Authority and new manager outline progress, gaps at Potrero and Sunnydale conversion
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Summary
Authority staff, Eugene Berger Management and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development described improvements in trash removal, weekly site walks and service provider coordination at Potrero and Sunnydale, but commissioners and residents pushed for clearer metrics, faster repairs and more staffing to manage vacancies and safety concerns.
The Housing Authority and its contracted manager outlined a mixed progress report on May 25 as work continues at Potrero and Sunnydale following HUD‑mandated conversion and contracting out of property management.
CEO Tanya Letizhu and Housing Operations Director Kendra Crawford summarized a transition that placed Eugene Berger Management Company (EBMC) on site beginning February 2022 and described how the authority monitors performance with scorecards, daily site visits, weekly coordination calls and photo documentation. Crawford said some RFP metrics were not met early in 2023—monthly property reports and certain quality‑control samples were late—but that units have been passing project‑based Section 8 HQS inspections and that staff has stepped up oversight.
Teresa Pegler, president of EBMC’s affordable housing division, and on‑site managers Sandra Carter and Lance Wittenberg detailed operations: daily trash pickup, dedicated haulers for bulky items, three weekly hauling runs, recology coordination, towing contracts (54 cars towed in Q1), and increased camera monitoring. Pegler said vendor audits found 30% fewer recology bins on site than records showed and that EBMC corrected that and increased daily hauling during the transition. Pegler said staff conducts daily property walks, logs hazards and dispatches teams when life‑safety issues are identified.
Commissioners pressed for clearer, quantitative progress reporting. Commissioner questions focused on REAC/REAC‑like inspection failures that staff classified in some cases as unit‑level rather than site‑level failures to reduce point loss, and on the cadence of repairs given contractor cash‑flow constraints. Jerry Johnson (Plaza East update presenter) and others explained that some contractors operate at roughly $20,000–$30,000 per week and rely on a $50,000 short bridge to maintain work between draws; that can still create 3–4 week pauses when draws are slow.
Service partners and MOHCD representatives said they are on site frequently. Helen Hale and Jason Lou of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development said MOHCD and HOPE SF teams have been conducting tours and troubleshooting and that the transition period naturally slows some outcomes while relationship‑building occurs.
Multiple commissioners asked for “month‑over‑month” metrics tied to the authority’s scorecards—such as entry denial rates, work‑order closure times and the number of open work orders by category—to show whether conditions on the ground are sustainably improving. Staff committed to provide clearer metrics and to include public housing figures in future financial reports where feasible.
Residents also spoke. Yuzuri (on‑site services partner/resident) and Sunoa Lutu, a Sunnydale resident whose family has lived on the site for decades, praised EBMC staff members such as Lance for improved street cleaning and outreach while urging consistent communication with residents and broader distribution of flyers and services. Lutu said improved engagement resulted in cleaner streets on her block, Blythedale, but asked for sustained outreach to ensure all residents learn about services.
What’s next: staff said daily photo logs, weekly scorecards and quarterly reporting will continue, with further specifics requested by the commission for the next meeting, including corrective actions on red‑flag items and more explicit measures of ground‑level impact.
