Here's a sentence we didn't expect to write today: a popular Haight-Ashbury bar allegedly has a camera recording inside the men's restroom.
Patrons at Kezar Pub have reported spotting what appears to be a surveillance camera inside the men's bathroom, complete with visible signage posted before entering. And while the signage might seem like some kind of good-faith transparency effort, let's be very clear about something — posting a sign doesn't make recording people in a restroom legal.
California Penal Code Section 647(j) is unambiguous: it is a criminal offense to use a concealed camera to record someone in any space where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Bathrooms sit at the very top of that list. It doesn't matter if there's a sign. It doesn't matter if the camera only captures the sink area. A restroom is a restroom.
Now, we don't know the full story here. Maybe this is a dummy camera meant to deter vandalism. Maybe it's pointed at the entrance hallway and technically not inside the restroom proper. Maybe there's some explanation that makes this less insane than it looks. But the burden of explanation falls squarely on the business, not on the customers who are understandably creeped out.
This is exactly the kind of situation where individual rights matter most — in the small, everyday moments where people assume their privacy is being respected. A neighborhood bar isn't a government building or an airport. You should be able to use the bathroom without wondering who's watching.
If the reports are accurate, the San Francisco Police Department and the California Attorney General's office should take a look. And Kezar Pub owes its customers a clear, public explanation — fast.
In the meantime, consider yourself warned. Your favorite post-game beer spot might come with an audience you didn't sign up for.