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San Francisco Conservation Corps closure disrupted Public Works tree‑watering contract, director says
Summary
Public Works Director Carla Short told the commission that the San Francisco Conservation Corps "decided to close down," affecting several city contracts including a tree‑watering and workforce development contract; the department and the controller's nonprofit monitoring section are meeting with impacted departments to determine next steps.
San Francisco Public Works staff told the Public Works Commission on May 8 that the San Francisco Conservation Corps has stopped operations, disrupting a tree‑watering and workforce development contract and other city agreements.
Director Carla Short said the corps "basically decided to close down and they have, eliminated all of their operations," and that Public Works was one of several city departments with active contracts affected. "The nonprofit monitoring section in the controller's office has held meetings with the conservation corps and impacted departments to talk about next steps and any potential impacts, and those conversations are still ongoing," Short said.
The discussion came during questions about the consent calendar's item 4d, a contract for tree watering and workforce development services. Chair Lauren Post asked why the Conservation Corps ceased performance, whether the organization paid a financial penalty, how much notice it was required to give, and whether notice was provided. Short said the corps provided both informal and later formal notice; she added that leaders were caught off guard. "I think we were we were all caught off guard by this, honestly," Short said. "Even when we think we have a pretty, well established organization, things happen. And so we should always be prepared for the worst case scenario."
Commissioner Paul Wolford, who later moved approval of the consent calendar, did not call out a formal penalty or replacement contractor during the meeting. Short said the closure affected multiple departments, naming the PUC, the sheriff's department, Recreation and Parks and OAWD as other city programs with contracts or grants tied to the corps. Short did not provide dollar amounts for the contracts or specific timelines for replacement services during the public portion of the meeting.
No members of the public offered comment on the consent calendar item in the meeting record. The consent calendar, which included the draft April 10 minutes, one contract award, one contract modification and one sole source grant award, was approved by the commission later in the meeting.
The director and the controller's nonprofit monitoring section are continuing discussions with impacted departments; Short did not announce any final decisions or financial penalties at the meeting.
