In the Works
A Digital Journal from San Francisco Public Works
JUNE 2026
The Rest of the Lineup
Public-Private Partnership Aims to Enliven a Prime Downtown Gateway
Mayor Daniel Lurie this month signed legislation allowing the City to accept $14.5 million in private funding to revitalize the Powell Street corridor – connecting the cable car turnaround at Market Street to historic Union Square and accelerating downtown’s revitalization.
NUMBERS
2026 YTD (through the end of May)
by the
174
blocks resurfaced
5248
TREes PRUNED
10342
tons of debris collected
3260
potholes filled
162
curb ramps constructed
Public Works mechanical sweepers work in tandem to clean Market Street after the parade.
Flexing
Our
Pride
Public Works street cleaners sweep the sidewalk along the parade route.
From planting commemorative trees and clearing brush from a hillside to cleaning up after a huge civic parade, the Public Works team worked behind the scenes and front and center to support the success of San Francisco’s annual Pride Month festivities.
The biggest operation of the month was the Pride Parade, held this year on June 28. Public Works street cleaners with rakes, brooms, shovels, pickers and blowers, as well as mechanical sweepers and flusher trucks, jumped into action to get the streets and sidewalks along the approximately 1.5-mile parade route on Market Street back in shape by the end of the night. The parade started at Beale Street and Market Street and ended at Civic Center Plaza.
A flusher truck washes down Market Street post parade.
The famed parade is among San Francisco’s most popular civic events – and Public Works’ largest planned-event cleanup operation of the year with dozens of street cleaners and truck drivers trailing the contingents to get the job done efficiently and effectively.
And in what has become an annual tradition, Public Works had its own spirited contingent at the tail end of the parade to usher in the street cleaning operation.
Public Works employees, joined by friends and family, participate in the Pride Parade.
In May, the San Francisco Public Works Bureau of Urban Forestry and vegetation management contractor Forster & Kroeger Landscape Maintenance Inc. cleared the Twin Peaks hillside in preparation for the annual installation of the iconic Pink Triangle.
Volunteers install the massive pink triangle display on the eastern slope of Twin Peaks.
Stretching 200 feet across an acre of hillside, the artwork honors LGBTQ+ victims of Nazi persecution and stands as a symbol of resilience, visibility and pride.
The 2026 Pink Triangle installation took place during a volunteer event on June 6. As Friends of the Pink Triangle founder Patrick Carney shared, the site was once maintained by grazing goats before landscape crews took over preparing the hillside for the nearly 200 bright pink tarps used each year.
Public Works also hosted a commemorative tree planting event in the Tenderloin to mark the 60th anniversary of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, which helped spark the transgender rights movement. (See separate story in this month’s In the Works newsletter.)
City staff and community volunteers gather before planting street trees in the Tenderloin’s designated Transgender District.
San Francisco's flourishing diversity comes to life with civic celebrations – Pride, Chinese New Year, Carnaval, St. Patrick’s Day, Juneteenth, Italian Heritage and many more – and Public Works is on the ground before, during and after the gatherings to keep the City clean, safe and inviting.
Breonna McCree, left, helps prepare a Turk Street tree basin where a young tree will be planted.
Rooted in History, Growing with Pride
On a sunny June morning in the Tenderloin, volunteers armed with shovels, gloves and plenty of enthusiasm gathered on Turk Street to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month in a uniquely San Francisco way: by planting trees.
More than 25 volunteers joined San Francisco Public Works' Bureau of Urban Forestry crews, community partners, neighborhood residents and civic leaders to plant six new street trees along Turk Street near Jones and Leavenworth streets.
The greening project commemorated Pride Month and the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Compton's Cafeteria Riot, the historic 1966 uprising in the Tenderloin that marked a pivotal moment in the fight for transgender rights.
Artist Tanya Wischerath chats with Public Works’ Chris Heredia in front of a mural-in-progress on Golden Gate Avenue at Jones Street.
Breonna McCree, left, and Public Works public information officer Chris Heredia show off the newly planted street tree.
The Public Works-led June 4 event was organized in partnership with the Tenderloin Community Benefit District, SFLuv and The Transgender District, the nation's first legally recognized transgender cultural district.
