Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Dpw Restructuring topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rules committee accepts amendments to split DPW, create Department of Sanitation and Streets and commissions
Summary
Supervisor Matt Haney's charter amendment to create a Department of Sanitation and Streets, establish commissions with enforceable cleanliness baselines and delay costs until July 22, 2022 passed the committee with amendments; the Controller and BLA will finalize fiscal analyses.
Supervisor Matt Haney told the Rules Committee that San Francisco's streets — particularly in neighborhoods such as the Bayview, Mission and Tenderloin — are "covered with trash, feces, and needles," and argued the city's existing Department of Public Works (DPW) combines disparate functions that dilute accountability for street cleanliness. He proposed removing the Bureau of Operations from DPW to form a Department of Sanitation and Streets, add job qualifications for directors, create oversight commissions with legally enforceable cleanliness baselines, and require annual cost-and-waste analyses.
Haney offered a package of amendments intended to make the measure cost-neutral for the next two fiscal years by pushing the department's required start date to July 22, 2022 and by requiring administrative support from other departments to reduce startup costs. He cited a Controller estimate that initial cost projections might fall in a $4 million to $10 million range but said the amendments and administrative support should reduce that burden. "$4,000,000 to provide increased oversight and cost efficiencies to a department that has been rife with abuse, corruption, waste," Haney said, arguing that the investment would be justified.
DPW Director Alec told the committee that he had not seen the final amendments and could not present a prepared slide presentation but said contracting issues and the city's response to homelessness had informed operational challenges; he committed to reviewing the amendments and providing further comment.
Public comment was extensive and broadly supportive: neighborhood residents, labor representatives, merchants and community groups urged the Board to place the amended measure on the ballot, citing public-health, accessibility and equity concerns. Laborers Local 261 and the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club were among organizations that offered support in the hearing record.
Chair Ronan moved to incorporate Supervisor Haney's amendments; the roll-call vote recorded Supervisors Catherine Stephanie and Gordon Marr and Chair Hillary Ronan voting 'Aye' and the motion passed without objection. The committee then continued the matter to the call of the chair for final scheduling and further fiscal analysis.
