Sidewalks in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood will be cleaner thanks to a new program that aims to pressure wash about 30 square blocks of the neighborhood each week.
Supervisor Matt Haney announced the new plan on Tuesday, adding that he was able to secure an additional $260,000 for cleaning in his district during the budget process this year.
The weekly washing will be carried out by the Tenderloin Community Benefit District, a nonprofit neighborhood group, which already provides pressure washing throughout the neighborhood, but only once-a-month.
"Tenderloin residents and businesses deserve clean and healthy sidewalks just like any other neighborhood," Haney said in a statement.
"I am so excited and grateful that the TLCBD continues to step up their pressure washing service to ensure that our streets and sidewalks are clean and healthy for everyone to enjoy," he said.
The TLCBD's Clean Team will use a new portable, cordless, power washing tool that will make the task easier.
"Even though seeing human and animal feces on our sidewalks is a common occurrence, I find it upsetting and disturbing every single time," longtime Tenderloin resident and community organizer David Elliot Lewis said.
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Also, under the new program, six team members will be deployed to different parts of the Tenderloin to sweep sidewalks daily, translating to cleaner streets overall.
"Ultimately, we must all work together for a clean Tenderloin. The many amazing communities that comprise the fabric here deserve it," Fernando Pujals, the TLCBD's director of clean engagement, said.
Pressure washing and sidewalk cleaning are part of Haney's 10-Point Plan for Clean and Healthy Streets, which he announced earlier this year. The plan also included the addition of 24-hour public restrooms--a program that has been extended for three bathrooms in the city.
