As a result of the city’s budget crisis, the L.A. Bureau of Street Services has lost 349 staff positions and has fewer working days, which will result in a reduction in services, according to William Robertson, the bureau’s director. In fiscal year 2009-10, the department had 1,155 employees, and it now has 806. In addition, ‘the bureau uses 220 working days as the base for planning operations, which is now reduced by 26 days for mandatory furloughs,’ Robertson told the Pacific Palisades Community Council on October 14. Robertson said he intends to continue to deliver as many services as possible, but his main focus will be on resurfacing and maintaining streets. His department received $94 million for the pavement preservation program, and he plans to make improvements to 735 miles of streets, which includes 235 miles of resurfacing, 400 miles of slurry sealing and 100 miles of crack sealing. L.A. has 6,500 centerline miles and more than 28,000 lane miles. Robertson would like to maintain the street-cleaning program with non-posted residential streets being swept on a four-week frequency and posted routes once per week. However, the department has lost 15 motor-sweeper operators to the city’s early-retirement incentive program. He assured the Council that street sweeping would continue in the Village portion of the Palisades. ‘We are working with the city administrative officer to lift the hard hiring freeze on these positions,’ Robertson later told the Palisadian-Post. ‘Initial impacts from the lost positions have resulted in missed posted route cleaning and an increase in non-posted routes frequencies up to six weeks.’ Robertson plans to use $5 million from the state’s gas tax (paid at the pumps) to pay contract workers to trim about 50,000 trees this fiscal year. He recognizes that this is hardly enough, since there are 700,000 trees (1,000 species) in Los Angeles. ‘We will select the trees based on our prior years’ trim cycles and actual need,’ he said. On October 14, community members asked for repairs to specific streets. Robertson responded that the bureau plans to repave Akron Street between Lachman Lane and Bienveneda Avenue and fix the broken warning rail at 705 Enchanted Way. He offered to send one of his workers to investigate the street collapse on El Oro Lane and the dead trees in the Highlands around Michael Lane and at the bottom of Palisades Drive. He also said an investigator would look at the camphor trees on Toyopa Drive and the standing-water problem on the 600 block of Radcliffe Avenue near Haverford Avenue. Residents desiring to trim a tree in front of their home can apply for a permit from the city at no cost, and they can utilize their own contractor to perform the work, Robertson said. Communities may also consider renting a pothole truck, small tree trimming crew or motor sweepers for street cleaning through the department’s personal services program. ’The work is scheduled for weekends, and we sit down with the community beforehand to identify the work they want done,’ he said. ‘We provide an estimate and the community knows exactly what they get for their money.’ Anyone interested in purchasing such services should e-mail Robertson at william.robertson@lacity.org. For other service requests or inquires, call 311. ’I receive approximately 175 e-mails a day regarding normal city business,’ Robertson said. ‘I read all my own e-mails and answer them as quickly as possible.’
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