Planning Commission backs amnesty for properties tied to DBI audit, with limits for flagged contractors

The San Francisco Planning Commission on May 1 recommended approval of an ordinance sponsored by Supervisor Matt Mandelmann that would establish an amnesty program for properties identified by the Department of Building Inspection—s internal quality-control audit.

The ordinance would waive specified planning-code violations, refund fees already paid by property owners who bring violations to the city—s attention, and waive certain zoning or conditional-use requirements for properties that were caught up in fraudulent or improper permitting tied to former building professionals. Supervisor Mandelmann told the commission the measure "will provide relief to scores of property owners who were unwittingly and through no fault of their own swept up in the sad and sorry saga of Bernie Curran and Rodrigo Santos." His office said the audit identified nearly 5,500 properties associated with the two men.

Why it matters: DBI—s audit followed criminal prosecutions of a former DBI inspector and a private engineer who, the city says, submitted falsified…