Nancy Pelosi Federal Building is heavily guarded and oddly empty

In early August, amid public safety and crime concerns in downtown San Francisco, federal employees at the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in the city’s SoMa neighborhood were told to work from home as much as possible. 

“In light of the conditions at the [Federal Building] we recommend employees … maximize the use of telework for the foreseeable future,” Cheryl Campbell, an assistant secretary with the Department of Health and Human Services, wrote in a memo obtained by news outlets. (The San Francisco Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.)

Two months later, Health and Human Services won’t say whether the recommendation is still in effect. But if it is, it’s difficult to glean why.

Located at the intersection of Seventh and Mission streets, the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building is home to the office of Rep. Nancy Pelosi as well as several other federal agencies. On five trips to the building over the past two weeks, SFGATE has observed officers with the Federal Protective Service — effectively the police arm of the Department of Homeland Security — stationed outside. On one trip, SFGATE saw five officers milling around on the sidewalk just outside the building, with six federal police cruisers parked in the vicinity. A security guard stationed outside of the James R. Browning U.S. Courthouse, which is across the street, told SFGATE that Federal Protective Service officers seem to be at the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building for about 12 hours each weekday.

A spokesperson with the Federal Protective Service indicated to SFGATE that the officers will remain stationed at the building for a while.

“The Federal Protective Service is entrusted with the safety and security of federal employees and visitors at more than 9,000 facilities nationwide daily,” the agency spokesperson wrote in an email. “That is our mission and top priority. FPS’ presence at the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building and at federal facilities nationwide is an example of our important mission. We will continue to have a visible presence there and at other facilities nationwide to ensure the continued protection and safety for our federal workforce and visitors receiving services in federal facilities.”

The agency declined to answer specific questions about its operations at and around the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, including when patrols started, and what prompted those patrols. The San Francisco Standard previously reported that federal officials met in San Francisco in early September to discuss safety concerns at the building.

The Pelosi building is heavily patrolled, but it appears few people are actually working inside of it. Health and Human Services ignored several requests for comment from SFGATE about whether its employees have been called back to in-office work, or if the area is still considered dangerous. During each of SFGATE’s five trips to the building, not a single person was seen entering or exiting the front entrance. During one trip, SFGATE walked into the building lobby and was quickly met by a security guard stationed at a desk a few feet from the entrance. No other employees were present. 

It seemed during SFGATE’s visits that the only people nearby were part of the heavy Homeland Security presence. Nothing else was out of the ordinary, and none of the conditions alluded to by Health and Human Services were observed. The area was often deserted, and apart from the Federal Protective Service officers, no one appeared to be loitering. During one trip, a man sat on a concrete bench outside the building and ate his lunch while federal officers stood nearby. 

Federal Protective Service’s presumed goal of clearing the area around the building appears to be working. Left unanswered is whether officers are stationed outside a mostly empty building — and if that’s the case, how much longer before those employees are called back to the office?