Public Works Doesn't

Question: How many City of Oakland Public Works employees does it take to sweep approximately 12 square feet of exposed dirt?

Answer: Eight, plus two full sized diesel trucks, with their engines running. Source: Personal observation, about 9:30 AM 8/22/03, on Grand Avenue, between Perkins & Lee Streets. Observation: Two crews of four workers each: One congregated around a street tree basin at Lakeside Park and the other staring at the thin margin of dirt remaining around a 3' x 3' tree basin in front of a long-abandoned restaurant. Both basins contain big sycamores. One tree's trunk, in fact, overlaps the sidewalk (another issue). Here's the work distribution for each crew: 1 employee holds a round-nose spade (the wrong tool, by the way, for scooping trash) 1 employee apathetically wields a small shrubbery rake 2 employees lean on other long handled gardening implements, while they watch the rake and shovel show.

We were amazed that 1. Eight people couldn't pick up gum wrappers and pop cans from such a small area in the time it took us to walk one block. 2. The city sent a crew to clean sidewalks in front of Grand Avenue businesses, rather than invoke the blight ordinance and insist these businesses maintain their own facades.