1 day Ago By Dion Lim
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Dozens of stunned federal employees exited the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building Tuesday - some clutching potted plants and other mementos representing decades of public service. These workers were terminated with a single email which came before the workday began. "It's miserable.
It's awful. It has been awful for weeks - this threat, this lingering cruelty of 'you're going to be let go any day,'" said Steven Weiner, a program specialist with the Office of Administration for Children and Families. "It was total chaos.
" The abrupt closure of the San Francisco regional office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services came with no prior warning for many staff members.
The termination notices were part of a sweeping federal workforce reduction under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s cost-cutting plan, which includes eliminating more than 60,000 positions nationwide.
San Francisco's loss is part of a broader dismantling. HHS regional offices in Boston, New York, Chicago, and Seattle have also been shuttered. MORE: After months of cuts, State Department says it's officially shuttering USAID In San Francisco, the impact has hit employees hard - especially in programs supporting vulnerable children and families.
"I've been here 25 years. This is the majority of my career," said Julie Fong, a regional program manager. "We had an entire office of Head Start.
They're gone. They're gone." Head Start, along with programs supporting early childcare, child welfare, and family assistance, was among the services gutted overnight.
For workers like Erendira Guerrero, the loss feels deeply personal. "This was my dream job. I brought a plant.
I planned to retire here. It feels like I'm leaving my home." VIDEO: Trump moves to eliminate agency managing SF's historic Presidio park, calling it 'unnecessary' The office, which employed 65 experienced human services professionals, is now empty.
Many of those workers fear not just for their careers, but for the families they served. "We're not political pawns," Weiner said. "We work for the poorest of the poor.
This decision doesn't just lack heart - it makes no sense." Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, whose name adorns the federal building, condemned the closures saying they "put the health and safety of Bay Area residents and all Californians in jeopardy." She vowed to take action.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has already done so - co-leading a coalition of 23 states in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
MORE: Here are all the agencies federal workers are being fired from "It's dangerous, arbitrary, capricious and unlawful," Bonta said in a statement. "This cut has already caused widespread chaos and confusion." The coalition is asking a federal court to block the terminations and allow states to retain access to the critical funds while the case proceeds.
Despite the pain, displaced workers expressed their continued commitment to public service. "If you are a Head Start director, or a state, county, or nonprofit agency, you've got 65 people hitting the street with outstanding credentials and professional backgrounds who will serve," Fong said. And with emotion in her voice, she added, "It's been an honor to serve the citizens of this country.
" MORE: Layoffs begin at US health agencies responsible for research, tracking disease and regulating food.
