Workers in the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francisco were ordered to steer clear of the site “for the foreseeable future” as crime in the city continues to skyrocket.
Officials at the US Department of Health and Human Services advised its hundreds of federal employees to work from home indefinitely rather than risk commuting to the downtown tower, which has become a hotspot for street drug deals in recent months.
“In light of the conditions at the (Federal Building) we recommend employees … maximize the use of telework for the foreseeable future,” HHS Assistant Secretary for Administration Cheryl Campbell wrote in an Aug. 4 memo obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Campbell also wrote that the recommendation should be extended to building employees who do not currently use work-from-home options.
The memo was addressed to HHS regional leaders, though it’s not clear whether other federal agencies that call the landmarked building home were also advised to avoid the area.
The 18-story tower on the corner of Seventh and Mission streets also houses the office of its namesake, former House Speaker Pelosi (D-Calif.), the US Department of Labor and the US Department of Transportation.
Pelosi, however, has not advised her five employees to work from home, according to the Chronicle.
Instead, the congresswoman is working closely with local and federal law enforcement to keep her staff safe, a spokesperson said.
Pelosi did, however, raise concerns about building tenant safety during a meeting with the US attorney for the Northern District of California last week.
“The safety of workers in our federal buildings has always been a priority for Speaker Emerita Pelosi, whether in the building or on their commutes,” spokesperson Aaron Bennett told the Chronicle.
“Federal, state and local law enforcement — in coordination with public health officials and stakeholders — are working hard to address the acute crises of fentanyl trafficking and related violence in certain areas of the city.”
The memo reportedly was issued the same day President Biden called on his cabinet to “aggressively execute” plans for federal employees to return to their offices after working remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic first began, Axios reported.
San Francisco has fallen into an urban decay of abandoned shops, open-air drug use and homeless encampments in recent months, with crime surging, especially in the downtown area.
Neighborhood activists are calling the city the “promised land of milk and fentanyl” in spite of law enforcement attempts to crack down on the rampant use of drugs.
Major retailers have fled the area as it crumbles, including Saks Off 5th, Anthropologie, Coco Republic and Whole Foods Market.
