San Francisco Mayor London Breed is facing criticism over a $1.7 million toilet that was announced more than 15 months ago and has yet to be installed in the city.
“The toilet project collapsed the moment taxpayers realized the city was planning an event to celebrate $1.7 million in state funding that local politicians had secured for the unique 150-square-foot structure,” he reported. The New York Times. “That's enough to buy a single-family home in San Francisco, with several bathrooms.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom threatened to defund the bathroom project after the story initially became public in 2022, prompting a wave of jokes from comedians when residents called the fiasco “Toiletgate,” depending on the medium.
SAN FRANCISCO, LONDON MAYOR BREED criticizes city supervisors' Gaza ceasefire resolution, but refuses to veto
San Francisco Mayor London Breed and public bathrooms divide the image (Getty Images)
“A small, single bathroom shouldn't cost $1.7 million,” Newsom spokesperson Erin Mellon told Fox News Digital at the time. “The state will hold the funds until San Francisco comes up with a plan to use this public money more efficiently. If they can't, we will go back to the legislature to repeal this allocation.”
San Francisco residents complained about the lack of a bathroom 15 months after the story reached the public.
“Why isn't there a bathroom here? I just don't understand it. Nobody has one,” San Francisco resident Ted Weinstein told the Times. “It's yet another example of a city that can't.”
Democratic Mayor London Breed's spokesman, Jeff Cretan, said changing the law should be considered to increase efficiency in construction projects.
“It's worth changing existing laws around construction projects like bathrooms, which slow things down,” Cretan said.
SAN FRANCISCO SCHOOL DISTRICT PROVIDES TEACHERS WITH MATERIALS FOR STUDENTS ON 'ISRAELI TERRORISM'
California Governor Gavin Newsom threatened to defund the bathroom project after the story initially became public in 2022, prompting a wave of jokes from comedians when residents called the fiasco “Toiletgate,” depending on the medium. (Getty Images)
The New York Times reported that discussions about the bathroom project “appeared to collapse last year, according to a Dec. 22 letter from the city's Parks and Recreation Department to Mr. Buckley.”
“Your team did not respond to our repeated attempts to participate,” the Parks and Recreation Department wrote. “We are receiving inquiries from citizens, journalists and local legislators about the status of this highly publicized project. We will have to answer questions.”
San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said he has been working to reduce regulations, including “56 commissions and 74 oversight bodies,” that make it difficult to build a public restroom in the city.
“To unravel everything that needs to be unraveled for the government to function, a lot of people have to focus on that as a very high priority,” Mandelman told the Times. “It's easy to put that aside as you run from crisis to crisis.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Breed's office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
