Public Works Launches Citywide Initiative to Improve Sidewalk Conditions in San Francisco's High-Use Corridors
For immediate release: Feb. 13, 2020
Contact: Rachel Gordon, 415-554-6045
PUBLIC WORKS LAUNCHES CITYWIDE INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE SIDEWALK CONDITIONS IN SAN FRANCISCO’S HIGH-USE NEIGHBORHOOD CORRIDORS
SidewalkSpotlightSF to Deploy Litter Patrols, Steam Cleaners and Education Campaign
San Francisco, CA – San Francisco Public Works today launched SidewalkSpotlightSF, a new initiative to deep clean busy neighborhood corridors throughout the City with a focus on litter removal, steam cleaning, graffiti abatement, trash pickup and public education.
Public Works is expanding the City’s efforts to address quality of life issues relying on data from 311, community partnerships and field staff to target locations.
Public Works will perform intensive sidewalk cleanups through June, followed by a comprehensive education campaign. Public Works outreach workers will provide door-to-door outreach to merchants, in partnership with community-based organizations.
“Public Works is working hand-in-hand with the community to deliver much-needed sidewalk cleaning to our busiest merchant corridors,” said City Administrator Naomi Kelly. “This new initiative is one of the many ways we are serving residents, keeping sidewalks clean and strengthening community partnerships that are ultimately our best resource to keep our sidewalks clean.”
Today’s focused cleanup took place in San Francisco’s Little Saigon neighborhood.
“Obviously, keeping our sidewalks clean remains a high priority for the community and for our department,” said Alaric Degrafinried, Acting San Francisco Public Works Director. “It is clear from my initial discussions with neighborhood residents that a more intensive focus on sidewalk cleaning is needed. As we plan for our two-year budget, I will be talking to more community members throughout the City to determine what is the best use of our street cleaning resources. But, while that is underway, I am excited to launch SidewalkSpotlightSF that targets our resources to the very real concerns the community has about sidewalk conditions.”
Today also marks the first of Public Works’ citywide public budget meetings where the department will present its priorities to more seamlessly align its services with community needs.
The department is prioritizing a rapid response to dog and human waste, sidewalk dumping, trash pickup, graffiti removal and tree basin cleaning.
The new initiative includes a crew of 20 deployed to do an intensive cleanup of targeted neighborhood corridors, which includes:
• Litter Patrol – manual sweeping and sidewalk dumping removal;
• Steam Cleaning – deep cleaning and power washing of grimy sidewalks in busy pedestrian corridors;
• Outreach and Enforcement – Public Works outreach workers will ramp up educating merchants and property owners about their responsibility to keep sidewalks clean.
The SidewalkSpotlightSF initiative augments a roster of services performed by Public Works and nonprofit partners aimed at keeping the City clean and green, including a Corridor Ambassadors program that puts unemployed people to work sweeping 700 blocks in the City’s busiest neighborhood commercial corridors; a graffiti team; a harm reduction crew focusing in the Civic Center; hot spots encampment crews working seven days a week starting at 4:30 a.m.; manual block sweeping; mechanical street sweeping covering 150,000 curb miles; the Pit Stop public toilet program; a NEAT Streets program providing deep overnight cleaning of about 80 alleys; comprehensive outreach and enforcement; special cleanups for parades, protests and other events; a host of volunteer programs providing 60,000 hours of work annually; freeway ramp cleanups; mechanical bike lane sweeping; illegal dumping cleanups and more.
About San Francisco Public Works: The 24/7 City agency cleans and resurfaces streets; plants and nurtures City-maintained street trees; designs, constructs and maintains City-owned facilities; inspects streets and sidewalks; builds curb ramps; eradicates graffiti; partners with neighborhoods; trains people for jobs; greens the right of way; and educates our communities.
