In response to complaints about the amount of trash strewn around District 3, Supervisor Julie Christensen has announced a focused effort to dispatch more street sweepers to clean up the mess. She allotted $40,000 from her office's $100,000 discretionary fund for the one-time program.
With the new funding, SF Public Works will hit a long list of blocks and alleys where mechanical sweeping isn't normally conducted, mostly in the northern and more residential areas of the district. (The full list is at the end of this article.) The supervisor's office has also asked them to increase their focus districtwide.
The effort started Tuesday and runs through the end of September; Christensen said if enough people are interested, her office will get petitions going to push for more money from the general fund to expand the sweeping. So if you know of a street or streets that need some TLC, you might have a say in the future.
Areas that only receive manual, not mechanical, sweeping are in yellow. (Map: SF Public Works)
The impetus for the extra sweeping came from locals pleading for relief. "Of the top four things that come up in nearly every conversation, the cleanliness of our streets is one," Christensen said. "We have responded to calls and emails and postings from constituents. I’ve done extensive walk-throughs, both on my own and with city staff, to identify what are clearly some of the worst areas."
Christensen said some streets don't regularly get swept by machine because neighbors told the city at some point that they didn't want to move their cars. "The mechanical sweeping is great, because those powerful machines can suck up an amazing amount of trash," she said. In addition to streets, the city cleans curb cuts, bulb-outs, bus stops and gutters, but has scaled back on hosing them off, due to the drought.
Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline
Letters were mailed or hand-delivered to every resident on the route, Christensen added, to tell them they'll have to move their cars one morning for the sweepers. Public Works will also steam-clean bus stops, clean gutters and more.
Christensen emphasized that if people see problems with trash or graffiti, they need to report it to 311 by calling or using the 311 smartphone app to report problems on the spot. "Repeated notices to 311 generate more resources and more focus on a particular area," she said. "Report trash, graffiti. People need to use that resource."
Sidewalk cleaning is the property owner's responsibility. (Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline)
But, she added, the city can only do so much. "The other thing I’ve been impressing on people that we residents also need to do our part," she said. "The owner of each building is responsible for cleaning the sidewalk in front of that building. If it’s on your sidewalk, you’re supposed to clean it up. I’m trying to make people aware they have to do their bit.”
Here's the full list of street cleaning locations the new program will target:
