Public Works bureaus warn proposed FY25-26 cuts would slow repairs, extend outages to years

Council members and bureau chiefs at the Board of Public Works Budget Committee on May 20 heard detailed warnings that the mayor’s proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget would reduce services across multiple Public Works bureaus and extend repair timelines for streetlights, streets and other infrastructure.

The Bureau of Street Lighting (BSL) told the committee its staffing and operating model is “unsustainable.” Miguel Sanlang, Bureau of Street Lighting, said the bureau expects to lose “around 25 or so positions net” and that without a negotiated MOU to do projects for the Department of Water and Power, BSL would need roughly $7.7 million in offsets or face deeper position cuts. Sanlang said an MOU would let the bureau “redeploy” crews to DWP projects but warned that would also divert those crews from city streetlight repairs and “increase to 2 to 3 years” the time to restore streetlights in many areas.

The Bureau of Street Services (BSS) said the proposed cuts would affect nearly every division. Keith Mosley, General Manager of Street Services, and Shirley Lau, executive officer, outlined proposed reductions that they said would leave the bureau with its smallest workforce in decades, cut the investigation and enforcement…