aims to thwart rogue builders.

by Joe Eskenazi January 5, 2021November 17, 2021

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 […]

Posted inGovernment

Rodrigo Santos was coddled by DBI for years. Now it wants him gone — but can’t get rid of him.

by Joe Eskenazi November 19, 2021November 23, 2021

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

by Joe Eskenazi May 12, 2020September 29, 2020

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, […]

"Rodbigo" Santos: A check to Ahsha Safaí
Posted inMobile

Supervisor Ahsha Safaí puzzled why $1K of checks made out to him ended up in Rodrigo Santos’ bank account

by Joe Eskenazi May 18, 2020September 29, 2020

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 and the imaginary toilets: a strange and terrible saga

by Joe Eskenazi May 10, 2022May 10, 2022

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 inGovernment

What does one job posting tell us about San Francisco? Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.

by Joe Eskenazi February 8, 2021January 11, 2022

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

Rodrigo Santos admits to hiring ex-DBI director’s kids — plural —and other gems from Dennis Richards’ ongoing litigation

by Joe Eskenazi August 23, 2021September 14, 2021

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

The logical flaw at the heart of the City Attorney’s vindication of DBI director

by Joe Eskenazi January 25, 2022January 26, 2022

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 […]

"Rodbigo" Santos: A check to Ahsha Safaí
Posted inTrouble

In SF’s broken system, accused fraudster Rodrigo Santos remains in demand

by Joe Eskenazi September 14, 2020November 17, 2021

It was a few weeks ago back in August when the water, gradually then suddenly, came spurting through the brick wall in Bob Mason’s backyard.  Even before this, the 73-year-old […]

Posted inToday's Mission

Accused serial forger worked to construct ‘Nuru’s Penthouse’ office tower

by Joe Eskenazi August 3, 2020September 29, 2020

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 […]

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  • [Updated]: Final Boudin-era SF prosecutor kicked off police misconduct cases ahead of historic trial August 15, 2022
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  • People We Meet: Horace Thomas August 14, 2022
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