City Council
April 14, 2026
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Damon Covington
Fire Chief
City Administrator
SUBJECT: Professional Services Agreement with
Bayview Industrial Services, Inc.
DATE: March 9, 2026
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt Resolution Waiving The Request For Proposal/Qualification Requirements And Awarding A Professional Services Contract To Bayview Industrial Services, Inc. (Also Known As Bayview Environmental Services, Inc.) To Continue Providing On-Call Emergency And Non-Emergency Collection, Removal And Disposal Of Hazardous Materials For A One-Year Term In An Amount Not To Exceed Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000), With An Option To Extend The Agreement For An Additional One-Year Term In An Amount Not To Exceed Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000) And Without Return To City Council For A Total Contract Amount Not To Exceed One Million Dollars ($1,000,000)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Oakland (City) has a responsibility to ensure the collection and disposal of hazardous materials continues uninterrupted. Authorizing this contract ensures that a critical service provided by the City will continue as the City’s Hazardous Materials Working Group (Working Group) monitors the handling of hazardous materials across all relevant departments with an intended goal of ensuring a compliant and efficient system.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
The City contracts with Bayview Industrial Services to provide emergency and non-emergency responses to hazardous materials collected at the City’s approved transfer and storage station and waste abandoned in the City’s public right of way that will expire in March 2026. This is specifically for the clean-up of human waste, bodily fluids and needles. Over the years these incidents have primarily been associated with homeless encampment sites, but are also becoming more common in public areas such as streets, parks, sidewalks, etc. Because Bayview has the capacity to perform both functions, in 2021, and again in 2024, it was determined that it would be most prudent to enter into a contract with Bayview Industrial Services to cover both services until the evaluation and implementation of a new system is completed.
Jestin Johnson (Apr 2, 2026 18:07:25 PDT)
Apr 2, 2026
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Professional Services Agreement with Bayview Industrial Services, Inc.
Date: March 9, 2026 Page 2
City Council
April 14, 2026
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The City’s handling of hazardous material spans multiple departments. The Police Department routinely requires cleaning of vehicles that includes reclamation of human waste. The Fire Department is responsible for addressing hazardous material that is abandoned in the public right-of-way and maintains a storage facility for that material. The collection of that material has historically been handled by an outside contractor once the department verifies that the material does not pose an immediate emergency in the public right-of-way. The Public Works Department’s Environmental Services Division oversees compliance issues across the City and retains a separate contractor to remove hazardous waste generated through the City’s own operations (e.g., Facilities, Keep Oakland Clean and Beautiful, and Department of Transportation). In addition, the Equipment Services Division relies on yet another vendor to dispose of waste oil generated from its maintenance of the City’s vehicle pool.
The adoption of this resolution aligns with the Citywide priorities to advance holistic community safety and represent a responsive transparent government. Illegal dumping, especially hazardous waste, is an environmental threat and public health hazard. Hazardous materials can release toxic fumes into the air, leading to respiratory problems, skin irritations, and other health issues for nearby residents. When the Oak311 Call Center was managed by the Department of Public Works, there was a significant surge in biohazard service calls, specifically for human waste and used syringes, especially as homelessness campsites began to rise. This led the department to seek a contract with an outside vendor for efficient, rapid abatement services.
The increase in discarded syringes, fueled by the opioid epidemic, and the increase in human waste associated with the rapid increase in unsheltered homelessness has caused that contract to grow significantly over the past five years. This separation of responsibilities is inefficient and has, in certain instances, resulted in protocols not being followed. The City is utilizing an on-call contractor to develop a baseline audit of the City’s hazardous materials management to improve the City’s systems. The City is considering placing hazardous materials management under the authority of a single department with clearly delineated roles and responsibilities to ensure long- term compliance and efficiency. As that process develops, merging the services needed by two separate departments and having one vendor perform them is a step toward that efficiency.
