A lifelong San Francisco resident said on “Fox & Friends First” Friday that crime is spiking and homelessness is rampant in the city, with “no clear end” in sight to the problems.

“My business was robbed. It was broken into and my equipment was robbed. My vehicle was constantly being broken into,” said Tom Wong, a private security firm owner who recently moved to the suburbs as crime has risen by 8.5% in the city since 2021.

“There’s open drug use. One of my client’s sites is right next to a safe injection site and the street is literally filled with drug dealers. There are probably about 15-20 drug dealers around the clock on the same block. And the residents are scared. My client, he could barely protect his home. And it’s just really, really bad right now.”

A shocking new survey revealed that almost half of San Francisco residents have been robbed in the last five years. The poll, conducted by a California NPR affiliate called KQED, revealed that nearly half of San Franciscans have been robbed in the past five years, while the city has not yet addressed the crime issue.

San Francisco officials tallied nearly 8,000 homeless people in February — the second highest number since 2005, according to a city count that happens every three years.

Furthermore, The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that a homeless encampment run by San Francisco cost the city $60,000 per year per tent.

Tom Wong is a private security firm owner who recently moved to the suburbs after his business was robbed. FOX News

Wong said it breaks his heart to see what has happened to the city where he grew up.

“It was a home that I knew and loved. We got here because of the district attorney, we’re loose on crime, we have open drug use, we’re a sanctuary city, it just doesn’t work. Their policies don’t work. It’s a feel-good, it’s a slogan, but it doesn’t work. And we need to change that,” he told Carley Shimkus.

Businesses in one of San Francisco’s trendiest neighborhoods are threatening to withhold tax payments unless the woke politicians remove homeless people from the area and implement a stronger police presence.

The Castro Merchants Association, which represents 125 businesses, sent a letter to city officials earlier this month outlining three demands: 35 shelter beds for “mentally ill and substance-abusing individuals who have taken up residence in the Castro,” monthly metrics on services offered to the homeless in the Castro and a devised plan following a homeless person’s refusal for services.

Fox News’ Rachel Paik contributed to this report.

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September 21, 2021

In an indicator of just how many fingers disgraced permit expediter, contractor and confessed federal criminal Walter Wong had in how many San Francisco pies, a settlement with him ratified by the Board of Supervisors last week includes a $387,000 credit to Wong for garbage can parts.

This equipment is referred to obliquely in the actual settlement as “a credit of $386,933.94 for goods and services already received by the City from Alternate Choice, LLC.”

Mission Local, however, has confirmed that these “goods” are garbage-can parts for the much-maligned “Renaissance” bins procured from the Wong-affiliated Alternate Choice in a $5.2 million contract. The parts had been obtained by the city, but had not yet been paid for — and the $387,000 credit offsets a larger $1.7 million fine levied against Wong.

San Francisco is in the midst of a year long process of designing and producing a new, custom-made trash can — an exercise that has required a prohibitive amount of time and could result in garbage bins costing more per unit than a decent used car.

The present trash cans, whose wonderful performance induced — and justified — the process of designing a can from scratch and building it, were produced by one of the city’s most notorious fixers. And, thanks to this $387,000 worth of cans and parts, the procurement process can go on; without these parts, it would have been even more challenging to maintain our deteriorating extant cans.

Wong, who was swept up in the ongoing corruption probes stemming from the January, 2020, federal charges leveled against former Public Works boss Mohammed Nuru, was born in Hong Kong in 1948 and emigrated to San Francisco 23 years later. He ascended from positions as a janitor and busboy to become a contractor, major landowner and, perhaps most saliently, a permit expediter.

It is hard to understate the amount of control Wong exercised over this city’s Department of Building Inspection, for a generation. He ran a de facto department within a department, seeded with his allies to handle his matters, up to and including former director Tom Hui.

Wong copped to fraud and money-laundering charges and pledged to cooperate with the feds. He did: His fingerprints were all over the charges leveled against former PUC boss Harlan Kelly in November, 2020. Kelly was accused of taking bribes from Wong in return for aid in obtaining a lighting contract (Wong ultimately failed to land the contract; jarringly, within the charging documents, a conversation between Wong and Nuru is recounted, in which the latter tells Wong he had no chance at the contract because a competitor bribed Kelly more).

The settlement ratified by the Board of Supervisors last week dings Wong $1.45 million for contracts he received without benefit of the competitive process and $318,000 in ethics fines and fees. He will also not collect $164,000 in work performed but not yet paid for in an emergency Public Works contract.

