San Francisco, CA
SoMa residents file complaint with state, accusing SF of pushing unhoused resources to their area
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Fed up with the “concentration” of public health and unhoused services in their neighborhood, a group of neighbors are now asking the state for help.
Three months ago, ABC7 Eyewitness News showed you a map of all the city services and their exact locations.
The majority are concentrated in the South of Market and the Tenderloin neighborhoods leading residents here to pay over $800,000 for 12 months for private security.
Luz Pena: “Has anything changed?”
“No, nothing has changed. We are putting more security guards with coverage from the city,” said Alex Ludlum, Board member of the SoMa West Neighborhood Association.
MORE: San Francisco expands program to help unhoused find their way back home
Now the SoMa West Neighborhood Association, which represents more than 200 city residents are taking their concerns to the state.
“The conditions of the people in the streets is hard to see but it’s also sad that the city keeps doing things like this and not listening to the people,” said Adam Hong, Vice President of the SoMa west neighborhood association.
The residents submitted a complaint to the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
The complaint is accusing the city of San Francisco of a deliberate “containment strategy” residents argue the city is violating state law
“SoMa has only 11% of the city’s unhoused, but we host 28% of the city beds and at the same time our police station is understaff and we have less trash cans than other neighborhoods,” said Shaun Aukland, Board of Directors of the soma west neighborhood association and added,
“The law is clear it is illegal for the west side to deny facilities and its equally illegal to concentrate them all here and in the Tenderloin. Our goal is true geographical equity.”
Supervisor Matt Dorsey represents SoMa.
Luz Pena: “Do you think the city of San Francisco has failed this neighborhood?”
“I do,” said Supervisor Dorsey, and adding, “Most of the problems that have happened in this neighborhood have been a direct result of decision that the city made as policy response to COVID, drug dealing and everything else.”
Supervisor Dorsey said he supports his constituents, but sees the value of adding more resources that point people to treatment.
In the coming months, the city is planning to add another resource center in SoMa, Supervisor Dorsey supports it.
“It wouldn’t make sense to have a South of Market enforcement area if we are locating it in a different neighborhood. The value proposition of the RESET center is to reduce from multiple hours to 15 minutes the amount of time police needs to make consequential intervention in someone’s intervention of illegal drug use,” said Supervisor Dorsey.
MORE: SF changes method to count unhoused; advocate believes it’s political, will lead to undercount
In a statement the California Department of Housing & Community Development said:
“HCD has received this complaint and it’s currently under review; we cannot comment on open matters.”
We took this to Senator Scott Wiener who said he couldn’t speak about the legal aspect of the complaint but added, “Having over-concentration is a problem, and we have homeless people in various parts of San Francisco, and we should move away from the containment zone model that San Francisco has traditionally employed.”
These residents said they are not ruling out the possibility of turning their complaint into a lawsuit.
“We are hoping for administrative relief from the state. This is a formal process that we are allowed to go through and if we don’t achieve relief through administrative relief we are considering all options and that could include a lawsuit,” said Aukland.
When we asked some of the group member what they would like to see change in their neighborhood they said, “Promises delivered, the same convictions in any other neighborhood, fairness, geographical equity, cleaner streets.”
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A controversial AT&T cell tower is coming to the San Francisco Diamond Heights neighborhood, despite community pushback.
Daniel Shereck, a resident and member of the Diamond Heights Community Association, helped lead the charge against its construction.
“Their proposal says they’ve got a large brown tower just about 10 stories tall,” Shereck said.
AT&T will install a 104-foot macro cell tower in the heart of the neighborhood, next to the San Francisco police academy, a local playground and nearby homes.
“It’s going to be enormous,” Shereck said.
The city approved the tower, despite opposition from Shereck and members of the Diamond Heights Community Association, who told CBS News Bay Area the tower is an unnecessary eyesore that poses wildfire and pollution risks.
“We’re really just asking AT&T to follow the alternatives that they have done elsewhere,” Shereck said.
But in a tense hearing before the Board of Supervisors, Cami Blackstone, director of external affairs for AT&T, argued there’s a significant need for the tower. She also says there is no evidence of wildfire or health risks, despite residents’ claims.
“I was very dispirited. I’m really concerned about the future of San Francisco,” Shereck said.
Shereck says the neighborhood will try to find some middle ground.
“Given what we can suggest at this point would probably be considering the color of the tower, covering up exposed wires, trying to make the antenna somewhat less obvious in the community,” Shereck said.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco has settled a two-year legal fight with its neighbor across the bay that will allow the city of Oakland to include “San Francisco” in its airport’s name if it doesn’t highlight the two words in any way.
The settlement announced Tuesday allows Oakland’s airport to be called “Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport,” but it bars the city from spotlighting “San Francisco” or “San Francisco Bay” in fonts, highlights, different colors or any other way. It also requires Oakland to use the word “bay” right after “San Francisco” and bans it from using the word “International” in the airport’s name, even though it provides international flights.
