The spokesperson for Drago Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Mar Domínguez, visited the San Francisco neighbourhood and noted issues with sanitation, insecurity, and lack of public services. The action plan approved in 2019 remains unimplemented.
The San Francisco neighbourhood, in the Gran Canaria capital, has suffered decades of institutional neglect. This was reported on Thursday by the spokesperson for Drago Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Mar Domínguez, after a visit to the area where she gathered complaints about sanitation, pests, and the absence of green spaces.
Pests and sewage: daily life in San Francisco
During the tour, Domínguez observed that the sinking of homes and public spaces, along with the lack of a sanitation plan connecting the neighbourhood to the Risco de San Nicolás, creates unsanitary conditions. “One of the squares is called ‘plaza de las cucas’,” the spokesperson quipped, noting that leaks of sewage cause dampness and respiratory illnesses among residents.
The civil works connecting the main part of the neighbourhood with the back area are giving way, exacerbating structural problems. According to Domínguez, “it does not allow for the development of dignified living projects, and all it does is make many people feel that they do not exist.”
No buses or parks: the isolation of a working-class neighbourhood
San Francisco lacks any green space. “There used to be a park, but it was dismantled,” Domínguez recalled. Public transport is scarce: buses pass every hour on weekdays and less frequently on weekends, keeping residents in constant isolation.
In October 2019, the Plenary of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council unanimously approved an action plan with four axes: cleaning, sanitation, a socioeconomic study, and a housing replacement plan. As of June 2026, none of these measures have been implemented.
For the spokesperson of Drago, “the municipal government believes that there are first-class and second-class neighbourhoods.” Domínguez emphasised that San Francisco “does not need more broken promises, but rather people who will fight alongside them.”
A political alternative for 2027
Drago Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is already proposing a political alternative for the 2027 municipal elections, aiming to put “people and neighbourhoods at the centre of political action.” Meanwhile, the residents of San Francisco continue to wait for the administrations to fulfil their promises.
For those who wish to witness the situation firsthand, the organisation has announced that it will continue to conduct periodic visits to the neighbourhood to maintain pressure on the City Council.
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