Bad Behavior and City Projects That Captivated Us in 2009

It’s been a week full of recaps and to continue the trend, here are some of the stories that stole the headlines in San Francisco this past year.

Just when we thought the Lembi family couldn’t do anything to be more hated, they proved us wrong. In 2009, the real estate and apartment management company that has had as many different names as Tiger has girlfriends including CitiApartments, Lembi Group, Skyline Realty, and First Apartments was the subject of a damning expose revealing their disgraceful business practices, including attempts to make renters give up their rent-controlled apartments and refusing to return security deposits.

Gus Murad took some heat this year when it came to light that his proposed condo building in The Mission was allowed to rise 20 feet taller, his rooftop bar Madjool did not have proper permitting, and that Elements was renting SRO rooms without proper documentation. Quite a few legal missteps for the former member of the San Francisco Small Business Commission.

The Pavement to Parks project, the fight to keep the American Apparel brand out of The Mission, and the “temporary” test to restrict eastbound cars on Market Street also kept quite a few Friscans busy this year.

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