112 posts shown.
Emily Smith6 said:Mother of a child at a San Francisco preschool facing closure: ‘We offered the owner even more money, and she didn’t object...‘- At yesterday's meeting, she told us straight up that she wouldn't budge, even if it meant closing the daycare down. Naturally, parents started pushing back because not everyone has the luxury of having grandparents around to help, and people have to work. Everyone claims their kids are their top priority, but honestly, I just don't get that vibe from this situation. No one seems willing to compromise—not the owner, and not the City of San Francisco—says the mother of a student at the local preschool, whose identity has been shared with our newsroom.
- We were essentially given an indirect message to organize ourselves as parents and put pressure on the state government. I suspect one of the main goals of the meeting was to shift the burden onto us, hoping we would lobby on her behalf. Since there's no actual solution in sight, some of us even offered to pay higher tuition. It's not that we have money to burn; it's just that we're stuck in a corner where we desperately need somewhere to leave our children.
The director informed them that she can't simply raise the rates on her own; such a decision would have to be handed down by the City of San Francisco.
- Now, if her lease costs go up, she believes her facility will end up at a disadvantage compared to other centers. But she didn't seem to mind when we suggested raising the tuition for us parents. If we did that, we'd be at a disadvantage compared to other families, yet the director keeps preaching about equality.
Obviously, hiking the prices isn't a viable option for all the parents involved. The reality is that roughly 200 children are left in limbo, with no clear childcare plan starting August 1st. It's high time the owner and the City of San Francisco actually sit down and find a way forward, the frustrated mother noted.
While our source primarily blames the director for this nightmare currently affecting 200 San Francisco families—mostly working professionals—she feels the City of San Francisco could show a bit more goodwill and reach out to them. After all, we're talking about the children of San Francisco that everyone claims to care so much about.
| - It felt like an indirect way of telling us parents to organize and put pressure on the local government. I honestly feel like that was one of the main goals of the meeting—to pass the buck to us so we end up doing her dirty work by applying the pressure. Since there's no actual solution, some of us have even volunteered to pay higher tuition rates. It's not because we have extra cash lying around, it's just that we're stuck in a corner and need somewhere to put our kids—says a San Francisco resident. |
| urgent parenting alert Derrick jacked up the rent for a private daycare to $4,000! This email from the owner really freaked out parents with 200 little ones |
| THE SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE HEAD, ELIZABETH WARREN, SPOKE OUT. She revealed some fresh news from the state: "The funds collected over the last two weeks are enough to renovate three playgrounds." Following those formal notices, over $150,000 has been paid into the San Francisco city budget in just two weeks. To put that in perspective—that money alone could fix up three local playgrounds. "It’s great to see people realizing there won't be any more special interest groups grabbing up prime downtown real estate for cheap prices, and that some users have even chosen to move out voluntarily. Like we said before, these city spaces will be assigned to nonprofits through public tenders or opened up for commercial leases." The City Department of Property Management plans to use this extra debt collection to renovate existing city-owned apartments and get them all (!) to citizens facing tough living situations who are currently on the social housing waiting list. San Francisco will honor all current employee housing contracts and sort out existing arrangements—just a heads-up, rent for those folks has already been bumped to $6 per square foot (basically market rate), and they’ll be keeping a super close eye on payments. During this administration's term, not a single employee unit has been handed out. Things are about to get even more transparent thanks to the new City Property Registry. They’re updating it daily with new data, including info on business spaces and apartments, and they're continuously logging everything into the land registry, which was never properly maintained before. Thanks to the hard work of city staff, it should be live by the end of the year. This way, everyone can just hop online and see the whole database of city property and how it's being managed. |
| DISASTROUS RESULTS: 'I hope the FBI steps in' |