Staff from multiple departments continue to evaluate the best next steps for how the city and its residents could be best served in terms of hazardous waste collection and disposal. A Request for Proposals was issued in 2024; however, the city was unable reach complete agreement internally on the scope of work and needs more time to complete specific financial considerations. Adoption of this agreement will allow the city additional time to make those data informed decisions.
FISCAL IMPACT
This contract is for service on an as-needed basis and is not to exceed $500,000 for a one-year term, with an option to renew, if necessary, for an additional one-year term in an amount not to exceed $500,000 for a total contract amount over two years not to exceed $1,000,000.
Funding for these services will be shared by the Oakland Fire Department and the Department Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Professional Services Agreement with Bayview Industrial Services, Inc.
Date: March 9, 2026 Page 3
City Council
April 14, 2026
of Public Works. The funding for these services is part of Oakland Public Works and Oakland Fire Department’s Operation and Maintenance budget and funding will be provided on an as needed basis depending on the different biohazard categories when services are rendered.
Below are the funding codes used for the various waste pickup categories:
Oakland Public Works
Homeless Encampments: Vacant Property Tax Fund (2270), Illegal Dumping Org (30674), Misc. Services Account (53719), Departmental Admin Project (1000010)
Human Waste: Infrastructure Maintenance: Sewer System Org (30533), Misc. Services Account (53719), Departmental Admin Project (1000010) Other (Needles, Vomit, etc.): Comprehensive Cleanup Fund (1720), Illegal Dumping Org (30674), Misc. Services Account (53719), Departmental Admin Project (1000010)
Oakland Fire Department
Development Services Fund (2415), Inspectional Services (20331), Misc. Contract Services Account (54919), Fire Code Insp of Structures Project (1005060) and General-Purpose Fund (1010) Vegetation Management Service (20371), Misc. Contract Services Account (54919), Fire Administrative Project (1000009)
Homelessness Related:
Measure Q (2244), Homelessness Org (02141), Misc. Services Account (53719), Measure Q Enhanced Services (1005343)
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
No public outreach was determined to be necessary in the development of this report.
COORDINATION
The Hazardous Materials Working Group includes the City Administrator’s Office, the Public Works Department, the Fire Department, and the City Attorney’s Office. The report was reviewed by the City Attorney’s Office and Budget Bureau.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: Hazardous materials in the public right-of-way, especially biohazards, have a direct impact on businesses and are increasingly costly to mitigate. Developing a more efficient system to address these hazards quickly will reduce costs to the City and improve economic development opportunities on impacted commercial corridors.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Professional Services Agreement with Bayview Industrial Services, Inc.
Date: March 9, 2026 Page 4
City Council
April 14, 2026
Environmental: The environmental devastation that hazardous materials cause is also a primary concern, involving many health risks to nearby ecosystems and humans alike. Pollution from fires caused by igniting hazardous waste materials can take years to properly contain, resulting in contaminated ground water, air quality, and soil.
Race & Equity: Hazardous materials in public spaces can have a devastating impact on the neighborhoods where it regularly occurs. Communities with low-median family incomes, higher rates of poverty and crime, and a higher percentage of renters are amongst the most afflicted by dumped waste. The negative implications of biohazards in public spaces are vast and affect the community in physical ways, as well as psychologically.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt Resolution Waiving The Request For Proposal/Qualification Requirements And Awarding A Professional Services Contract To Bayview Industrial Services, Inc. (Also Known As Bayview Environmental Services, Inc.) To Continue Providing On-Call Emergency And Non-Emergency Collection, Removal And Disposal Of Hazardous Materials For A One-Year Term In An Amount Not To Exceed Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000), With An Option To Extend The Agreement For An Additional One-Year Term In An Amount Not To Exceed Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000) And Without Return To City Council For A Total Contract Amount Not To Exceed One Million Dollars ($1,000,000).
For questions regarding this report, please contact Michael Hunt, at (510) 238-6353
Respectfully submitted,
Damon Covington
Fire Chief
Prepared by:
Michael Hunt, Assistant to the Director
Fire Administration, Oakland Fire Department