SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Watch out where you’re walking, because these hazards are found
City crews are quick to clean up after a series of storms. But soon after, the spot where there once was a tree is too often left empty.
“We have a lot of tree wells across the city that are empty, and they aren’t nice to look at, but they also can attract litter, and they are a tripping hazard,” said San Francisco Supervisor Danny Sauter, who represents District 3 and is trying to address this issue.
There are those with overgrown grass, collecting debris and garbage, including the occasional dog feces.
One of the most precarious streets near the Embarcadero is Davis Street, which has large empty tree wells and uneven pavement. Parts of the sidewalk were cracked years ago from the roots of a now fallen tree.
People here navigate their way around them. One of the tree wells we found measured nine inches deep. Anyone can be distracted and miss this altogether.
MORE: San Francisco considering changes to Public Works code that requires tree planting
That’s what happened to Yerenia Lopez as she was walking on Davis Street, hitting her face on the pavement.
“It’s a tripping hazard. It’s dangerous and when you have these massive tree wells, and they are sunken down because they don’t have the dirt, they aren’t taken care of, it can be dangerous,” Sauter said.
The City Attorney’s office confirmed that it gets many complaints. In 2025, that office was served with 48 trip-and-fall lawsuits. Two of those involved tree wells.
But those are the people who actually decided to sue the city. An undetermined number of people don’t, like Lopez, who couldn’t find an attorney to represent her because she was told her case was considered minor.
Sauter told ABC7 Eyewitness News he’s not surprised that it’s taken the city this long to fill those empty tree wells.
MORE: What San Francisco and Oakland are doing to increase their tree canopy in most vulnerable areas
“It doesn’t, because in San Francisco we struggle with these small things, whether it’s putting speed bumps in or a trash can on the corner or planting a tree. Sometimes we struggle with the little things, and part of what I’m trying to do in office is shine a light on these little things, because they make a big difference in people’s everyday lives in San Francisco,” he said.
Sauter is asking residents of the Gateway Tenants Association to identify the location where trees need to be replanted.
“A lot of my neighbors, we’ve been emailing his office and calling out specific locations where we see dangerous tree wells that we would like to see fixed,” said resident Marlo Sandler.
A block away on Jackson street, we found two more tree wells that were even deeper than the previous ones. Neighbors have placed a traffic cone to keep people from accidentally falling in.
Last June, we told you that Public Works was planting trees as part of a $12 million federal grant project. But most will be planted in neighborhoods that lack trees like the Mission District, the Tenderloin, South of Market area and the Bay View.
MORE: Here’s a look inside SF’s urban forest plan as it works toward planting 3,500 trees over 5 years
This year, Public Works agreed to bring Arbor Day to Sauter’s District — which includes the Embarcadero — with a goal of planting 100 trees and another 100 through the Friends of the Urban Forest.
“They’re going to look a lot nicer, but it’s also going to be safer and nicer for people to walk around our neighborhoods again,” Sauter said.
Arbor Day is March 14 and will take place in San Francisco District 3 at the Francisco Middle School yard in the North Beach neighborhood. They will need volunteers.
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