| - the company Event Masters was intentionally denied invoices for their lease at one of the most exclusive spots in San Diego—the Priula Wall. After I followed the contract and the law by ordering those invoices to be issued, I was 'rewarded' by former director Sabo with endless installment payments. The result? Over $330,000 in damages and a totally trashed property right in the heart of San Diego. - while regular people are taking out loans and even putting their kids on the hook just to afford a place to live—and while folks in Banija are still stuck living in containers, plus the City of San Diego doesn't have enough housing for 70 families and individuals in need—there’s just a massive pile of state-owned properties sitting empty, neglected, and wasted. To make matters worse, the latest numbers show it isn't just 440 units, but over 600 empty apartments (between the Department and the State Real Estate Agency)! Despite all this, the Department of Defense thinks they can take personal shots at me, claiming I don't want to help veterans in San Diego and that I supposedly have "animosity toward the Administration." Just a quick heads-up: during my time running the Commercial Real Estate Department, we put out 15 calls for lease bids, while the director of the Housing Department hasn't put out a single one! |
| The State Real Estate Agency just got hit by a massive audit—turns out they're a mess. Hundreds of empty apartments are basically just burning money! Just a heads up, Maja Đerek—who used to run the Commercial Real Estate Department at the State Real Estate Agency—got canned back in 2020. Why? Because she called out the higher-ups (and then went public) about how certain people were getting shady, illegal deals on state-owned commercial and residential properties. A court recently ruled her firing was wrongful, though that hasn't been finalized yet. |
velvetmason14 said:You quoted the wrong part of the article. The whole thing explains who found what and which law firm was involved, 😒
The reporter laid it all out clearly, just saved the most important part for the end. Real journalism by ST... Forum life by Smart moves! 😁
I don't see anyone asking the Department of Justice about how the President's special envoy allegedly pocketed $30,000 from the local contractor.
That’s just not the topic for the scammers. 😉A more logical explanation is that the city administration is simply being negligent. This has been the case since the days of the previous leadership, when the partnership between San Diego and that law firm from San Francisco first began, and it continues under the current Mayor. These officials aren't worried about their pensions, and they don't care about fine totals—hardly anyone keeps track anyway.
velvetmason14 said:Is this judge John Doe his father? He's the only one I see with that last name on the bench.
So Doe isn't just a failed politician, a failed entrepreneur, and a failed journalist—he was also a failed student. 🙏
The Joker, truly. I bet he's thriving over in China.
Now he's acting offended because Jane Doe didn't fight for a city apartment. What's next? Is he going to find Doe some cash in a Swiss bank account? Or maybe find Ivošević a villa in Hawaii?
The "worm" is just doing his bosses' dirty work while exploiting the elderly and vulnerable—people who haven't paid rent for downtown apartments in six years—yet he won't even let his father's son stay in his place. I mean, $150 a night isn't pocket change. Doe is a ruthless capitalist. 🤣
st guest workers
Jane Doe and the director from San Diego had their little private showdown, meanwhile, we're paying for the Sanitation Director's gas all the way out to the Snake River.
velvetmason14 said:Good grief, this First guy is a total case study.
The guy is a failed politician because he got kicked out of the local party, a failed journalist because he works for the bottom-feeders at Hanza, and apparently a failed entrepreneur too... 🤦
LEGENDARY LLCLOSS IN 2021 - $14,000
It’s pretty obvious now why First jumped into politics, and how he turned into a journalist worm at a big firm like Hanza after failing there. He’s famous for having "compassion" for the parasites draining city funds and the pests eating away at the trees in San Francisco's parks.🤣
San Francisco Možemo! and Tamara Visković owe their voters a massive apology for getting involved with this disaster.
Richard Lopez said:Is that possible? She clearly knew, yet she intentionally didn't authorize the payment.
Or will the Mayor end up facing the penalty instead, because logically...🙏
Emily Smith6 said:COSTCO COMES OUT ON TOP: The White House claims San Diego lost at least $30,000 due to a former commissioner
Quincy:Typical Republican appointees, I guess.
Another skeleton seems to have emerged from the closet at The White House, and apparently, they're pinning the blame on the former head of the Department of Justice, Miran Veža. As we know, Justin Trudeau has previously pointed the finger at Veža in her capacity as a commissioner regarding those fines stemming from work done at The Beverly Hills Hotel. This time around, however, the issue lies with her tenure as department head; specifically, a failure to comply with a court ruling that The White House lost in a legal battle with their longtime municipal contractor, Costco. Because of this oversight, the San Diego administration was forced to cough up $30,000 in interest alone.
