Rules committee hears residentsconcerns over conditions at Alice Griffith housing

San Francisco supervisors held a hearing April 7 on persistent maintenance, elevator failures, trash and pest problems at Alice Griffith public housing in Bayview-Hunters Point, with residents, city departments, the developer and the property manager reporting on responsibilities and resources.

The hearing, convened by Rules Committee Chair Shamann Walton and attended by Board President Rafael Mandelman and Vice Chair Supervisor Sheryl, focused on service lapses at Alice Griffith and what city agencies and private partners are doing to restore safe, habitable conditions for residents.

The hearing matters because Alice Griffith is publicly subsidized housing that serves vulnerable residents, including seniors and people with disabilities, and multiple city agencies have roles in inspections, funding and oversight. Committee members said the city will continue close review of the site.

Housing Authority CEO Dr. Tanya Letaju told the committee the authority is the ground-lessor and provides HAP (housing assistance payment) subsidies and inspections. She said the authority currently has a contract for 226 replacement units at Alice Griffith, with 191 leased and 35 vacant, and that roughly 42 units are presently in abatement. Letaju said HAP subsidy loss tied to abatements totaled about $1,700,000 over the last three years and that inspectors follow HUD-regulated standards.

Jennifer Wood, regional representative of the John Stewart Company, the property manager, described severe financial strain after the pandemic: prolonged vacancies, lower rent and HAP collections, higher insurance and utility costs, and depleted operating reserves. "We care very much about our residents. We care very much about dignity and respect of our residents. We have never intentionally disrespected a resident," Wood said, adding that an emergency loan approved by city departments in February is awaiting one lender's sign-off and that those funds are targeted at elevator repairs, enhanced cleaning and other urgent needs.

Claudia Bridal, senior vice president at developer McCormick Baron Salazar, said the developer has advanced about $2,700,000 to cover deficits and has been pressing vendors and lenders to resolve outstanding trade payables, which Bridal said total approximately $3,600,000. Bridal described using replacement reserves and paying for some elevator work that vendors later refused to complete without full payment of past balances.

City agencies described parallel roles. Thor Kozlowski, executive director of the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII), reviewed the redevelopment history, including a HUD Choice Neighborhoods grant of $75,000,000 and earlier community planning. Dan Adams, director of the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD), said MOHCD's loan committee approved $500,000 on Feb. 7 to address urgent repairs and that he is coordinating additional capital underwriting to stabilize the property.

Program partners and service providers told the committee they are delivering case management, meal distribution and other supports. Alkeisha Porter of Bayview Hunters Point Multi Senior Services said more than 400 residents are enrolled in on-site programs. Mike Martin of the Port of San Francisco said the Port has no management role at Alice Griffith but can assist with street and perimeter conditions.

Residents and community advocates gave multiple public comments describing elevator entrapments, long outages, pest infestations, repeated trash dumping and what they called slow responses from management. Duane Gaines of the Bayview Coordinating Council said residents have experienced inoperable fire panels and unsafe conditions; Marie Vistel, an Alice Griffith resident since 2017, described repeated failures to deliver promised reasonable accommodations and security contacts that do not respond.

HUD-inspection protocol and enforcement timing were discussed. Michael Tonovitz, an executive vice president with CVR Associates (a vendor that conducts Housing Quality Standards inspections for the housing authority), explained HUD rules that define "life-threatening" conditions (examples: electrical hazards, gas leaks, inoperable smoke detectors) as requiring immediate correction, while non-imminent hazards generally carry a 30-day cure period.

Committee members pressed developers and managers on accountability and finances. Chair Walton singled out recurring trash dumping and questioned why paid security has not prevented it. President Mandelman and Supervisor Sherrill said the housing model is under-resourced and stressed the need for sustained city oversight.

Formal action: the committee voted to continue the matter to the call of the chair so staff and departments can return with follow-up reports. The clerk recorded the vote as: Vice Chair Sheryl, aye; Member Rafael Mandelman, aye; Chair Shamann Walton, aye. The motion passed without objection.

The committee said it will hold further hearings and follow up on the outstanding lender approvals and the city's short-term emergency loan disbursement. Supervisors signaled they will return periodically for status checks until vendors are on-site and elevators, trash removal and other life-safety systems are reliably repaired.