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Board of Supervisors approves $1.1 million supplemental to boost street and sidewalk cleaning
Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved a $1.1 million supplemental appropriation to fund equipment, community grants and additional street-cleaning labor after a contentious debate over timing and permanence of jobs; the final vote was 6–5.
Supervisor Kim on Tuesday won approval from the Board of Supervisors for a $1.1 million supplemental appropriation to expand street and sidewalk cleaning across San Francisco.
The supplemental — reduced from an initial $2.5 million request after an amendment — passed on first reading by a 6–5 vote. The amended ordinance directs $560,000 for new sweepers and equipment, $230,000 for nonprofit community partners, a reduced amount for materials and supplies, and funding to hire additional street-cleaning labor expected to provide approximately 41,150 hours of work (about 19.8 full-time-equivalent positions over a year), according to the budget analyst’s estimate presented at the meeting.
Supervisor Kim framed the appropriation as an urgent response to worsening sidewalk conditions and a surge in 3-1-1 street-cleaning service requests. “We really are seeing a crisis on our streets,” Supervisor Kim said during the debate, urging immediate action rather than waiting for the regular budget cycle.
Opponents — including Budget Committee Chair Supervisor Cohen and Supervisors Safaie, Sheehy, Stephanie and Tang — said the request circumvents the formal budget process and does not guarantee the temporary hires will become permanent city positions. Cohen argued the board should reserve larger structural funding decisions for the pending budget deliberations and criticized repeated supplemental appropriations as a piecemeal approach.
City staff said the funding package is designed to be actionable before the fiscal year ends. Bruce Robertson, finance manager for Public Works, said procurement for equipment could begin immediately and nonprofit partners could be engaged quickly, but that most of the staff-related dollars could not be fully expended before fiscal year end. Director Larry Stringer of Public Works described a blended hiring approach using nonprofit workforce programs and city hires; he said the department has struggled to sustain corridor ambassador staffing levels and that the supplemental would allow the city to bolster service in high-need commercial corridors.
The board amended the request before voting, reducing the appropriation to $1,100,000 to focus on immediately encumberable purchases and continuing contracts while limiting the amount allocated for staff hires in the remaining months of the fiscal year. The Budget Analyst’s office estimated the original $1.6 million staffing portion would fund roughly 41,150 hours of public-service-aid labor (about 19.8 FTEs) over a year; staff briefings at the meeting indicated a reduced staffing carve-out of roughly $250,000 would be more realistic to start hires before July.
Supporters stressed geographic equity in deployment and said Public Works would use service-request data to target hotspots such as the Tenderloin, portions of the Mission, South of Market and other commercial corridors. Director Stringer said the Tenderloin and parts of the Mission are among the most challenging areas and that continuous presence is required to sustain improvements.
The ordinance passed on first reading with the amendment. The measure was seconded and advanced for final adoption under the normal legislative timeline.
