Carla Short is Public Works’ interim director. A conservationist at heart, Short details her winding career path, from conducting habitat conservation work in West Africa to doing community-based forestry in Connecticut and leading one of the largest and most complex municipal operations in San Francisco. She also reflects on the challenges women still face in the workplace, shares her own anecdotes and highlights the importance of striving to do impactful work.

Women Leaders in Public Service - Carla Short

In celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community, we hear from 10 colleagues about Pride – their personal experiences and reflections, the societal ups and downs and their hopes for the future.

Participants: 

Julie An 
Laurice Gonzales 
Myisha Hervey 
Corey Jackson 
Aries Martin 
DeShelia “Nikki” Mixon 
Erica Ruiz 
Ian Schneider  
Sean Scott  
David Steinberg 
 
Interview by: 
 
Eric Fura

Snapshots: Pride Edition 2023

Brittany Brandon, a general laborer supervisor overseeing the Hot Spots crews for Public Works, grew up with the department. She joined Public Works when she was 18. After working as an apprentice with the department early on, Brandon rose through the ranks over the course of her career with Public Works, from sweeping streets and steam-cleaning alleys in North Beach to supervising cleaning crews assigned to encampment resolutions. A native San Franciscan, Brandon’s frontline work brought the city she loved ever closer.

Brittany Brandon - Real People. Real Work.

Leonard Doss Jr., a native son of San Francisco, comes to his job with a mission: Keep his hometown looking beautiful. He’s part of a small but mighty Public Works graffiti-abatement team that wipes out tens of thousands of tags every year. Despite the steady and often heavy workload, Doss Jr. isn't deterred. He loves his job. To him, spraying over graffiti is “poetry in motion” and coming to work every day is “easy.”

Leonard Doss - Real People. Real Work.

As a carpenter for Public Works, Sheldon Gustafson puts his woodworking skills to good use for facilities and public spaces throughout San Francisco. Much of Gustafson’s work revolves around keeping the public safe: maintaining the Filbert Street Steps so nobody gets hurt, bolstering retaining walls to prevent mudslides and fixing handrails to safeguard people from splinters. Public Works’ Carpenter Shop often takes on some of the most distinctive projects in the City – not just with expert know-how but with rightful pride.

Sheldon Gustafson - Real People. Real Work.

As a truck driver with Public Works’ street repair operation, Fabiola Vega is part of a near-nonstop team effort to repair, maintain and improve San Francisco’s network of hilly roads, commercial corridors and narrow side streets, allowing for smooth and safe travel throughout the City. In many ways, Public Works’ truck drivers work as jack-of-all-trades crews who jump into action whenever called upon. When heavy winter storms sweep through San Francisco leaving behind fallen tree limbs, Vega and others help haul the debris off to clear roadways, sidewalks and public spaces. The team is also instrumental in helping Public Works meet our annual paving goal to keep the roads safe and smooth for people who drive, bike, walk and take transit.

Fabiola Vega - Real People. Real Work.

Danielle Chan is a landscape architect with Public Works’ Bureau of Landscape Architecture. The bureau’s work includes parks, playgrounds, streetscapes, master plans, plazas, community gardens, green infrastructure and trails. For the past few years, Chan has been working on the Japantown Peace Plaza Renovation Project, an overhaul of the open space in the cultural heart of the neighborhood. Seeing the project go into construction was a pinch-me moment for her.

Danielle Chan - Real People. Real Work.

Netanili “Nili” Niu, an arborist supervisor with the Public Works Bureau of Urban Forestry, can trace his love for trees back to his childhood in Hawaii. A certified arborist with 30 years of experience, including two decades with Public Works, Niu is part of a team of tree pros who look after the more than 125,000 street trees in San Francisco. Aside from keeping a watchful eye on our many street trees to make sure they grow tall and strong and stay healthy, arborists like Niu also jump into action whenever a storm barrels through San Francisco, leaving downed trees, broken branches and mangled limbs in its wake.  

Nili Niu - Real People. Real Work.

When Patty Solis first joined Public Works more than a decade ago, it was baptism by fire for the architect and urban planner. As the job captain on the seismic upgrade to the historic War Memorial Veterans Building, Solis had to study the various historical drawings to inform the renovation design, bring order to the project and coordinate with consultants. Even 13 years later, the project still holds a cherished place in her heart. As a senior architect and section manager with the Bureau of Architecture, Solis is part of a bureau that helps shape the built environment in San Francisco’s public realm. Public Works architects design libraries, performing arts centers, recreation and parks facilities, police and fire stations, hospitals and neighborhood clinics and a wide range of other projects.  

Patty Solis - Real People. Real Work.

Senior structural engineer Janey Chan is a veteran of public service. She joined Public Works about 12 years ago with a four-year detour at the City’s Department of Building Inspection along the way. Structural engineers like Chan inspect the City’s bridges, retaining walls, public stairways and tunnels to make sure they are structurally sound and safe. They work on earthquake resiliency features for new projects and retrofits of existing structures. And they take on structural work for important infrastructure improvements. Chan was drawn to the work because she wanted to serve the public and contribute to projects that everyone could enjoy.

Nili Niu - Real People. Real Work.

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