The atmosphere was equal parts community service, celebration and neighborhood pride.
Music from a custom Pride playlist filled the air as volunteers dug planting holes, spread soil and carefully positioned six new Primrose trees in their basins. Public Works crews installed protective stakes and screening to help make sure the saplings thrive in the busy urban environment.
Among the volunteers was Breonna McCree, co-executive director of The Transgender District. Her bright green pom-pom shoes quickly drew attention.
“These are my tree-planting shoes,” she said.
Breonna McCree says of the day’s event: "We are planting trees. We are planting seeds of hope.”
The event coincided with another milestone for the neighborhood: the launch of a new mural chronicling the history of The Transgender District and its founders, creating a powerful backdrop for a day focused on remembrance, resilience and community investment.
Before volunteers picked up their shovels, McCree reflected on the significance of the gathering.
“We are celebrating the resilience and the strength of trans and non-binary people all over the world,” she said. “We are planting trees. We are planting seeds of hope. Seeds of a dream that we can all keep growing and thriving.”
As volunteers moved from basin to basin, transforming stretches of sidewalk into future pockets of shade and greenery, Public Works Director Carla Short, an arborist by training, emphasized the importance of partnership in ensuring the long-term success of the new trees.
“Having local stewards increases the survivability of young trees exponentially,” Short said. “We're delighted to celebrate this important anniversary while investing in the future of the neighborhood.”
Public Works hands out seeds and plants to thank volunteers.
That stewardship will continue long after the celebration ends. Through a partnership with SFLuv, the Tenderloin Community Benefit District and neighborhood volunteers, community members will help Public Works monitor and care for the trees during their three-year establishment period, making sure they receive the attention needed to become healthy, mature additions to the Tenderloin's urban forest.
District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey noted the importance of honoring the transgender leaders whose activism helped shape the modern LGBTQ+ movement.
“The 60th anniversary of Compton's needs to remind all of us that there would not be a movement without our transgender brothers and sisters,” Dorsey said. “It's important that we remember that history and celebrate it.”
By the end of the morning, six new trees stood ready to take root. Bureau of Urban Forestry Public Information Officer Chris Heredia and McCree affixed each tree with signs bearing words chosen by McCree: “Courage. Resistance. Revolution. Visibility. Defiance. Liberation. This tree honors the 60th anniversary of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, a milestone in the fight for transgender rights and dignity.”
For the volunteers, neighbors and partners who gathered to plant them, the trees represented more than an investment in San Francisco's urban forest: They stood as living reminders of resilience, community partnership and hope for the future.
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The Public Works project team and City colleagues take a turn at a ceremonial groundbreaking.
Portsmouth Square: Steeped in History, Transforming
for the Future
Before construction workers descended on Portsmouth Square earlier this month to start dismantling the public park for a long-awaited makeover, community leaders, City officials and park regulars gathered for a ceremonial groundbreaking that started with a joyous performance by a ribbon dancer and ended with dignitaries wielding gold-colored shovels to dig into a carefully placed mound of dirt for the requisite photo op.
And with that, the $73 million renovation project got underway. When the ribbon is cut to mark completion of the remodel about two years from now – if all goes according to plan – the historic gathering space, known as Chinatown’s living room, will be transformed for the better.
Yvonne Liu performs a ribbon dance to
usher in the Portsmouth Square ceremony.
The Kearny Street pedestrian bridge, connecting the Hilton Hotel and Portsmouth Square, is set to be removed.
Bird’s-eye view rendering of the Portsmouth Square redesign. (Rendering produced by SWA.)
The redesigned park will feature a new 8,300-square-foot community clubhouse with meeting rooms and a commercial catering kitchen; a larger playground and new adult fitness area; a flexible outdoor plaza and stage for performances, cultural celebrations and community events; new seating; fresh landscaping; better lighting; and two new commissioned pieces of public art. The space will be more accessible and easier to navigate.
To achieve what’s envisioned, the project will necessitate removal of the Kearny Street foot bridge, which today connects the Hilton Hotel to Portsmouth Square. Removal will result in considerably more useable public space and connect the park to the surrounding neighborhood more seamlessly.
