San Francisco Mayor London Breed is facing criticism over a $1.7 million toilet that was announced over 15 months ago — and still has not been installed in the city.
“The toilet project broke down the minute taxpayers realized the city was planning an event to celebrate $1.7 million in state funds that local politicians had secured for the lone 150-square-foot structure,” The New York Times reported. “That’s enough to purchase a single-family home in San Francisco — with multiple bathrooms.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to pull the funds for the toilet project after the story was initially made public in 2022, prompting a wave of jokes from comedians as residents called the fiasco “Toiletgate,” according to the outlet.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed and public toilets split image (Getty Images)
“A single, small bathroom should not cost $1.7 million,” Erin Mellon, a spokesperson for Newsom, told Fox News Digital at the time. “The state will hold funding until San Francisco delivers a plan to use this public money more efficiently. If they cannot, we will go back to the legislature to revoke this appropriation.”
San Francisco residents complained about the lack of a toilet 15 months after the story reached the public.
“Why isn’t there a toilet here? I just don’t get it. Nobody does,” San Francisco resident Ted Weinstein told The Times. “It’s yet another example of the city that can’t.”
Democratic Mayor London Breed’s spokesperson Jeff Cretan said changing the law to increase efficiency on building projects should be considered.
“It’s worth changing the laws that are in place around construction projects like the restroom that slow things down,” Cretan said.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to pull the funds for the toilet project after the story was initially made public in 2022, prompting a wave of jokes from comedians as residents called the fiasco “Toiletgate,” according to the outlet. (Getty Images)
The New York Times reported that discussions around the toilet project “appeared to break down last year, according to a Dec. 22 letter from the city’s Recreation and Parks Department to Mr. Buckley.”
“Your team was unresponsive to our repeated attempts to engage,” the Recreation and Parks Department wrote. “We are receiving inquiries from citizens, journalists and local lawmakers on the status of this highly publicized project. We will need to answer questions.”
San Francisco supervisor Rafael Mandelman said he has been working to reduce the regulations, which include “56 commissions and 74 oversight bodies,” that make completing a public toilet in the city difficult.
“To unravel everything that needs to be unraveled to make government work, a lot of people have to focus on that as a very high priority,” Mandelman told The Times. “It’s easy to push that aside as you run from crisis to crisis.”
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Breed’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.