Perhaps most consequently, however, the settlement bars Wong from permit-expediting for five years — the maximum debarment period allowed under city law.

The notion of getting replacement parts from Wong for the janky and inadequate cans he provided the city was greeted with some degree of bitter mirth within City Hall. One official liked it to a movie in which a villain is visited in prison — say, Hannibal Lecter — and asked to provide a favor.

Mission Local’s questions to Public Works regarding just how many garbage cans and/or parts one gets for $387,000, and how many years of maintenance this is projected to provide, have not yet been answered.

Mission Local covers San Francisco from the vantage point of the Mission, a neighborhood with all of the promise and problems of a major city. You can support Mission Local here.

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The San Francisco Federal Home Loan Bank Board of Directors has approved the promotion of Tony Wong to EVP and Chief Banking Officer (CBO) who is responsible for strategic direction and oversight of sales, marketing and communications, member, member and counterparty financial services Credit and Community Investment Departments.

Wong has been acting CBO for FHLBank San Francisco since April 2020 and will report directly to Teresa Bazemore, the bank’s President and CEO.

“I am excited to promote Tony to CBO and recognize his leadership role in exceptional times,” said Bazemore. “As CBO, Tony was instrumental in FHLBank San Francisco’s ability to keep business as usual throughout the pandemic. Tony’s extensive knowledge of the bank and our membership, as well as his strong commitment to our mission made him an ideal candidate. I look forward to working with him to serve our members and empower our communities as we move into a post-pandemic time. “

Wong joined the bank in 1995 and has held various positions during his tenure, most recently as SVP of Member Financial Services and CMO. Prior to joining the bank, he was part of the capital markets team at Barclays Global Investors (formerly Wells Fargo Nikko Investment Advisors). He began his career as a registered investment advisor with the Retail Brokerage Division of Lehman Brothers. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley and is a Certified Mortgage Banker, Accredited Mortgage Professional, and Certified Diversity Professional.

“I am honored to take the CBO position at FHLBank in San Francisco and advance the bank’s mission to build stronger communities and create opportunities,” said Wong. “As the CBO, I look forward to addressing the challenges ahead, fulfilling our promise to our members to promote home ownership, expand access to affordable housing and support economic recovery.”

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SAN FRANCISCO, May 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – The Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco has approved the promotion of Tony Wong to Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer (CBO). As the CBO, Wong is responsible for the strategic direction and oversight of sales, marketing and communications, member financial services, member and counterparty credit, and community investment departments. Mr. Wong has been working for the bank as CBO since April 2020. He will report directly to Teresa Bazemore, the bank’s President and CEO.

“I’m excited to promote Tony to CBO and recognize his leadership role in exceptional times. As acting CBO, Tony played a critical role in FHLBank San Francisco’s ability to maintain normal business throughout the pandemic, ”said Ms. Bazemore. “Tony’s extensive knowledge of the bank and our membership, as well as his strong commitment to our mission, made him the ideal candidate. I look forward to working with him to serve our members and empower our communities as we move into a post-pandemic time. “

Mr. Wong joined the bank in 1995 and has held various positions of increasing responsibility during his tenure, most recently as Senior Vice President, Financial Services and Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining the bank, he was part of the capital markets team at Barclays Global Investors (formerly Wells Fargo Nikko Investment Advisors). Mr. Wong began his career as a registered investment advisor with the retail brokerage division of Lehman Brothers. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley and is a Certified Mortgage Banker, Accredited Mortgage Professional, and Certified Diversity Professional.

“I am honored to take the CBO position at FHLBank in San Francisco and advance the bank’s mission to build stronger communities and create opportunities,” said Wong. “As the CBO, I look forward to addressing the challenges ahead, fulfilling our promise to our members to promote home ownership, expand access to affordable housing and support economic recovery.”

Via the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco
The San Francisco Federal Home Loan Bank is a member-operated cooperative that helps local lenders in Arizona, California, and Nevada build strong communities, create opportunities, and change lives for the better. Our member financial institutions – commercial banks, credit unions, industrial loan companies, savings banks, insurance companies, and community development financial institutions – rely on us to provide quick access to low-cost finance, risk management tools, and affordable housing resources for economic development in the community. Together with our members and other partners, we make the communities we serve more resilient and vibrant.

Contact:
Mary Long, 415-572-6717
longm@fhlbsf.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ccb7e1d8-ee47-4aa8-83d1-120e342f3d04

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