San Francisco official in corruption probe resigns his post

SAN FRANCISCO - A San Francisco official charged with public corruption for trying to steer public contracts and taking pricey gifts has resigned his post as director of public works.

Mayor London Breed on Monday announced the resignation of Mohammed Nuru, who was arrested Jan. 21 along with restaurateur Nick Bovis.

Federal prosecutors have said the men schemed in 2018 to bribe a San Francisco airport commissioner for prime restaurant space at San Francisco International Airport. The commissioner did not take the $5,000 bribe.

They are free on $2 million bail each and Nuru, 57, had been on paid leave.

Nuru was a treasured go-to bureaucrat for several mayors, including Breed, and proactively cleaned up the city's notoriously filthy streets before media events.

He oversaw the city's department of public works, which is responsible for cleaning streets, since 2012 and he was a deputy in the department previously.

Critics have said his department was heavy-handed in sweeping up homeless camps and that the streets that were cleaned up never stayed that way for long.

Bovis, 56, runs a Christmas toy drive for needy children and owns several businesses, including Lefty O' Doul's, a popular sports bar frequented by city officials.

Lawyers for the men have declined to comment on specifics except to say that their clients are good people.