FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

May 17, 2013 

Contact: Rachel Gordon , 415-554-6045/415-298-5523

VOLUNTEERS SPREAD OUT TO CLEAN AND GREEN 

SAN FRANCISCO’S WESTERN NEIGHBORHOODS

Mayor Ed Lee, Supervisor Katy Tang, Sunset and Richmond neighbors, community groups, and merchants to meet up and clean up to kick off Public Works Week

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Department of Public Works invites volunteers to come out to spruce up the Richmond and Sunset neighborhoods as a part of the Community Clean Team event on Saturday morning.

Mayor Ed Lee, District 4 Supervisor Katy Tang and City work crews are teaming up with volunteers on the western side of the City for cleaning and greening activities, kicking off the morning at Washington High School. This is the fourth of eight Community Clean Team events this year, and the first in a series of events to celebrate National Public Works Week.

More than 300 people are expected to turn out and participate in several work projects, including median plantings, litter pickup, graffiti removal, tree basin maintenance and general sprucing up work.

The event is a part of Giant Sweep, a citywide anti-litter campaign launched this year that partners the City, the World Champion San Francisco Giants, local schools, residents, businesses, and community groups to keep San Francisco clean and beautiful. For more information or to sign up to volunteer, visit sfdpw.org/volunteer.

• WHO: Mayor Ed Lee, Supervisor Katy Tang, DPW and volunteers
• WHAT: Community Clean Team volunteer event for Districts 1 and 4
• WHEN: Saturday, May 18, 9 a.m. - 12 noon
• WHERE: Washington High School (enter at 30th Avenue and Anza Street)
• PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES: Median landscaping work at Geary and 29th Avenue; graffiti removal along Irving from 19th to 25th avenues; greening activities, weeding, chipping around George Washington High School; litter sweeping and sticker removal at Irving and 19th Avenue, Judah and 44th Avenue, Balboa and 34th Avenue, Clement and 19th Avenue, and Taraval and 19th Avenue; Gigantic Three bulky item collection at 48th Avenue and Geary, and at the West Sunset Playground parking lot at Quintera and 40th Avenue.

Last year, 5,986 Community Clean Team volunteers planted 1,325 trees, bushes and plants; removed 62 tons of litter and debris from sidewalks and parks; removed 54 tons of green waste from sidewalks and medians; abated graffiti from more than 47,000 sq. ft. of public property; trimmed 50 trees; and improved 308 tree basins.

The Department of Public Works’ Community Clean Team partners include the Recreation and Park Department, the San Francisco Housing Authority, San Francisco Arts Commission, all 11 members of the Board of Supervisors, the San Francisco Police Department, the Department of the Environment, the sheriff’s office, Clean City, Caltrans, the Municipal Transportation Agency, the San Francisco Unified School District, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, SF Parks Alliance, La Tierra, Friends of the Urban Forest, Got Graffiti?, United Playaz, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Community Youth Center, Mission Neighborhood Centers and the San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project.

The program is sponsored by DPW, Walgreens, Recology, Academy of Art University, the Emerald Fund, the San Francisco Hilton, Luxor Cab Co., Laborers’ Local 261, PG&E, Starbucks and Reo Solutions. Contributions include in-kind services, volunteer hours and financial support.

About DPW: DPW is responsible for the care and maintenance of San Francisco’s streets and much of its infrastructure. The department cleans and resurfaces streets; plants and maintains City street trees; designs, constructs and maintains City-owned facilities; inspects streets and sidewalks; constructs curb ramps; removes graffiti from public property; and partners with the diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco to provide stellar cleaning and greening services. More information is available atwww.sfdpw.org

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