(RightWing.org) – Angry taxpayers often complain about politicians flushing their money down the toilet. The thing is, it’s usually just a colorful figure of speech. Usually — but not always. San Francisco’s Democrat city government has decided to take it literally.
Noe Valley is one of San Francisco’s more upscale neighborhoods. Its location gives it a less damp climate than most of the city, making its tree-lined streets popular with young, wealthy parents. Unfortunately, its picturesque town square doesn’t have a public toilet. In October 2022, the city’s Board of Supervisors decided to fix that and allocated $1.7 million of taxpayers’ money to build one.
The problem is that San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the US, and when officials announced a party to celebrate the funding, its hard-pressed taxpayers felt that $1.7 million was a bit much to pay for a toilet. They were even less happy when the city announced that, although they had the funds, it would take two to three years before the project made its way through the city’s famously inefficient permitting process and the toilet actually got built. The party was swiftly canceled, furious arguments broke out between supporters and opponents of the luxury lavatory, and California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) finally lost patience and took the money back.
According to city officials, $1.7 million for a 150-square-foot public toilet isn’t an excessive price; they say everything — including construction materials — is more expensive in San Francisco. Taxpayers disagree, and blame it on the city government’s notorious inefficiency. One Noe Valley resident called it “yet another example of the city that can’t.” Others have pointed out that $1.7 million is close to the price of the average house in Noe Valley, and it will probably come with more than one bathroom.
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