The San Francisco Department of Building and Inspection says it has been unable to inspect a new black “X” logo on the roof of Elon Musk’s social media company formerly known as Twitter for two days in a row after the company declined access to the structure.

It’s the latest in the push and pull between the city and Musk since he formally changed Twitter’s name to X this past week as part of the company’s overhaul following Musk’s $44 billion acquisition in October.

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On Tuesday, an attempt to remove the company’s iconic blue-bird sign and logo from its Market Street headquarters was rebuffed by city officials who said there was no permit filed, leaving only the “er” remaining from the Twitter logo and one of the birds de-blued.

Fast forward to Friday, when a large black X was erected on the roof of the building, prompting a notice of violation filed with the city for work done without a permit. Any replacement letters or symbols require a permit to ensure “consistency with the historic nature of the building” and to make sure additions are safely attached to the sign, said Patrick Hannan, spokesperson for the Department of Building Inspection.

According to the department’s complaint page after a “notice of violation” was filed, the inspector assigned to the case on Friday “spoke with Tweeter [sic] representatives and Building maintenance engineer representatives. I explained BID’s complaint investigation process and requested access to roof area. Tweeter [sic] representative decline to provide access but did explain that the structure is a temporary lighted sign for an event. I explained to all representatives that the NOV requires the structure to be remove with a building permit or legalize.”

On Saturday, the same inspector reported a “2nd attempt to gain access was performed on 7/29/23 after conversations with property manager on 7/28/23. However, upon arrival access was denied again by tenant. The original NOV document issued on 7/28/23 was redrafted and issued on 7/29/23.”

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Despite all of it, Musk pinned an post atop his X page overnight showing the lit X logo on the roof — and wrote he was committed to X staying in San Francisco despite the city being in a “doom spiral with one company or another left or leaving.”

“Many have offered rich incentives for X (fka Twitter) to move its HQ out of San Francisco,” he wrote. “Moreover, the city is in a doom spiral with one company after another left or leaving. Therefore, they expect X will move too. We will not. You only know who your real friends are when the chips are down. San Francisco, beautiful San Francisco, though others forsake you, we will always be your friend.”

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The San Francisco Department of Building and Inspection says it has been unable to inspect a new black “X” logo on the roof of Elon Musk’s social media company formerly known as Twitter for two days in a row after the company declined access to the structure.

It’s the latest in the push and pull between the city and Musk since he formally changed Twitter’s name to X this past week as part of the company’s overhaul following Musk’s $44 billion acquisition in October.

On Tuesday, an attempt to remove the company’s iconic blue-bird sign and logo from its Market Street headquarters was rebuffed by city officials who said there was no permit filed, leaving only the “er” remaining from the Twitter logo and one of the birds de-blued.

Fast forward to Friday, when a large black X was erected on the roof of the building, prompting a notice of violation filed with the city for work done without a permit. Any replacement letters or symbols require a permit to ensure “consistency with the historic nature of the building” and to make sure additions are safely attached to the sign, said Patrick Hannan, spokesperson for the Department of Building Inspection.

According to the department’s complaint page after a “notice of violation” was filed, the inspector assigned to the case on Friday “spoke with Tweeter [sic] representatives and Building maintenance engineer representatives. I explained BID’s complaint investigation process and requested access to roof area. Tweeter [sic] representative decline to provide access but did explain that the structure is a temporary lighted sign for an event. I explained to all representatives that the NOV requires the structure to be remove with a building permit or legalize.”

On Saturday, the same inspector reported a “2nd attempt to gain access was performed on 7/29/23 after conversations with property manager on 7/28/23. However, upon arrival access was denied again by tenant. The original NOV document issued on 7/28/23 was redrafted and issued on 7/29/23.”

Despite all of it, Musk pinned an post atop his X page overnight showing the lit X logo on the roof — and wrote he was committed to X staying in San Francisco despite the city being in a “doom spiral with one company or another left or leaving.”

“Many have offered rich incentives for X (fka Twitter) to move its HQ out of San Francisco,” he wrote. “Moreover, the city is in a doom spiral with one company after another left or leaving. Therefore, they expect X will move too. We will not. You only know who your real friends are when the chips are down. San Francisco, beautiful San Francisco, though others forsake you, we will always be your friend.”

The post San Francisco Inspectors Nonetheless Can’t Examine Elon Musk’s New ‘X’ Signal on HQ – Deadline appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Two Fresno restaurants were temporarily closed in March and a third business remains closed after Fresno County health inspectors found serious food safety violations during their visits.

Rack Billiards on North Blackstone Avenue north of Gettysburg Avenue was closed by a district inspector March 1 because the floor in the store was removed and the premises were exposed to bare dirt and underground plumbing. Inspectors allowed the store to reopen on March 9

In southeast Fresno, an inspector found evidence of a vermin infestation at the Apni Mandi Indian Market and Restaurant at a mall on Belmont Avenue and Peach Avenue during a visit March 7. Under the Health and Safety Act of the State of California, evidence of an infestation may include actual sighting of insects or rodents, fresh feces, urine stains, or gnawing marks, which may indicate possible contamination of food, equipment, packaging, or utensils. The operators were allowed to reopen on March 13th.