It’s becoming a bit of a pattern, really. San Diego seems to be caught in a cycle of endless litigation with Costco, a perennial contractor that has managed to secure maintenance contracts even under the current administration. Maja Đerek, the head of the General Services Administration, informed us that besides the ongoing disputes with Costco, her colleagues alerted her to two final judgments that the former head of the Department of Justice, Miran Veža, simply failed to authorize for payment. Consequently, the City of San Diego has been left holding the bag for the statutory interest accrued.
- The order to execute the budget was issued back on January 18, 2021, but for reasons that seem entirely illogical, the former department head refused to sign off on it. Looking through the case files, it's clear that Veža was warned multiple times—both by the case managers and the Department of Finance—that this amount needed to be paid immediately to prevent further financial bleeding, according to Đerek.
Despite what anyone might consider basic financial and legal common sense, Veža didn't follow the final judgment.
- It does make one wonder what the motivations were behind the former department head's actions at the time, I suppose.
Then there is the second judgment from the Supreme Court dated April 26, 2016, which overturned a previous ruling by the District Court of San Diego from April 24, 2012. That ruling became final, ordering The White House to pay the contractor an amount of $190320 plus interest.
- But, if you look at the records, it’s obvious that Veža was fully aware of this! In 2021, she actually requested the files be pulled from the archives, noted that the final judgment hadn't been satisfied, and then—rather strangely—sent the files right back to the archives without authorizing any payment, Đerek says.
Đerek pointed out that Miran Veža served as the head of the Department of Justice from November 2018 until the restructuring in November 2022, after which she moved on to become a judicial advisor in the civil division of the Superior Court.
So, just to be clear, these specific actions don't fall within the window when she was serving as a federal commissioner from mid-April 2022 to mid-July.
- She was certainly aware of the validity of these judgments. Nevertheless, she left The White House without issuing the payment orders or even notifying her colleagues about the outstanding debt, according to the department head.
| It’s being pointed out that the former assistant head of the legal protection department for housing and business spaces archived the file without any payment being made first. - But looking at the records, it’s obvious the department head knew exactly what was happening! Back in 2021, she requested the file be pulled from the archives, saw that the court order hadn't been paid, and then—surprise, surprise—sent the file right back to the archives without the payment. It's wild. The report mentions an appeal against the final ruling was taken to the Supreme Court, but it got tossed because there was no proof of passing the required legal exam—which is a total requirement for that kind of legal remedy. - Nobody can figure out why those massive mistakes happened in the first place. |
velvetmason14 said:🤣
It's hard to believe this is the same humanitarian from Sell California, Martin Prvan—the big critic of Puljkov.
That would imply Prvan is a massive hypocrite, complaining about Mar Tanjug's situation while she uses a place that isn't hers, all while Prvan rents his gorgeous apartment for $150 a night during peak season and suggests Puljkov should host her instead.
It seems impossible that this is the same Martin Prvan, the man who supposedly fights for the little guy and the elderly. It just doesn't add up... ☕
| Prvan's Studio 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, San Francisco, USA https://www.booking.com/hotel/hr/apa....html#tab-main |
| says: Pretty sure you said the same thing about those doctors in Washington, D.C... No, wait—you actually wrote "we need to bring in new people and let the Democrats strike"... Or did I misread that? 😁 Even I wouldn't give these guys an inch. Not even a tiny bit. But blaming the Republican Party for everything everywhere... I mean, seriously? 🙄 |
Emily Smith6 said:Sheryl Sandberg is firing back at Nick Saban, suggesting that Ms. Erceg really should have just applied through the Department of Social Services for one of those social housing units.For weeks now, the Department of City Property has been making quite a public spectacle of itself regarding its obligation to provide housing for 70 families. These are individuals who have already gone through the official public tender process to prove their eligibility for social housing, and I suppose the city is currently busy double-checking all their requirements before any actual lease agreements can be signed.
