Public Works director announces new deputy, Jean Friend Rec Center topping out and flags budget cuts ahead of Super Bowl

Public Works Director Carla Short used the commission’s June 26 meeting to introduce the department’s new deputy director for project delivery, highlight a major recreation center construction milestone and brief commissioners on a budget process that she said still contains reductions negotiated by the Board of Supervisors’ budget committee.

Short said Scott Anderson joined the department last week and will oversee construction management, surveying and mapping, project controls and permitting. Anderson described a long career in California construction and volunteer service on a San Francisco partnering steering committee. "Service has always been sort of my focus," Anderson told commissioners.

Short also announced a topping‑out ceremony earlier in the week for the Jean Friend Recreation Center in the South of Market neighborhood. Public Works is managing construction and landscape design on behalf of the Recreation and Park Department. Short said the project, which broke ground in February 2024, is a $59,000,000 rebuild that will increase the facility’s size by about 50 percent and is on track for completion in mid‑2026. The new center will include two full‑size basketball courts, multipurpose rooms, a modern exercise area, new landscaping and a playground.

On the budget, Short said the Board of Supervisors’ budget committee approved a two‑year plan after lengthy hearings and that the full board will consider that plan in coming weeks. She said the committee declined some proposed reductions, but the plan still contains cuts including reductions to the Pit Stop public toilet program. Short said the city is working to avoid layoffs but faces a projected roughly $800,000,000 deficit.

Commissioners pressed Short and the department’s chief financial officer, Bruce Robertson, about next‑year outlooks and how the commission can help. Robertson told the commission the department has already run scenarios and started planning to minimize operational impacts but said 2026 looks challenging.

Short and commissioners also noted recent neighborhood efforts: Public Works partnered with the Tenderloin Community Benefit District on a volunteer beautification day that drew more than 60 volunteers; Short said the department will again staff cleanup operations for the city’s big parade this Sunday.

Commissioners raised the department’s readiness ahead of the 2026 Super Bowl, with several members expressing concern about equipment, staffing and overtime capacity to support such a large event. Short acknowledged the concerns and said the department is preparing scenario plans and will work with the commission to communicate needs to the mayor’s office.

No public comment was recorded on the director’s report at the meeting.