TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to report on a new Clean Long Beach Initiative in 120 days. The report should include goals and an update to City Council at a special study session set by the Mayor.
DISCUSSION
Over the last few years, numerous efforts have been implemented to keep Long Beach litter-free and keep trash and dumped items out of our neighborhoods and city streets. In the last few years, we have expanded our Clean Team operations, added hundreds of new trash cans, employed new technology like the Go Long Beach app, and cleaned up empty lots. While there has been progress made, it's time to improve Clean Team services and invest in solutions to keep the city cleaner.
We know that research connects neighborhood cleanliness and investment with civic pride and in some cases public safety. Regardless of numerous ordinances and laws, many neighborhoods are plagued with empty shopping carts, trash in both public and private lots, alleys and sidewalks with dumped items, and freeway on-ramps and off-ramps with litter and graffiti.
Code enforcement also needs to be improved along our corridors and streets. Shopping centers and retailers across the city often are over signed, with graffiti etched in their windows, and with numerous code violations. Before the Great Recession and the loss of redevelopment funds, proactive code enforcement was a vital component of basic neighborhood revitalization efforts. We have fallen behind and need to review and strengthen our enforcement efforts.
Having a unified single call number to access City services would also improve efficiency and tracking. Currently, residents have to search among numerous phone numbers to access specific services. Trash pick-up, graffiti, street sweeping, all have different phone numbers. The city must invest in single point of service for residents.
City cleanliness is every city employee's job, and should not just reside in dedicated employees like the Clean Team. A clean city and civic pride should be a goal and initiative of every city department. A clean city and clean neighborhoods is a core basic city service, like public safety, parks, and library service.
The City needs a major new initiative around keeping Long Beach clean and litter-free. The initiative should include the following but not limited to:
• A review of the City's current efforts to keep the City clean, and what resources and investments have been made over the past few years to improve the City's response capabilities.
• A review of the work regarding the Illegal Dumping Action plan requested by the City Council earlier this year.
• A review of Clean Team operations and resources for improvements and/or investments.
• Mapping all freeway on-ramps and off-ramps and working to improve cleanliness and conditions across city, including approaching Caltrans on how the City can keep these areas clean.
• Review trash can locations citywide and identify opportunities to add and/or replace trash cans.
• Explore city ordinance and policy around locked trash dumpsters in alleys.
• Review all supermarkets and retailers that employ shopping cart theft technology to ensure that all systems are working, and determine if there are other stores that should be added to the City's ordinance.
• Modernize the Go Long Beach App and review the appropriate staffing and budget necessary to ensure timely trash and dumped item pickups and graffiti removal.
• Provide an estimate of the funding, timeline, and purchasing process needed to implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and update the City Council on the progress and implementation.
• Review graffiti contract and resources to ensure we are maintaining graffiti removal within the City's 48-hour standard as well as explore expanding the City's graffiti contract to cover other areas within the City.
• Analyze cost and staffing levels necessary to host more neighborhood clean-up events, which are vital to removing dumped items from neighborhoods on a regular basis.
• Analyze the cost and staffing levels necessary to explore returning to proactive code enforcement, with a focus on business corridors and egregious code violations.
• Review existing laws and ordinances that relate to empty private lots, empty businesses falling into disrepair, and active business or properties that are not in good condition. All codes relating to cleanliness, empty lots, and facades need to be reviewed and updated.
• Partner and work with Long Beach Transit to ensure clean and well-lit bus stops.
• Revisit a new Litter Free Long Beach campaign to include not only the city but LBUSD, our local schools, and colleges.
• Work with BIDs across the city to strengthen their commitment to cleanliness, trash removal, and graffiti removal as a part of their existing service contracts.
• Consider establishing a regular, revolving volunteer corps to work with existing city staff on neighborhood clean-up events, or corridor clean-up events throughout the year.
• Explore additional informational and marketing campaigns to Long Beach residents to reduce trash, debris, and illegal dumping.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City is currently committing significant resources toward a clean and litter free Long Beach. This report will review the fiscal impact of currently provided services, as well as enhanced services levels both in the context of the FY 18 Proposed Budget as well as in future years. The report and initiative will require staff time to complete, and it is requested that this be considered a priority assignment in order to provide the Mayor and City Council with information on this important City initiative.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
MAYOR ROBERT GARCIA