However, another grocery store on Belmont Avenue remained closed this week after its March 17 inspection. Christy’s Donuts at Belmont Avenue and Fresno Street was ruled unsafe by fire officials after a county inspector found the kitchen vent hood wasn’t working. Grease was found to be accumulating in the building’s attic near the water heater and leaking into the light fixtures.

The March closures came after Health Department officials reported no restaurant closures in February due to inspection violations.

What are the inspectors looking for?

The Fresno County Department of Public Health has about two dozen environmental health specialists who monitor more than 5,300 restaurants, snack bars, grocery stores, commissaries, delis, and grocers across the county, making unannounced visits several times a year.

Restaurants are also inspected in response to complaints or other concerns from the public, including when people see restaurants that they believe are health or hygiene issues.

Inspectors go through a checklist of more than 50 items when they visit a restaurant or foodservice.

The first page of the form, used by Fresno County Health Inspectors, contains a checklist of more than 50 factors that are checked for compliance with food handling and food safety regulations.

Some of the county’s inspectors are also responsible for inspecting other facilities such as tattoo or body art studios, public swimming pools, and other facilities.

A lack of hot water is one of the most common violations inspectors from the Fresno County Department of Public Health find during their routine restaurant visits.

If an inspector finds a problem, it can usually be quickly fixed without a closure order — things like putting enough bleach in the water used to wipe down food prep counters, replacing lids on food containers in the aisle — in the refrigerator, refilling paper towels in the Restrooms or reminding employees to wear gloves or hairnets and wash their hands.

But other things that pose an immediate threat to health and safety will also trigger a closure until the problem can be resolved. These may include a lack of hot water to wash dishes or hands; infestation with rodents, cockroaches or other insects; refrigerators that don’t keep cold food cold enough and steam tables that don’t keep food hot enough to inhibit bacterial growth; or plumbing problems, including blocked drains and toilets.

Fresno County makes its restaurant inspection reports publicly available at fresnohealthinspections.org, but some of the more recent inspection reports have yet to appear on the site.

A single roach like the American roach pictured in this file photo won’t necessarily cause Fresno County health inspectors to close a restaurant, but evidence of a significant infestation by this and other creatures will result in a closure until the problem is addressed.

Originally published Apr 15, 2023 1:34 p.m

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A pair of Twitter users this week sicced San Francisco building inspectors on the company’s headquarters in an apparent effort to frustrate new CEO Elon Musk.

San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection dispatched agents to the social media company’s headquarters after two anonymous Twitter users tweeted complaints that the company was violating the city’s building codes by setting up office bedrooms for employees. The complaints followed a Monday Forbes article that described how Twitter has set up “modest bedrooms” for workers who spend the night at the office—a not uncommon practice among Silicon Valley tech workers.

The complaints appear to have been motivated by anti-Musk sentiment that has mounted on Twitter since the billionaire acquired the company. Large swaths of liberal pundits, reporters, and celebrities have cried foul at Musk’s decisions to restore shuttered Twitter accounts and work to make the site’s algorithms fairer to conservatives.

The Twitter press team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, but the company’s new troll in chief had a characteristic reaction. Musk tagged San Francisco mayor London Breed (D.) on a link to a story about a baby who suffered a fentanyl overdose in the city.

So city of SF attacks companies providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl. Where are your priorities @LondonBreed!?https://t.co/M7QJWP7u0N

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 6, 2022

City building inspectors opened an investigation after a Twitter user with the handle @aniccia tagged the city’s planning department in a complaint.

Wonder how much office can be converted to “bedrooms” before it runs afoul of San Francisco code or at least requires a permit and inspections.

AFAIK, the answer is 0, but then I never covertly converted office to residential.

Don’t see new permits for 1355 Market.@sfplanning https://t.co/i3E1dJks4G

— John Berry – Is this my last tweet ever? (@aniccia) December 6, 2022

In a reply to that tweet, a second Twitter user tagged San Francisco’s 311 line and asked the service to investigate.

Hey @sf311 do you know who should be checking this out?

— Mr MR (@21five_public) December 6, 2022

A spokesman for the building inspectors said they will likely start an investigation into Twitter’s office bedrooms within a few days. “There may be fines associated with the enforcement process,” the spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon.

“There are different building code requirements for residential buildings, including those being used for short-term stays,” the building inspection department spokesman said. “These codes make sure people are using spaces safely. Everyone in San Francisco deserves a safe place to live, work, play, and sleep, and no one is above the law.”

Twitter HQ sits in the middle of San Francisco’s epicenter of homelessness and drugs. Cofounder Ev Williams says he decided to move the company to the notoriously downtrodden Tenderloin district in the hopes that Twitter would act as a “revitalizing force.” At the time, San Francisco was luring tech firms to the neighborhood with tax breaks.

The Tenderloin has seen an uptick in crime and homelessness in recent years. Downtown San Francisco has suffered since many white-collar workers began working from home during the pandemic. Prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist Marc Andreessen on Tuesday commented on the state of the neighborhood, tweeting a side-by-side of the Twitter news with a picture of sidewalk tents that proliferate in the Tenderloin district.

https://t.co/yhysL7oiKy https://t.co/Fuw2abxZwP

— Marc Andreessen (@pmarca) December 7, 2022

Tech giants for years have prided themselves on making it easy for workers to stay at the office 24-7 with gyms, showers, and other amenities. Facebook and Google have famously built campus housing, and Google employees have bragged about the months they slept in their cars, RVs, or offices at company headquarters.

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