'Da Mayor' Willie Brown moves into sinking Millennium Tower


The San Francisco Examiner

Millennium Tower Former Mayor Willie Brown moved into the Millennium Tower earlier this month. (Dan Chambers/Special to S.F. Examiner) By Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez on January 24, 2019 1:00 am

On Guard column header Joe

Seriously, readers, some news is too ridiculous to believe - but I swear on my red-dyed mop that the following is a true-blue scoop.

The sinking, tilting Millennium Tower has a new tenant: Da Mayor, hizzoner, Willie Brown.

When this info first hit my eardrums I didn't believe it either. So I hopped on the horn and called up our former mayor to verify it.

"Oh yeah!" he said heartily, when I asked if he had indeed moved in.

"The price was right," he added. I asked him how much. "Not your 'bidness,'" he answered.

Willie moved in last week, he told me, before returning to the meeting I interrupted for my questions. Sadly, I didn't have enough time to ask if he was nervous about the 58-story tower continuously sinking about an inch a year, as various outlets have reported.

At least Willie has good company: 49ers legend Joe Montana also owns a Millennium Tower condo, although he's suing its developers, Millennium Partners, for allegedly hiding its problems.

As to how Willie got the good deal?

Since it's apparently none of my business, one can only speculate. But our former mayor wears many hats (all of them stylish): a behind-the-scenes lobbyist, and a Democratic power player.

In that last role, Willie wrote in late 2017 about Ayesha Curry's Millennium Tower restaurant "International Smoke."

"It was a real treat. It certainly gives the building a new tilt," he said. "I hear the place is already booked solid until the first of the year. I guess that's what happens when you have Michael Mina as a partner."

That's some great advertising.

I wasn't the only one to find the whole thing funny. Supervisor Aaron Peskin responded, "hilarious," when I told him of Willie's new digs. And Willie's influence may actually help Millennium Tower, he speculated.

"I would like to think now that he's a part owner they'll finally fix the building," Peskin said.

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