Employees with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the San Francisco Federal Building have reportedly been advised to work remotely for the foreseeable future because of safety concerns.
The building, formally known as the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, on the corner of Seventh and Mission Streets is home to federal agencies including HHS, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the office of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who continues to represent San Francisco in Congress. But right outside, drug dealers and users gather on a daily basis, according to reports and videos on social media.
San Francisco has come under the spotlight for its worsening fentanyl crisis and rampant homelessness. Democrats who govern California are facing a growing backlash amid a sharp increase in crime in the state in recent years. Businesses are fleeing San Francisco, while offices continue to lie empty as the city struggles to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, HHS Assistant Secretary for Administration Cheryl R. Campbell recently issued a stay-at-home advisory.
"In light of the conditions at the (Federal Building) we recommend employees…maximize the use of telework for the foreseeable future," Campbell wrote in the August 4 memo, the newspaper reported. "This recommendation should be extended to all Region IX employees, including those not currently utilizing telework flexibilities."
Other tenants in the building do not appear to have issued similar recommendations to employees. Officials with Pelosi's office and the Department of Labor said they were working closely with local and federal law enforcement to ensure the safety of their employees, but have not advised them to work from home, according to the Chronicle.
However, Pelosi raised concerns about the safety of employees working in the building in a meeting with the U.S. attorney for the northern district of California last week, her office said.
"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," Pelosi spokesperson Aaron Bennett said. "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."
A spokesperson for the General Services Administration, which maintains the building, told the Chronicle that the agency coordinates with San Francisco police to increase safety outside the building, including through routine patrols.
According to the Chronicle, drug dealers regularly gather near the building "operating in shifts as users smoke, snort or shoot up their recent purchases."
Newsweek has contacted the agencies, Pelosi's office and the General Services Administration for comment via email.
Earlier this year Pelosi secured more federal law enforcement resources to crack down on San Francisco's fentanyl crisis.
In April, Gov. Gavin Newsom, the former mayor of San Francisco, announced that the California Highway Patrol and state national guard would bring in additional personnel and resources to help the city battle the crisis. In June, Newsom's office said the CHP had seized enough fentanyl in San Francisco to potentially kill more than 2 million people in just six weeks.
The memo to employees at the Federal Building was issued on the same day that White House chief of staff Jeff Zients called for federal employees to return to their offices after years of working remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an email obtained by Axios.
"As we look towards the fall, and with the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, your agencies will be implementing increases in the amount of in-person work for your team," Zients said in an email to the Cabinet. "This is a priority of the President—and I am looking to each of you to aggressively execute this shift in September and October."
Newsom's office and the White House have been contacted for comment via email.
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Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on abortion rights, race, education, ... Read more