The spat began in 2024 after Oakland, a diverse port city often seen as the underdog in the Bay Area compared to its richer neighbor to the west, changed its airport’s name to “San Francisco-Oakland Bay Airport,” prompting San Francisco officials to sue over what they said was a trademark violation.
The two airports are across from each other on the San Francisco Bay and about 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) driving distance.
Oakland officials said the name modification was necessary to help travelers unfamiliar with the region place the city in the Bay Area. They said visitors often fly into San Francisco’s airport even if their destination is closer to the Oakland airport. The airport’s three-letter code OAK did not change.
“We’re proud Oakland fought for, and preserved the right to retain our airport’s full name that puts Oakland first and recognizes OAK’s location on the San Francisco Bay,” Mary Richardson, attorney for the Port of Oakland, which manages the airport, said in a statement.
San Francisco argued having “San Francisco” in Oakland’s airport name would confuse travelers, especially those flying in from abroad and those unfamiliar with the Bay Area. But on Tuesday, San Francisco officials had a friendlier tone.
“We are grateful to have reached a resolution in this matter,” San Francisco International Airport Director Mike Nakornkhet said. “This agreement provides clarity for travelers to make informed decisions about travel through our respective airports.”
Neither side admitted liability, and there was no monetary settlement.
San Francisco International Airport, known as SFO, is owned by the city, though technically located south of it.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Crews began work Monday to remove the controversial Vaillancourt Fountain in San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza.
Tamara Barak Aparton, spokesperson for the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, said this week is focused on preparation, including removing grout between arm joints and labeling the fountain so it could potentially be reassembled later.
She said the fountain is being removed because of significant public safety risks caused by deterioration. It is structurally unstable and corroded.
“There’s also, like a lot of old structures, asbestos and lead, and it’s become kind of an attractive nuisance, so having it in storage will be significantly safer than having it out in a public square,” Barak Aparton said.
The fountain, created by sculptor Armand Vaillancourt, has been controversial, with a preservationist group suing to keep it in place.
The fountain, made up of 710 tons of material, was completed in 1971.
MORE: Removal of controversial Thomas Fallon statue in San Jose begins
In 1987, U2’s Bono spray-painted graffiti on the fountain during a free concert. He was cited for it.
The city said the entire removal process will take several months. The removal and storage of the fountain will cost $4 million.
San Francisco resident Alec Bash is happy to see the fountain go, saying it had become an eyesore.
“It had been a wonderful site-specific art installation,” Bash said. “Now it’s sort of out of place, out of context, out of time.”
Business owners Mike Stephens and Nigel Kennedy have mixed emotions about the removal.
“I remember skateboarding here in the ’90s, this whole plaza,” said Stephens, who owns Mike’s Barbershop in San Francisco. “To me, that fountain, it’s kind of a little ugly, but it has an iconic memory.”
MORE: After decades of public protest, SJ votes to remove controversial Thomas Fallon statue
“I’m a little sad to see it go,” said Kennedy, of Pro Style Barber Shop in San Francisco. “I think they are pushing some things through to make this all happen. But I’m also open to new opportunities. I’m a business owner here, so it might bring new business for me.”
ABC7 Eyewitness News reached out to the group advocating to keep the fountain, as well as the group’s attorney.
The attorney for keeping the historic fountain open sent a statement to ABC7 Eyewitness News’ Gloria Rodriguez writing:
“Friends of the Plaza filed an appeal last week of the preliminary injunction denial. Today Friends filed an appellate petition for a stay and writ of supersedeas to prevent physical disassembly, demolition, or removal of the historic Vaillancourt Fountain from Embarcadero Plaza while the legal case proceeds.
Emergency exemption from CEQA, including for a project to substantially alter a qualified historic resource, requires more than deteriorated condition. Exemption is restricted to a “sudden, unexpected occurrence” requiring “immediate action” with no time for CEQA review. ( 21060.3.) Those are not present here.
No substantial evidence supports a conclusion that retaining the fountain in place to protect the court’s jurisdiction during the adjudication of the mandamus petition-projected at four months under the current schedule-could or would cause any harm to the public.
The City now admits that it can protect the fountain and the public on the site at a cost of $ 890,000 (Declaration of Eoanna Goodwin): much less than its current plan to spend $4.4 million for fountain disassembly and relocation. There is no emergency.
A stay and supersedeas will give a unique, storied resource of undisputed local, state, and national historic significance the benefit of the public CEQA process required by law-its only chance for survival. The historic Vaillancourt Fountain should not be disassembled or relocated from Embarcadero Plaza while Friends prove that there is no emergency justifying exemption from CEQA. Imminent substantial damage or loss of a historic resource presents exceptionally clear basis for issuance of a stay.
An emergency stay-this week-and supersedeas are urgently requested to protect the status quo while the case proceeds.”
There will be a community meeting Tuesday at 5:30p to discuss the future of Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park. It is from 5:30p to 7p at Three Embarcadero Center.
Copyright © 2026 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
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