San Francisco, CA— Mayor Edwin M. Lee today announced a no-cuts budget proposal for San Francisco Public Works that retains crucial funding for resurfacing the City’s roadways and includes additional money for street cleaning, proactive tree care and new public bathrooms.

“These are nuts-and-bolts investments that benefit every resident in every neighborhood,” said Mayor Lee. “As a former director of Public Works, I know from experience how important these services are, and as Mayor, I am committed to supporting them.”

Mayor Lee made his announcement at Eureka and 22nd streets in Eureka Valley where a Public Works’ street-repair crew was at work fixing a sunken segment of roadway to make it safer for motorists and bicyclists. The crew included workers who had completed the Public Works’ apprenticeship program for asphalt workers and entered the City workforce after their on-the-job training.

Public Works, in collaboration with the trade unions, runs five apprenticeship programs for asphalt, cement masons, general laborers, gardeners and arborists. Mayor Lee is fully funding these job-training programs under his budget proposal. The apprenticeship programs offer people a career path in the trades and put them to work during training performing important jobs caring for the City. More than 200 men and women have gone through the apprenticeship programs so far and Public Works is exploring starting new apprenticeship programs for electricians, carpenters and painters. Mayor Lee’s proposed Fiscal Year 2015-16 and 2016-17 budget for Public Works also calls for:

• $98 million in general fund support over the next two years for street resurfacing to keep improving San Francisco’s roadway condition. Last year, Public Works crews and contractors resurfaced a record 913 blocks and is on a similar pace this year.
• Creating the Enhanced Residential Cleaning program for focused overnight cleaning of alleyways and streets in once largely industrial areas in the South of Market, Mission, Chinatown and Polk Street neighborhoods where new housing developments have been built. The program, which went through a test run earlier this year, was developed in response to increased complaints concerning illegal dumping, litter and health hazards on Citysidewalks.
• Adding a third arborist crew to perform preventative maintenance on 2,000 of the 31,000 street trees now maintained by the City. Proactive pruning improves a tree’s health and reduces potential hazards.
• Adding Pit Stop public toilets, which began last summer as a pilot with three locations in the Tenderloin and since has expanded to the South of Market and the Mission. Public Works is looking to add Pit Stops in the Haight and Castro. The neighborhood-serving program aims to reduce human waste on the streets and the resulting need to clean it up, and give people access to a clean and safe bathroom. On-site attendants make sure the toilets are properly maintained.

“The initiatives included in Mayor Lee’s proposed budget represent meaningful improvements in the stewardship of San Francisco neighborhoods,” said Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru. “With the mayor’s support, we will continue to deliver the quality services our residents deserve.”

Mayor Lee will submit his two-year budget plan to the Board of Supervisors on June 1st.