Supervisor Haney seeks new Sanitation & Streets department and greater Public Works oversight; administration flags costs

Supervisor Matt Haney brought a charter amendment to create a Department of Sanitation and Streets to take certain duties now performed by Public Works, establish a Sanitation & Streets Commission and a separate Public Works Commission, and require annual performance and cost‑and‑waste audits.

Haney said the split would sharpen accountability for street cleaning, maintenance, and sanitation while the audit requirement would identify waste and improve service delivery. He proposed amendments to phase timing and administrative responsibilities so initial years would have no additional net cost to the city, and to permit the Board to set the start dates for the new department and commission to manage fiscal impacts.

Acting DPW Director DeGraff Reid testified that DPW supports greater transparency and accountability but warned the split would add administrative overhead and could fragment engineering and operations functions now centralized within DPW. The Controller’s preliminary estimates put potential recurring costs between roughly $4 million and $10 million per year; DPW outlined tradeoffs—extra administration vs. gains in accountability—and warned that some efficiencies (design/build/maintenance coordination) could be lost.

Public commenters generally supported improved sanitation and stronger oversight; several speakers urged the Board to find funding and to press Recology and contractors to meet performance standards. The committee approved Haney’s proposed amendments, including language to let the Board set start dates and to require the City Administrator and DPW to support initial administration, and continued the matter to July 13 for final technical edits and fiscal detail.