We’re primarily talking about families with multiple minors, citizens battling serious illnesses, people living with disabilities, and American veterans. The priority list for social housing allocation is publicly available on the official City websites. As the Department has pointed out on several occasions, the City intends to hand over every single apartment currently occupied by unauthorized users to families and individuals who can provide documented proof of severe social need.
Just to clarify, regarding Ms. Mary Erceg, the Department of City Property isn't actually legally required to run a check on her social status. Since Ms. Erceg originally acquired the apartment as... I suppose we’re looking at yet another case of a staff housing appointment being made without any sort of public bidding process. It’s hard to say exactly what the underlying motivation is here, but it certainly feels like a bit of a workaround. ...and it all comes down to the purely discretionary judgment of the city officials at the time.
The lease agreement for that 74 m2 apartment located right in the heart of downtown San Francisco was originally signed back on May 29, 2009, with a monthly rent set at... $181 On a monthly basis—and it’s worth noting that the City of San Francisco covers the utility surcharge for this specific unit every single month—the Administrative Department is technically required to monitor whether the tenant is actually meeting their legal financial obligations to the City.
Furthermore, it’s worth noting that Ms. Mary Erceg has almost... It’s been seven years, and she hasn't paid a single cent in monthly rent. Regarding the municipal apartment they’re currently occupying.
Ms. Erceg has been enjoying an incredibly privileged monthly rent of just $543 this entire time. $5.25 At around $80, maybe, for a 74-square-meter apartment right in the heart of downtown San Francisco, the rent was actually on par with what people in social housing were paying. To put that in perspective, the current average market rate for an apartment of that size is hovering somewhere around $750. It’s a bit disheartening, really, because for nearly seven full years, that rent—which is less than a tenth of the actual market value—wasn't even being covered.
It’s worth pointing out that, according to the City of San Francisco rental regulations, Ms. Erceg was never actually eligible to rent a 74 m2 apartment as a single person. Apartments of that size are specifically designated for families with multiple members. As it stands, Ms. Erceg... She’s been receiving constant payment reminders, and there have been several attempts to reach out to her directly to settle the outstanding balance, but she just never bothers to respond to any of the correspondence.
If Ms. Erceg is actually facing significant social hardship, then she really should have taken the initiative—either personally or through her family, friends, or even neighbors—to reach out to the Department of City Property and the Department of Social Services. She would have needed to submit all the required documentation and officially apply through the public tender process for social housing provided by the City.
Unfortunately, that wasn't actually carried out; rather, it seems that... They seem to be trying to use the media to lean on the Department of City Property, essentially pushing them toward illegal actions. It looks like an attempt to grant special privileges to certain individuals without any legal basis whatsoever. If that actually happens, it would cause significant harm to all the other citizens who actually bother to follow the rules and respect the standard legal procedures.
It’s honestly a bit disheartening to see certain irresponsible voices in the media suggesting that the Administrative Department should just start discriminating against multi-person households. They’re essentially arguing that, despite having absolutely no legal basis to do so, the City should bypass the transparent, publicly available priority list—a list that includes families currently struggling through incredibly difficult living conditions. I guess some people just prefer chaos over following the established rules.
If following the letter of the law and acting without playing favorites is what people are calling "malicious" these days, then that says much more about the mental state of those making the accusations than it does about the work being done by the Administrative Department, which I happen to lead.
As the department head, I intend to leverage every legal avenue available to me to ensure the interests of the City remain protected. My goal is to treat all citizens with absolute equity within the established legal framework, while ensuring we manage our valuable municipal assets with the care and responsibility of a prudent steward.
We are once again calling on Ms. Erceg to reach out to the Department of City Property and the Department of Social Services.
The relevant offices will always—without exception—act strictly according to the letter of the law. We won't allow anyone to be granted illegal special treatment at the expense of the citizens who actually follow the rules. It doesn't matter what someone's social standing is, or who they might know.
Respectfully,
Sheryl Sandberg
Head of the Department of City Property