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Bureau of Street Services warns 26% staffing cut is slowing resurfacing and access ramp work
Summary
Street Services leaders told the Public Works Committee they lost 406 positions (26%) since FY 2023–24; the bureau says truck-driver losses force a shift to large asphalt repairs, reduce resurfacing lane miles and slow ADA access-ramp construction.
Shirley Lau, Executive Officer for the Bureau of Street Services, told the committee the bureau's authorized positions have fallen by 406 since FY 2023–24, a decline she said represents roughly 26% of the bureau's workforce. "Since fiscal year 23, 24, the adopted budgets and the number of authorized positions for the bureau has decreased by 26% or 406 positions," Lau said.
Keith, a Street Services operations representative, described how the loss of heavy-duty truck operators and contract drivers has reduced the bureau's ability to perform full resurfacing. "Without these positions, basically, we're ineffective in trying to do our work," he said, explaining the bureau shifted to a preservation method (bituminous patching) and will prioritize high-visibility corridors while limited truck capacity prevents large-scale resurfacing.
Keith said the bureau's resurfacing capacity dropped from an expectation of several hundred lane miles per year to a fraction of that this year; he described a practical limit of roughly 60 lane miles and said the bureau now expects to complete roughly 300 access ramps instead of earlier multi-thousand-ramp targets. The bureau also reported a drop in the share of the street network rated in "good" condition: from 60% to an anticipated 53% in the current year, which Lau and Keith linked to more potholes, rutting and cracking.
Councilmembers pressed for counts and consequences: the bureau said it formerly had 103 motor-sweeper operators but now runs roughly 60 sweepers per day; pothole repairs now average seven days to completion. Committee members and staff asked for follow-up documentation, including precise vacancy counts, liability costs and a list of deferred resurfacing projects.
The bureau requested restoration of critical front-line classifications (heavy-duty truck operators, equipment operators and sweeper operators) as part of its FY 2026–27 request; staff emphasized that budgets remain with the mayor's office for deliberation.