The public square is bounded by Kearny Street, Washington Street, Clay Street and Walter Lum Place.
“The community-driven reimagination of this iconic public square in the heart of Chinatown will balance cultural identity with modern amenities to meet today’s needs and benefit the next generations,” said Public Works Director Carla Short.
A rendering of what the reimagined public square will look like after construction. (Rendering produced by SWA.)
Public Works is overseeing construction management and project delivery on behalf of the Recreation and Park Department, which operates the park and led the redesign process.
Swinerton is the contractor on the project. SWA is the landscape architect and MEI Architects is the project architect.
Portsmouth Square has existed as an open space since before the founding of San Francisco 250 years ago and served as the heart of the early Yerba Buena settlement. It was officially designated as a square in 1833.
Portsmouth Square, 1867
The first American flag in what later became San Francisco was raised there in 1846. At various times it housed City Hall, a school and a post office. It served multiple purposes after the devastating Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906: a staging area for U.S. troops called in to help in the recovery efforts, a temporary cemetery for disaster victims who lost their lives and later as a site to house displaced residents.
Chinatown, with its residential hotels, apartment buildings, narrow alleys and few backyards, is one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the United States. Against that backdrop, Portsmouth Square has functioned as a gathering spot for the young, old and everyone in between for decades.
Funding for the project comes from a combination of the voter-approved 2020 Health and Recovery Bond, developer impact fees, the Downtown Park Fund, Sustainable Chinatown and $7 million in state budget allocations.
“This project will deliver upgrades that will benefit generations of Chinatown residents,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie. “Portsmouth Square has been here since the beginning of San Francisco and with this investment it will be here for everything that comes next.”
An excavator and bulldozer redistribute sand on Ocean Beach to help prevent buildup on the adjacent Great Highway.
Dune Worry, Just Keep Digging: Annual Sand Relocation Shores up Beach
Every year, Public Works crews dig deep during a special sand-moving operation at Ocean Beach that’s more sprint than marathon – but a heavy lift nonetheless.
Over the course of a couple weeks in early June, workers from our Operations Division, using front-end loaders, backhoes and other heavy machinery, redistributed approximately 24,000 pounds of sand to decrease the likelihood of wind-induced sand buildup on the adjacent Great Highway – now an oceanside park known as Sunset Dunes.
The aim is to reduce the height and width of the sand dunes and move sand away from the roadway and toward the ocean – efforts that have been shown in past years to delay the natural progression of sand encroachment onto the Great Highway.
An excavator shovels sand on Ocean Beach as part of a special annual operation.
The sand-moving operation can only take place during a small window when a protected shorebird is not present at the beach.
Crews were on the job weekdays, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The work focused on the stretch of beach between Noriega Street and Santiago Street. The sand buildup near Judah Street was also addressed.
Each year, Public Works has a small window to perform the sand redistribution work: It must be timed to make sure crews do not disturb the Western Snowy Plover, a small shorebird that is protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
The plovers can be found at Ocean Beach about 10 months out of the year but take off in the spring or early summer to nest in other coastal areas and inland salt flats. Before work on the beach began, monitors with the federal Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) confirmed that the plovers had left Ocean Beach and that it was safe to begin relocating the sand.
The work was done in coordination with the GGNRA and under a special-use permit for activities that occur on federal parklands.
A rendering shows a remade Powell Street with wider sidewalks and hanging lanterns. (Rendering produced by Field Operations.)
Public-Private Partnership Aims to Enliven a Prime Downtown Gateway
Mayor Daniel Lurie this month signed legislation allowing the City to accept $14.5 million in private funding to revitalize the Powell Street corridor – connecting the cable car turnaround at Market Street to historic Union Square and accelerating downtown’s revitalization.
San Francisco Public Works is serving as project and construction manager and providing engineering and design support for the Powell Street Improvement Project, developed as a public‑private partnership designed to elevate the pedestrian experience, enhance safety and cleanliness and bolster the corridor as a go-to destination for both visitors and locals.
The private investment is coming from the San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation, a nonprofit focused on the downtown recovery. The organization’s contribution will augment $26 million in public funding from the voter-approved 2024 Healthy, Safe and Vibrant San Francisco Bond and local sales tax revenue designated for transportation projects.
