Top San Francisco street clean-up official arrested

SAN FRANCISCO — A top San Francisco official in charge of cleaning up the city’s notoriously filthy streets who has promoted portable public toilets to ease public urination has been arrested, jail records show.

San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru was in custody Monday, along with Nick Bovis, the owner of Lefty O’ Doul’s, a popular sports bar in Fisherman’s Wharf.

Records say only that the men were arrested for felony safekeeping. The FBI and David L. Anderson, the U.S. Attorney in San Francisco, planned a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

Local news outlets reported that Nuru, 57, was arrested on suspicion of public corruption. The San Francisco Police Department directed questions to the U.S. attorney’s office, which declined to comment ahead of the news conference.

As the top official in charge of the $312 million city public works budget since 2012, Nuru is tasked with cleaning up San Francisco streets, which critics note remain cluttered with feces, trash and used needles amid a homelessness crisis.

Nuru was first appointed to the department as deputy director under then-director Ed Lee, who later became mayor.

Nuru, who goes by “MrCleanSF” on Twitter, also oversees the design and construction of city facilities and 1,600 employees. Its capital project portfolio is more than $5.6 billion

The department has more recently been lauded for its portable public toilet “Pit Stop” program, which supporters say has reduced the need for steam cleaning human waste in some areas.

The mayor’s office and the public works office did not return emailed requests for comment.

Janie Har, The Associated Press