A Nevada businessman is offering the city of San Francisco a prefabricated building for its public bathroom project after California Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to halt plans for the $1.7 million toilet, reports The San Francisco Chronicle.
Chad Kaufman, president of Public Restroom Co., says San Francisco officials must waive any bureaucratic red tape responsible for most public projects and that a local labor union must install the building, valued at $135,000. Vaughan Buckley, CEO of Volumetric Building Companies, said he would offer free architecture and engineering support to ready the site. The two are in San Francisco for a building conference this week.
Other contractors have also put in bids, per the news outlet.
"I want to donate a restroom to help the people of Noe Valley get this accomplished sooner rather than later," Kaufman said in reference to the city's 2025 projected build-out date for the loo. "Our installation would take three days."
Tamara Aparton, spokesperson for the city's Recreation and Park Department, said the department has responded and hopes to meet with Kaufman and Buckley this week.
"We are happy to explore this offer," she told the Chronicle.
But San Francisco may have to ask for special dispensation to accept the free bathroom because the state has declared Nevada off-limits for travel and business due to their stances on abortion rights, voting rights, and LGBTQ rights.
Newsom last month threatened to halt the original project.
"A single, small bathroom should not cost $1.7 million," Erin Mellon, the governor's communications director, told the San Francisco Chronicle in a statement. "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."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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