A rendering of the Powell Street redo from above. (Rendering produced by Field Operations.)
Mayor Daniel Lurie signs legislation required to accept private
funding for the Powell Street revamp.
The Powell Street Improvement Project represents a comprehensive reimagining of the streetscape along the three blocks from Market Street to Geary Street. The redesign includes new and widened sidewalks and fresh landscaping. There will be plenty of sidewalk space for restaurants and cafes to set up tables and chairs.
Art Nouveau-inspired hanging lanterns – a nod to the area’s historic architecture – will line the corridor. The programmable LED lights can display different colors to elevate seasonal events and civic celebrations.
The knockout element in the redesign will be a giant overhead starburst chandelier suspended above the cable car turnaround at Market and Powell streets.
A rendering features the large chandelier that is the visual centerpiece of the Powell Street Improvement Project. (Rendering produced by Field Operations.)
The benefits of transforming these three blocks will stretch beyond this corridor to help revitalize the broader downtown neighborhood.
Construction is anticipated to start by fall 2026, with substantial completion expected in 2027. San Francisco-based firms Field Operations and SITELAB Urban Studio are leading the design, with support from Public Works.
A damaged building in San Francisco’s Marina District sits askew after the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989.
A Tragic Reminder of San Francisco’s Seismic Risks
A one-two punch of powerful back-to-back earthquakes rocked northern Venezuela this month, killing more than 1,450 people and damaging or destroying hundreds of buildings, with tens of thousands of people still unaccounted for.
The destructive twin temblors that shook the country’s northern coast on June 24 – a 7.2 magnitude quake that hit first, followed by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake just 39 seconds later – serve as a grim reminder of San Francisco’s own vulnerability to calamitous seismic events.
A seismic retrofit at City Hall took place following the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.
Powerful twin earthquakes in Venezuela reduced buildings to rubble on June 24, 2026.
They also highlight the importance of the City’s ongoing capital project investments to strategically address critical seismic upgrades to City buildings and infrastructure, including hospitals, arts venues, health centers and City Hall.
One of San Francisco’s flagship earthquake resiliency initiatives is the Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response Bond Program – or ESER, for short – which is managed by Public Works and funds seismic improvements to aging fire houses and police stations, expands the City’s Emergency Firefighting Water System and bolsters vitally important infrastructure.
ESER 2010 funded the construction of the Public Safety Building in Mission Bay.
Since 2010, San Francisco voters have approved four different ESER bonds, with the most recent version receiving the electorate’s stamp of approval earlier this month.
Known as Proposition A on the June ballot, ESER 2026 – a $535 million bond to further renovate the Emergency Firefighting Water System, fix deteriorating fire stations, make improvements to police stations and replace a seismically unsafe Muni bus yard – will build on the progress made over the past decade and a half.
Learn more about San Francisco’s ESER program here: sfpublicworks.org/eser
San Francisco firefighters demonstrate the Emergency Firefighting Water System.
The median between the Great Highway and 48th Avenue gets some TLC from volunteers and local community members.
#LoveOurCity
Neighborhood Beautification Day brought dozens of community volunteers out to the Sunset, Parkside and other District 4 neighborhoods to clean and green San Francisco.
Balmy weather fueled high spirits and hard work, and inspired volunteers engaged in projects including pruning, litter pickup, median landscaping, graffiti removal and the planting of six trees on 28th Avenue.
A pair of litter-pickers removes garbage
from the greenway on Sunset Boulevard.
Volunteers plant a tree on 28th Avenue.
Every month, Neighborhood Beautification Day focuses on a different supervisorial district, bringing together residents, community groups, merchants and Public Works employees to improve San Francisco neighborhoods.
Next month’s Neighborhood Beautification Day will be held on July 11 in Pacific Heights, NoPa, the Fillmore and other neighborhoods in District 2.
The cleanup event will coincide with One City Day, a citywide day of service championed by First Lady Becca Prowda and Mayor Daniel Lurie.
Volunteers move encroaching sand to restore pedestrian walking paths along a Sloat Boulevard median.
