THE BUREAU AT A GLANCE ( )

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2 THE BUREAU AT A GLANCE ( ) The Bureau of Street Services is responsible for maintaining many of the most visible elements in the public infrastructure, including streets, sidewalks and public trees. As such, the Bureau is one of the City agencies that has the most direct impact on quality of life for citizens and visitors. The dedicated men and women of the Bureau of Street Services (BSS) work hard every day to preserve and maintain the largest municipal Public Works infrastructure in the United States. Bureau services are divided into four core programs/divisions: Pavement Preservation Program Maintaining the City s streets Urban Forestry Division Preserving, protecting and growing the urban forest Street Cleaning Program Keeping the City clean Investigation and Enforcement Division Enforcing quality of life standards for the citizens of Los Angeles We have achieved some exciting milestones this year, including the completion of a new Strategic Plan, launching a new website and winning nation-wide recognition for our excellence in asphalt recycling and green practices. I hope you will join me as we look back on a successful year and look forward to a future in which we can continue working together to pave the way towards a better L.A. Nazario Sauceda, Director Total Budget: $146M This year, the BSS created a new website and joined social media sites Twitter and Facebook. MISSION: The Bureau of Street Services is committed to providing quality street services in a timely and efficient manner. VISION: To become a world-class organization committed to providing the most innovative street services while being instrumental in the development of a green and prosperous City of Los Angeles. facebook.com/bsslosangeles

3 ACCOMPLISHMENTS August September October BSS Completes 2011 State of the Streets Report During the month of August, the BSS completed its triennial State of the Streets report, which assesses every single block of the City s vast street system. BSS Completes New Koreatown Streetscape On September 24, this Mid-City community was introduced to the new streetscape improvements along Olympic Boulevard during the annual Korean Parade. The improvements, including new lighting, bus benches, and stamped crosswalks, celebrate the heritage of Los Angeles traditional Koreatown. Launch of New, User-Friendly Website In an effort to be more responsive to its customers needs, the BSS launched a new, redesigned website. Visit us at bss.lacity.org to view the 2011 State of the Streets report and more. Additionally, the BSS created Twitter and Facebook accounts to allow customers to contact the Bureau through social media and stay up to date with the latest changes. December Succesful Cleanup after Historic Windstorm Following one of the worst wind events in City history (December 2011) the Bureau quickly responded to emergency calls and recovery efforts. In one weekend crews closed out over 900 service requests (approximately two months of normal work) and removed over 2,900 cubic yards of debris. February February May July BSS Honored with National Asphalt Recycling Award The BSS was honored to accept the 2012 Roads & Bridges/ARRA Recycling Award. Roads and Bridges, an acclaimed trade journal, and the Asphalt Recycling and Reclaiming Association chose the BSS over nominees from around the country for the Cold Planning category for Projects such as the resurfacing of iconic Hollywood Boulevard. Nazario Sauceda Appointed Director of the BSS The Los Angeles City Council confirmed the Mayor s appointment of Nazario Sauceda as Director of the Bureau on Tuesday, February 28, Mayor Villaraigosa stated, "(Sauceda) has the confidence, ability and enthusiasm to successfully lead the Bureau of Street Services." American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; Completion of Over 100 Miles of Resurfacing Projects During this month, the BSS completed 102 miles of federallyfunded resurfacing projects. The program lasted three years and was completed before the grant s 2015 expiration date. BSS Completes New Strategic Plan The new Strategic Plan provides an overview of the Bureau s goals and strategies for the next five years.

