Beach Restroom Cleaning Program

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and harbors cleans 53 beach restrooms on 13 of the 17 beaches in operates, spread out along a 61-mile long coastline. To clean the restrooms, DBH relies on its Grounds Maintenance Worker I staff. However, County budget cuts progressively reduced GMWI staff and, by the start of FY 2009-10, DBH had only 60 GMWIs. These staff reductions meant that less time was spent on cleaning beach restrooms and the public lodged many complaints with both DBH and its Board of Supervisors. DBH responded by studying its cleaning schedule and designing a new beach restroom cleaning program that 1) shifted staff schedules to clean restrooms hourly during peak periods, an approach that won a Performance Management Award from the County’s own chief Executive Office, 2) used Federal Stimulus dollars to ire Transitional Subsidized Employment (TSE) workers for restroom cleaning and beach maintenance, and 3) equipped those TSE workers with adult tricycles (beach tricycles) to carry their cleaning supplies and safely move between work locations on crowded beaches. These TSE workers regularly cleaned the restrooms during peak periods, resulting in the public complimenting the County’s efforts while also saving $577,239 for the Department.