Men in MAGA hats, DOGE shirts demand access to files at S.F. City Hall

Three men dressed in Department of Government Efficiency T-shirts and red Make America Great Again hats entered multiple offices at San Francisco City Hall today, Mission Local has learned, demanding access to files before being rejected and fleeing the building.

The sheriff’s department, which responded to the incidents, said it believes the men were impersonating employees of DOGE, Elon Musk’s task force at the federal level, which has taken a hatchet to government budgets.

The incident occurred around noon today.

The men claimed they required information related to “alleged wasteful government spending and fraud,” Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Tara Moriarty said, but employees in “various offices” at City Hall refused and called for help from sheriff’s deputies.

In recent weeks, Musk and his acolytes have similarly entered federal government offices, from the U.S. Treasury to USAID, demanding and obtaining access to sensitive files, as part of a purported cost-cutting mission. Musk has claimed, without evidence, that the action is uncovering waste, fraud, and abuse.

“Deputies immediately responded but the individuals had fled the building,” Moriarty said in a statement. The incident is currently under investigation as the sheriff’s department reviews surveillance footage.

Board of Supervisor President Rafael Mandelman said the men approached the Assessment Appeals Board office, and applauded the city employees who refused to grant them access.

“Our people said no! And good for them, that’s got to be a super scary, intimidating moment,” Mandelman. “They had the presence of mind to say, ‘No we’re not giving you access and we’re going to call the sheriffs.'”