For only the second time, San Francisco has flagged a contractor for repeatedly violating building codes meant to preserve safe conditions for residents and neighbors, according to records.
San Francisco, CA
Scofflaw Contractor Flagged by San Francisco Officials
Until Dec. 26, 2023, there was only one name on the city’s list of repeat offenders—Rodrigo Santos, a permit expediter and structural engineer who pleaded guilty to federal charges in January 2023 in relation to a scheme he was involved in that helped his clients receive lenient inspections on their projects.
Tad Van Nguyen is the newest name on the Department of Building Inspection’s expanded compliance list due to four serious violations within a year. Those violations occurred on four projects his construction company worked on in 2022 and 2023.
“The addition of Mr. Nguyen demonstrates that we are applying the Expanded Compliance control criteria as set forth in the building code, and we believe the extra level of scrutiny applied to these individuals is helpful in maintaining a safe built environment,” Department of Building Inspection spokesman Patrick Hannan said.
In 2021, San Francisco passed legislation to track and flag significant violations by developers, contractors and engineers who repeatedly break city permitting rules.
The law, which directs the city building inspection department to notify state regulators of violations and tasks senior inspectors to review complaints, was a reaction to a corruption scandal that involved the scheme by Santos, who had his clients donate to specific entities in exchange for favorable inspections by a city inspector.
Santos pleaded guilty to bank fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion charges in three separate cases stemming from the checks he misappropriated and the donations he asked his clients to make to a youth sports charity favored by Bernie Curran, who was at the time a senior building inspector.
Curran was one of three inspectors allegedly bribed by prominent San Francisco developer Sia Tahbazof, who was charged by federal authorities in November.
Building inspection spokesperson Hannan said that the fact that only two names have appeared on the list is a testament to the vast number of building projects in the city are aboveboard.
But even without citing other troubling issues with city inspections, such as a recently fired and charged department inspector who reviewed construction on his own home, Nguyen’s case may indicate the system is not catching all construction scofflaws the way it is supposed to.
Nguyen’s track record is littered with incomplete construction projects, unsafe working conditions and numerous lawsuits, according to court records and former colleagues.
For his part, Nguyen denied that he had done work without permits.
“I don’t know why they put me on the list,” he said. “We filed a permit and got everything approved. This is nonsense stuff.”
Nguyen did not respond to questions about a number of other issues his company has been involved with in the past.
The recent projects that Nguyen was flagged for are related to work his company did at four addresses in 2022 and 2023.
At 1237 Shafter Ave. in Hunters Point, his company did demolition beyond the scope of the approved plans in 2022, according to city inspection department records. Next door at 1239 Shafter, his company also did soil excavation beyond the allowed permits, which resulted in undermining the neighbor’s footing.
The two properties are owned by Amanda Reid, who did not respond to a request for comment. But early last year, Nguyen filed a mechanic lien on Reid’s property for failure to pay his company for the work it did, according to court documents.
Another nearby project flagged in 2022 was 1600 Thomas Ave., where Nguyen demolished a deck and stairway and rebuilt another one far beyond the allowed permitting. He also built a new and higher fence along a public right of way that exceeded the permitted project.
Thomas and Anna Jordan, who own the 1600 Thomas Ave. property, could not be reached for comment.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Nguyen in 2022 at 1600 Thomas Ave. for health and safety violations related to unsafe scaffolding, failure to provide protection for overheating and Covid prevention, among other violations.
He was fined more than $14,000 for 11 violations, all of which he has contested.
At 352 Head St. in Ingleside Heights, Nguyen completed internal walling without inspection or permitting in 2023, city records state.
The LLC that owns the property has a registered address that is the same as Nguyen’s San Francisco home address.
The recent violations are only the latest controversies Nguyen has faced as a contractor in San Francisco.
In 2014, the Department of Industrial Relations sued him for nearly $12,000 in fines related to unsafe ladders and scaffolding on a Geary Boulevard project.
That same year, the state’s Contractors State License Board also cited Nguyen for work done at his 1440 Clement St. property without workers compensation insurance, according to court documents. Nguyen was fined $3,500, and his license was briefly suspended for the violation.
Numerous complaints arose from the work being done on the property, some of which were also without permits, according to city records.
Chris Tuong, who is also in litigation with Nguyen, said in 2009 the contractor did work at 127 Milton St. that was substandard and did not meet engineering rules. According to city records, the work was being done without a permit, and a stop order was issued.
Tuong said that when the engineer, Stephen Chan, refused to sign off on the work, Nguyen threatened him.
“Tad took off his jacket and [got] in position to attack Steve,” Tuong said. “I was there because I’m thinking to protect Stephen, because Tad is too violent.”
Nguyen never completed the work, Tuong said. He had to hire another contractor.
More recently, Nguyen sued Chan for not doing engineering work on one of the projects Nguyen was cited for: 352 Head St.
“I didn’t do any work for him,” Chan said, adding that Nguyen was trying to get him to do engineering work for free.
According to court records, Nguyen lost the lawsuit.
The San Francisco Unified School District announced Friday all schools across the district will be closed on Monday.
The news came as negotiations between the teachers’ union and the school district are expected to continue over the weekend.
The union is calling for fully funded healthcare, an increase in wages and more stable staffing.
SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su said she believes the proposal presented during Thursday’s negotiations was a win-win; however, the union saw it differently.