4 PAVEMENT PRESERVATION PROGRAM The City of Los Angeles is comprised of approximately 28,000 lane miles of streets, the largest and most congested municipal street network in the nation. If the streets of Los Angeles were laid end-to-end, they would create a four lane highway between Los Angeles and Paris, France. Every three years, the street system is surveyed and evaluated using the MicroPAVER system. Since 2006, the BSS has successfully maintained the average Pavement Condition Index, halting decades of chronic deterioration. Using both city, state and federal funding, such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Bureau completed 747 miles of pavement preservation work this fiscal year. In , the Bureau: Assessed the entire street infrastructure and authored the 2011 State of the Streets report INITIATIVES Operation Smooth Lanes - Due to heavier traffic from buses and utility vehicles, the gutter lanes on numerous streets have deteriorated faster than the center lanes. The BSS started to identify and rehabilitate these deteriorated lanes exclusively, resulting in cost savings and a smoother trip for Los Angeles commuters. Since its inception this year, Operation Smooth Lanes has rehabilitated more than three miles of gutter lanes. Resurfaced 236 centerline miles of streets Applied slurry seal to 401 centerline miles of streets Crack sealed 110 miles of pavement Repaired more than 300,000 potholes Installed 1,700 access ramps Installed 144 bus pads Intersection Repair - Similar to gutter lanes, intersections receive more than their fair share of traffic. The Bureau identified 30 major intersections in need of resurfacing. Resurfacing of these intersections would improve driver and pedestrian safety and increase traffic flow, as drivers will no longer have to stop as they enter deteriorated stretches of intersection. The BSS will identify additional intersections during fiscal year Signature Streets - The BSS has selected 150 miles of major corridors that are instrumental to the economic development of Los Angeles. The Bureau s divisions coordinate their services so that the streets receive improvements simultaneously in order to minimize additional street closures. More than 30 blocks of signature streets, including Mulholland Drive and Ventura Boulevard, benefited from this initiative in

5 STREET CLEANING PROGRAM The Street Cleaning Program is responsible for sweeping approximately 13,000 curb miles of streets. It is also responsible for spot cleaning public areas like pedestrian tunnels, street overpasses and underpasses. This Program is essential to maintaining sanitary public conditions. The BSS lot cleaning crews, in charge of the abatement of weeds in public and private areas, greatly reduce the City s risk of a serious fire and help keep insect and rodent populations under control. The Street Cleaning Program keeps citizens and the environment safe and healthy. Every week, BSS crews clean over 4,600 miles of restricted posted routes. An additional 8,100 miles of non-posted routes are cleaned on a regular rotation. Special emphasis is placed on areas adjacent to schools, businesses, places of worship and areas with a high degree of economic activity. In , the Bureau: Met its frequency goal of sweeping 97% of posted routes every week Assisted in the clean-up of 110 special events and demonstrations, including the LA Marathon, the LA Kings victory parade and the Occupy LA Clean-up Removed 6,000 cubic yards of green waste as part of the City s weed abatement program Removed 95,500 cubic yards of debris from streets and alleys INITIATIVES Operation Downtown - Ensures that downtown streets are maintained in aesthetically pleasing and safe conditions to better attract and serve investors, developers, citizens and visitors. Bureau workers regularly inspect these streets to make sure potholes are filled promptly, trees are trimmed and sidewalks are in good condition. To minimize customer and business disruption, streets in this area are swept between the hours of 3am and 7am. In , nearly 4 miles of streets benefited from this initiative. DID YOU KNOW... The BSS Street Cleaning Program is a critical part of keeping Los Angeles green and environmentally friendly? Last year, BSS street sweepers removed 85 tons of debris, keeping drinking water safe for LA residents and ocean water clean for LA marine life.

