Keith Truong, owner of Ambrosia Bakery, said, “Those two trees are in front of a huge stop sign. So for the customer’s safety I took action in my own hand. What happened is that the gardener I hired over-trimmed the tree.” He was unaware that it was illegal to trim street trees and that the fine was onerous. The fine is $4,460. The dispute goes back to September, when management contacted DPW to complain that two trees were blocking signage, Gordon said. The bakery owners were told that the trees in question were scheduled for pruning in 2022. The city is responsible for the care of more than 125,000 street trees, carried out by the Bureau of Urban Forestry. 

The firm sues on behalf of a handful of disabled clients who, in most cases, have never even visited the businesses and claim violations that are typically fabricated. For example, two restaurants in San Francisco’s Chinatown were accused of serving food at outdoor tables that were too low to accommodate wheelchairs — at a time when both were providing only takeout meals because of the pandemic.

The businesses settle the suits, for $10,000 or more, because defending them would typically cost between $50,000 and $100,000 in lawyers’ fees and expenses, the district attorneys said. They said the firm has shifted its focus to the Bay Area for the last year with “serial filers” from Southern California, particularly targeting small businesses run by immigrants who may not be fluent in English.

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