“The proposal that we received tonight did not reflect what we understood to have been that intent, it falls very short of that issue and doesn’t address some of our other key issues as well, UESF President Cassondra Curiel said on Thursday.
“I want families to know how deeply we value our educators and committed I am to avoiding a strike,” Superintendent Maria Su said during a news briefing on Friday. “While I am very disappointed these negotiations did not result in an agreement last night, my team and I are prepared to bargain the entire weekend. I do not want a strike.”
This would be the first teachers strike in San Francisco since 1979.
The announcement came along with the district’s “learning resources” in case of a strike. Those can be accessed here.
Bay City News contributed to this report
San Francisco, CA
Tourists weigh-in on SF visit during Super Bowl week despite city imperfections: ‘Beautiful’
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco has made national headlines because of the city’s issues with the unhoused, drugs, and crime. And now, the city is in the spotlight once again because of Super Bowl week.
The big game is this Sunday and there are visitors all over San Francisco. ABC7 Eyewitness News wanted to know what they think about the city and what surprised them the most.
Everyone is counting down to the Big Game and fans are pumped.
All the festivities for Super Bowl Week around the Bay Area are wowing visitors and locals alike.
MORE: Super Bowl live updates here
In San Francisco, out-of-towners are getting a good look at what the City is all about—the good and the bad.
Saurabh Raybaruah is visiting from Maryland.
“When I came 2 years back. I found it a little dirty, a little unfriendly. But now, it has changed. I love how it looks now. It’s clean. It’s beautiful,” said Raybaruah.
SUZANNE PHAN: “What surprised you the most? Raybaruah: How clean it got. It really got clean.”
Annie Dias from Boston said is visiting San Francisco for the first time.
SUZANNE PHAN: “What do you think?
ANNIE DIAS: “Beautiful city.”
On the Pat McAfee show, the host said Thursday San Francisco isn’t what he expected.
“We were so surprised by what we were told and expected versus when we walked through the streets,” said McAfee. “I think San Francisco is showcasing to us– I don’t know about the rest of the world– I don’t know how people are going to change their opinions about what’s going on. But, it’s a beautiful place.”
Kristina Foreman is celebrating her birthday. Her parents from Florida are seeing San Francisco for the first time.
“As we are walking around the first day today i feel fairly safe,” said Christopher Foreman, a Florida resident. “There was the presence of police and Coast Guard around. I thought it was going to be more smelly, more homeless than I’ve see– that I’ve heard about coming on the news. But, I haven’t seen as much of it around.”
MORE: Here’s an inside look at Super Bowl Experience in San Francisco
In the Mission District Thursday night, the buzz is all about one thing– this weekend’s half-time show performer.
“It’s a Bad Bunny look-alike contest. We want to see what the other good looking Bad Bunnies look like,” said Linda Sandoval.
Paul and Linda Sandoval of Penngrove are eager to check out the star attraction-the Bad Bunny look-alikes.
MORE: Will San Francisco increase encampment sweeps during Super Bowl week?
The Sandovals will be the first to tell you that San Francisco is worth the visit.
“There’s always lot to do. There’s ton of diversity,” said Linda Sandoval.
“They talk about what they see on TV. But that’s not what you see on the street. It’s very different,” said Paul Sandoval. “Sometimes they see homeless people and they hear about crime and things of that nature. You know what? It’s like that in every city everywhere.”
Many people who live and work in San Francisco say the city isn’t perfect, but they also believe it’s headed in the right direction.
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SAN FRANCISCO – A 16-year-old boy was charged Thursday with murder and attempted murder in a shooting in San Francisco’s Western Addition that left a 15-year-old girl dead.
“This was a life lost far too soon,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. The girl who died, Jayda Mabrey, was a 10th grader at Gateway High School.
“She was a girl who was beloved in her community, and to lose that life so soon, so early, under these circumstances, has really rocked the community,” Jenkins said.
Jayda was killed and two 16-year-old boys were wounded when a fight erupted into gunfire near Golden Gate Avenue and Laguna Street at about 5 p.m. Friday. Jayda’s younger sister witnessed the shooting.
First court hearing
What we know:
On Thursday, both suspects appeared at a hearing at the Juvenile Justice Center that was open to reporters but closed to cameras.
The 16-year-old suspect was also charged with two counts of attempted murder and assault with a firearm. He repeatedly shook his head as the judge read the charges.
A second suspect, a 15-year-old boy, was charged with attempted murder for wounding one of those boys.
Through their attorneys, both boys denied all charges, including conspiracy and gun allegations.
Murder case could be moved to adult court
What they’re saying:
Jenkins said she will determine at a later date whether to ask a judge to have the 16-year-old tried as an adult. The other defendant is too young, at age 15, to be transferred to adult court.
“We have a lot of work to do when it comes to making sure that guns are not in the hands of our kids,” the prosecutor said.
If the case stays in juvenile court, the most the 16-year-old could stay in custody would be until he’s 25 years old. If he’s charged as an adult, he could face up to 25 years to life in prison.
Jenkins said the juvenile justice system is broken because those two possibilities are extreme.
“There’s a big gulf in between there that unfortunately needs to be considered,” Jenkins said.
Judge Anne Costin of San Francisco Superior Court ordered both teens held in custody at least until the next hearing later this month.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on X @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
The Source: KTVU reporting, San Francisco police and DA’s office
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