Public Works Admits Tree Pruning Lags as Vacancies Stall Repairs
Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee • San FranciscoOctober 22, 2026
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San Francisco's promise to prune every street tree every three to five years took about a decade to deliver once. At an Oct. 22, 2026, hearing of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, Public Works blamed the delay on unfilled jobs, not a lack of money. The committee also unanimously pressed SFUSD to meet deadlines on neighborhood school assignment and cleared two liquor license transfers.
- First Street Tree SF pruning round runs about 10 years against a three- to five-year goal.
- Prop E fund is secure, but jobs sit empty: 10 arborist technicians, nine cement masons and about half of inspectors.
- Supervisors want a public pruning map and a price tag for the next budget cycle.
- SFUSD resolution amended and advanced 3-0 after school assignment slipped from 2022 to 2028.
- Odd Fellows and TNT Supermarket liquor licenses clear committee 3-0 with police conditions.
Ten Years for a Five-Year Job
Why it matters: Public Works maintains about 125,000 street trees under Prop E, which took effect in 2017. Residents told the committee they have waited years for pruning that arrived late, fell short or was marked complete anyway.
Where things stand: Superintendent David Moore of the Public Works Bureau of Urban Forestry gave a candid assessment. "We prune proactively about 16,000 trees a year. Our goal is to get up to 25,000," said Moore. The bureau pruned 14,855 trees last fiscal year. "And yes, we are behind schedule for the first round," he added. He said the first round will finish this calendar year.
Moore cited several causes. The city inherited a backlog of trees it had never maintained. The pandemic limited work. Crews were scattered by hazard-based prioritization, and contractor work was bundled. Starting with the next round, the city will be split into five regions, with one region pruned each year.
Supervisor Alan Wong, District 4, called the hearing and said "this hearing isn't about removing trees or discouraging planting."
The other side: Supervisor Danny Sauter, the committee chair, cited research from the advocacy group Fair Trees. It counted 3,387 open pruning and clearance requests and 4,362 requests about damaged or hazardous trees. Sauter asked the department to leave room for urgent constituent concerns. Moore said off-cycle crews exist but warned that one-off service would deepen routine backlogs. "But it's going to be less than what people want," said Moore.
Public commenters described the problem from the ground. Catherine Burton, a Sunset homeowner, said she paid arborists herself and then received a cease-and-desist letter. She said her trees remain overgrown and Public Works does not return her calls. A Balboa Street fourplex owner said city pruning came eight years after Prop E passed. The owner said the work was inadequate for fast-growing New Zealand Christmas trees but was listed as complete.
Transparency gaps: Moore acknowledged that 311 closes some requests once they are assigned and closes duplicate requests. Four inspectors handle permits, plan reviews and contractor quality control, and the bureau has approval to hire three more. Moore said permit timelines are sometimes missed and that trees near billboards are a lower priority. Mark Gleason of Teamsters Joint Council 7 said its members maintain outdoor signage and depend on timely tree work. He said the permit backlog has not changed despite commitments from Public Works.
Moore also described a little-known option. Residents may prune their own trees with a certified arborist and opt out for one year. The department does not advertise it.
What's next: "I would love to see out of this hearing a plan and timeline to get a map similar to what was just shown," said Sauter. Moore called a public pruning schedule "an aspiration of our department." He said Public Works wants the map in place when round one ends, and Wong's office will follow up.
Sidewalks, Staffing and the Budget Ask
Why it matters: Tree roots lifting sidewalks are a safety and liability problem. "At the board, we approve lawsuits pretty regularly for people who sued the city for tripping on a sidewalk," said Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, District 5, the committee's vice chair.
Where things stand: Public Works repairs more than 100,000 square feet of sidewalk a year. Crews shave down lifts under 2 inches and replace slabs with larger lifts. The bureau is short nine cement masons and is recruiting.
The department will contract for its first citywide inventory of tree-related sidewalk damage. The project will build a GIS map layer and a photo library of lifts near every tree, and it will take about 18 months. In the meantime, Moore urged residents to report serious hazards to 311 and said crews use temporary patches.
Mahmood asked how much the city pays on sidewalk claims. Moore said he did not have the figures and did not know which budget covers them. Tree pruning and sidewalk repair both draw on the Tree Maintenance Fund, with separate allocations.