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For immediate release: Feb. 13, 2020
Contact: Rachel Gordon, 415-554-6045
PUBLIC WORKS LAUNCHES CITYWIDE INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE SIDEWALK CONDITIONS
IN SAN FRANCISCO’S HIGH-USE NEIGHBORHOOD CORRIDORS
SidewalkSpotlightSF to Deploy Litter Patrols, Steam Cleaners and Education Campaign
San Francisco, CA – San Francisco Public Works today launched SidewalkSpotlightSF, a new initiative to deep clean busy neighborhood corridors throughout the City with a focus on litter removal, steam cleaning, graffiti abatement, trash pickup and public education.
Public Works is expanding the City’s efforts to address quality of life issues relying on data from 311, community partnerships and field staff to target locations.
Public Works will perform intensive sidewalk cleanups through June, followed by a comprehensive education campaign. Public Works outreach workers will provide door-to-door outreach to merchants, in partnership with community-based organizations.
“Public Works is working hand-in-hand with the community to deliver much-needed sidewalk cleaning to our busiest merchant corridors,” said City Administrator Naomi Kelly. “This new initiative is one of the many ways we are serving residents, keeping sidewalks clean and strengthening community partnerships that are ultimately our best resource to keep our sidewalks clean.”
Today’s focused cleanup took place in San Francisco’s Little Saigon neighborhood.
“Obviously, keeping our sidewalks clean remains a high priority for the community and for our department,” said Alaric Degrafinried, Acting San Francisco Public Works Director. “It is clear from my initial discussions with neighborhood residents that a more intensive focus on sidewalk cleaning is needed. As we plan for our two-year budget, I will be talking to more community members throughout the City to determine what is the best use of our street cleaning resources. But, while that is underway, I am excited to launch SidewalkSpotlightSF that targets our resources to the very real concerns the community has about sidewalk conditions.”
Today also marks the first of Public Works’ citywide public budget meetings where the department will present its priorities to more seamlessly align its services with community needs.
The department is prioritizing a rapid response to dog and human waste, sidewalk dumping, trash pickup, graffiti removal and tree basin cleaning.
– more – 2
The new initiative includes a crew of 20 deployed to do an intensive cleanup of targeted neighborhood corridors, which includes:
- • Litter Patrol – manual sweeping and sidewalk dumping removal;
- • Steam Cleaning – deep cleaning and power washing of grimy sidewalks in busy pedestrian corridors;
- • Outreach and Enforcement – Public Works outreach workers will ramp up educating merchants and property owners about their responsibility to keep sidewalks clean.
The SidewalkSpotlightSF initiative augments a roster of services performed by Public Works and nonprofit partners aimed at keeping the City clean and green, including a Corridor Ambassadors program that puts unemployed people to work sweeping 700 blocks in the City’s busiest neighborhood commercial corridors; a graffiti team; a harm reduction crew focusing in the Civic Center; hot spots encampment crews working seven days a week starting at 4:30 a.m.; manual block sweeping; mechanical street sweeping covering 150,000 curb miles; the Pit Stop public toilet program; a NEAT Streets program providing deep overnight cleaning of about 80 alleys; comprehensive outreach and enforcement; special cleanups for parades, protests and other events; a host of volunteer programs providing 60,000 hours of work annually; freeway ramp cleanups; mechanical bike lane sweeping; illegal dumping cleanups and more.
About San Francisco Public Works: The 24/7 City agency cleans and resurfaces streets; plants and nurtures City-maintained street trees; designs, constructs and maintains City-owned facilities; inspects streets and sidewalks; builds curb ramps; eradicates graffiti; partners with neighborhoods; trains people for jobs; greens the right of way; and educates our communities.
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Mission
San Francisco Public Works is one of the largest and most complex municipal operations in the City, with a 1,600-member workforce and a $384 million annual operating budget. The department's active capital project portfolio exceeds $3 billion. As one of San Francisco oldest City departments, it is also one of the most forward-thinking. Keeping San Francisco beautiful, safe and sustainable.
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