SF Paid Firm $400K for Data Claiming City is Near Spotless

San Francisco paid a public relations firm hundreds of thousands of dollars for research that claims the city is near spotless, according to government documents obtained by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit. The high rating appears to contradict San Francisco’s own 311 complaint records, which reflect a continued spike in complaints concerning trash, used needles, and human feces scattered across the city’s streets and sidewalks. Investigative reporter Bigad Shaban reports on a story that first aired Sept. 24, 2018.