The bottleneck: Moore said the Prop E fund is secure. "However, we do have 10 arborist technician vacancies which we are looking to recruit," he said. About half of the inspection staff positions are vacant, and fiscal tightening eliminated a contracts manager position. Hiring pauses and long recruitment timelines add to the delays. Wong summarized that filling vacancies is the primary issue.
Sauter said unit-wide vacancies of 25% to 50% show up across Public Works, including in paving and illegal dumping enforcement. "And it's just the personnel that we're missing," said Sauter.
The other side: Commenters described sidewalks as dangerous. Judy Hiromoto, a Crocker Amazon resident, said a sidewalk fall gave her a concussion. She said the hazard remains unfixed after two years of 311 calls and asked for public input on tree removals. Donna, a longtime resident, called buckled sidewalks life-altering hazards. She said they deserve higher priority than economic development initiatives.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The hearing was heard and filed. For: 3 (Wong, Mahmood, Sauter), Against: 0, Absent: 0. Mahmood asked Public Works to quantify its funding or staffing gap. "I'd love to review that and see what we can do to advocate in the next budget cycle," he said.
Moore declined to name a figure before the sidewalk evaluation is complete. He said more contract or in-house crews would help. The answer matters for pedestrians, homeowners who pay for private work, sign workers who need permits and a city facing trip-and-fall claims.
Supervisors Press SFUSD for Deadlines
The basics: The committee advanced a nonbinding resolution from Wong. It urges the San Francisco Unified School District to adopt a predictable, proximity-based student assignment system.
Why it matters: SFUSD's projected start date has slipped from 2022 to 2024, then 2026 and now 2028. Wong said children on the same block can end up at different schools across the city, and he described his own experience growing up in the Sunset. "After years of delays, another commitment is not enough. Families deserve results," said Wong.
Where things stand: Wong's amendments recognize the Board of Education's Oct. 13 vote. They emphasize implementation deadlines, measurable milestones, public accountability and equitable opportunities. The resolution still calls for extending proximity and predictability to middle and high schools.
The other side: Public commenters supported the goal but pushed beyond it. Wing Wong, a CPAC member and parent, said neighborhood assignment has been Board of Education policy since 2018 and urged full staffing and funding of all schools. Ruben Diaz, a parent, said schools remain segregated. He urged making every school strong, retaining teachers, supporting parents and meeting reading and math goals.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The committee voted on the amendment first. For: 3 (Wong, Mahmood, Sauter), Against: 0, Absent: 0. It then voted to recommend the amended resolution to the full Board of Supervisors. For: 3, Against: 0, Absent: 0. The resolution puts City Hall on record demanding milestones, but the Board of Education controls the timeline.
Two Liquor Licenses Advance With Conditions
The basics: Both applications required a "public convenience or necessity" finding from the Board of Supervisors. "There are zero letters of protest and zero letters of support," said Officer Brandon Erickson of the San Francisco Police Department's liaison unit to the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. No members of the public commented on either item.
Odd Fellows: Ramosa LLC, doing business as Odd Fellows, seeks a Type 48 license transfer at 26 7th Street in District 6. Tenderloin Station did not oppose it. The site is in a high-crime reporting district but a low-concentration census tract. The applicant said the building has held a beer license since 1935 and has a bar built in 1909. Four conditions cover noise, entertainment permits, loitering and litter. For: 3 (Wong, Mahmood, Sauter), Against: 0, Absent: 0.
TNT Supermarket: TNT seeks Type 21 and Type 86 license transfers at 2675 Geary Boulevard in District 2. Richmond Station did not oppose them. The area is low-crime but in a high-concentration tract. Four conditions cover loitering, litter, graffiti removal within 72 hours and inspection access.
"It's important that this matter be approved today so that it may be heard by the full board this upcoming Tuesday, October 27th," said Caitlin Schieber, a TNT representative. The store's grand opening is Nov. 4. The committee forwarded the item as a committee report. For: 3, Against: 0, Absent: 0.
Looking Ahead
The full board takes up the TNT Supermarket licenses Oct. 27. The clerk said the committee's other items go to the board Nov. 3. Watch for a Public Works timeline on a public pruning map and a staffing and funding gap estimate before the next budget cycle.