Another weekend, another community cleanup at Crissy Field — one of San Francisco's most iconic stretches of waterfront, and apparently one that relies on regular citizens showing up with trash bags and good vibes to keep it from looking like a landfill.

Don't get us wrong: we love community spirit. Volunteers gathering to pick up litter along the shoreline is genuinely heartwarming. It's the kind of civic engagement that makes San Francisco feel like an actual community rather than a collection of people dodging e-scooters on the sidewalk. But let's ask the uncomfortable question: why does one of the most heavily taxed cities in America need volunteers to keep a major public park clean?

San Francisco's budget clocks in at over $14 billion annually — yes, billion with a B — for a city of roughly 800,000 people. That works out to about $17,500 per resident. And yet Crissy Field, a jewel of the Presidio and a massive draw for tourists and locals alike, apparently can't stay clean without weekend warrior volunteers hauling out trash.

To be fair, Crissy Field sits within the Presidio, which is managed by a federal trust rather than the city. But the broader pattern holds: San Franciscans are constantly asked to supplement with volunteer labor and goodwill what should be baseline government services. We fundraise for public schools. We organize our own street cleanups. We report encampments through apps because 311 is a black hole.

Kudos to everyone who showed up to keep Crissy Field beautiful. Seriously. The waterfront is a treasure, and the people who protect it deserve recognition. But civic volunteerism should be the cherry on top of competent governance — not a substitute for it.

Maybe next time, the city — or the feds — could meet the volunteers halfway. A few more trash cans and a regular maintenance schedule would be a nice start.