6 URBAN FORESTRY DIVISION The BSS is responsible for maintaining and preserving the City s urban forest. The Bureau provides street tree related services including emergency response, pruning, removal, planting, and permitting. Also, this division provides arboricultural knowledge and expertise to planners, developers, other city and non-city agencies and, of course, the general public. The City of Los Angeles urban forest is arguably the largest municipal urban forest in the nation and is comprised of 700,000 street trees and over 1,000 different species. Trees are the only element of the public works infrastructure that do not depreciate but instead increase in value as they mature. In , the Bureau: Planted more than 3,000 trees Removed 1,900 dead or unsound trees and 1,100 tree stumps Maintained over 300 acres of improved median islands Recycled 100% of greenwaste produced by tree and plant trimming Responded to 12,363 emergency calls, including the extraordinary effort of BSS crews in the weekend following the December 1, 2011 windstorm, when crews responded to nearly 2,000 calls in less than two weeks GOING GREEN In , the Bureau recycled over 150,000 tons of asphalt pavement, generating approximately 500,000 tons of recycled asphalt for street resurfacing. The Bureau also recycled over 100,000 waste tires through its use of rubberized slurry seal. As well as recycling 40,000 tons of green waste into high quality mulch product. Finally, the Bureau successfully launched its crushing program that recycles asphalt and concrete, reducing landfill disposal of resurfacing asphalt to ZERO. INITIATIVES Los Angeles Cold Patch - The BSS is in the process of developing a new cold patch mix that utilizes reclaimed asphalt produced by resurfacing operations. If successful, this material will reduce the use of virgin aggregates and save taxpayer dollars. Transfer Site Compactors - This year, the BSS expanded its use of Transfer Site Compactors. These compactors condense the size of debris, allowing each truck to haul a much larger load, effectively decreasing the number of trips to the landfill as well as reducing cost to taxpayers.

7 INVESTIGATION AND ENFORCEMENT DIVISION The Investigation and Enforcement Division (IED) works closely with the various communities of Los Angeles to protect and maintain the public right-of-way and reduce blight in the community. IED investigators achieve their goal by proactively enforcing municipal ordinances and laws pertaining to illegal dumping, illegal signs, obstructions in the public right-of-way, illegal vending and storm drain violations. Additionally, they investigate complaints concerning potential public safety issues with broken sidewalks, curbs and driveway approaches. Investigators monitor sidewalk cleaning contracts and coordinate homeless encampment clean-up activities. IED also provides permits and enforcement for special events in the public right-of-way, such as parades, block parties and filming. This year marked the beginning of a collaborative project, Operation Healthy Streets, in which the BSS will partner with other City agencies and non-profits to improve sanitary conditions in the Skid Row Area. In , the Bureau: Issued 15,000 permits, including permits for special events, building materials, water tests and other situations that affect the public rightof-way Issued 6,000 notices of violation for illegal dumping Inspected 20,000 newsracks Oversaw 221 homeless clean-ups Launched a new program called CLEAN TEAM (Community Leaders Educating and Assisting Neighborhoods). The program gives community volunteers the opportunity to partner with the BSS to identify, report, and resolve quality of life issues in their neighborhoods, such as illegal signs, illegal vending or public right of way violations INITIATIVES Operation Safe Schools - This year, the BSS initiated an infrastructure assessment around LA schools. The BSS has improved the streets and sidewalks around 85 Los Angeles schools. As part of this effort, the Investigation and Enforcement Division created the Junior Inspectors program, which engages elementary and middle-school students to help keep the areas around their schools safe and clean. Bikeway Stewards - As part of the Mayor s plan to increase biking options in LA, the BSS started an inspection program to ensure that bike paths are in good condition and free from obstructions such as trash containers.

8 Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa City Council Ed Reyes, Council District 1 Paul Krekorian, Council District 2 Dennis Zine, Council District 3 Tom LaBonge, Council District 4 Paul Koretz, Council District 5 Tony Cárdenas, Council District 6 Richard Alarcón, Council District 7 Bernard Parks, Council District 8 Jan Perry, Council District 9 Herb Wesson Jr., Council District 10 Bill Rosendahl, Council District 11 Mitchell Englander, Council District 12 Eric Garcetti, Council District 13 José Huizar, Council District 14 Joe Buscaino, Council District 15 Board of Public Works Andrea A. Alarcón, President Capri W. Maddox, Vice President Valerie Lynne Shaw, President Pro Tempore Jerilyn López-Mendoza, Commissioner Steven T. Nutter, Commissioner Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services Nazario Sauceda, Director Ron Olive, Assistant Director Joseph Cruz, Assistant Director Abraham Navarro, Assistant Director 1149 S. Broadway, Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA CITY