Public Works: street‑cleaning crews 25% short of budgeted staff, service requests rising

The committee heard from the Bureau of Street and Environmental Services (BSES) about rising service demand and persistent staffing gaps that limit the city's ability to keep streets clean.

Chris McDaniels, Superintendent of BSES, told the committee a gap analysis completed in late 2021 showed BSES was approximately 25 percent short of its budgeted staffing level. "I did a gap analysis in my bureau and I found that we were 25% short as far as my staffing levels," he said. McDaniels said BSES is budgeted for about 400 full‑time positions and currently has roughly 300 filled, a shortfall compounded by workers on leave and heavy event and storm‑response demands.

Service volumes: BSES reported 147,000 311 service requests in 2021 and an additional ~30,000 in 2022; for 2023 the bureau projected around 161,000 requests and estimated it would close roughly 78 percent of those requests with current staffing. The bureau described a proactive night‑shift cleaning program on high‑demand corridors (Mission Street, Market Street, Civic Center and Tenderloin) and said it has shifted crews to respond to flood and storm work during heavy rains.

Hiring and operations: McDaniels said a new HR director and an active workforce‑development unit are working to fill positions and manage career ladders so entry workers can move into higher classifications. He described creative uses of heavy equipment to clear construction debris in neighborhoods and said the bureau is pursuing technological and contract options — including cameras and drone footage — to detect and deter illegal dumping.

Budget context: Supervisors tied the staffing shortfall to the committee's broader budget conversation and noted that a supplemental cleaning request is expected; several supervisors referenced the upcoming $25 million supplemental for street cleaning and other services as a tool to address immediate capacity gaps. McDaniels said overtime and workers' comp cases remain significant operational costs while the bureau rebuilds staffing levels.

Next steps: the committee thanked BSES for the presentation, asked for additional pipeline and time‑to‑hire detail, and planned to consider the supplemental request in light of the operational data presented.