South Los Angeles residents aren't the only ones having a tough time getting city crews to clean up alleyways strewn with refuse and dead animals. Not even an aide to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa could get quick action when he complained about illegal dumping earlier this year, according to a Times review of city records.
The mayoral aide alerted the Department of Public Works in early March about rubbish completely blocking an alley in a pocket of Watts prone to illegal dumping. But more than two months passed before workers cleaned the byway near East 113th Street and Graham Avenue, according to city records.
A spokesman for the mayor said his office was unaware of the delay until told by The Times earlier this week. The aide said he never followed up on his request because he assumed the department would take care of the problem.
Last week, after The Times reported that illegally dumped trash festered for a month or longer in some of the city's poorest neighborhoods, Villaraigosa ordered a report to determine how long it takes for crews to respond to complaints from residents. The report is expected to be completed by the end of this week.
But records show that the mayor's office, as well as residents who called the city's 311 non-emergency number, have regularly waited anywhere from two weeks to two months for alleys to be cleaned.
"The department's response time for this cleanup work is totally unacceptable by any measure," said Villaraigosa spokesman Matt Szabo. "The mayor is not interested in explanations or excuses . . . [and] believes that the bureau is in need of structural change. And he will hold his managers accountable for implementing this change."
Robin Kramer, Villaraigosa's chief of staff, and Deputy Mayor Nancy Sutley were meeting with the president of the Board of Public Works and other agency officials Wednesday afternoon to develop a plan to improve the 311 system and reduce the wait times for alley cleaning, Szabo said.
City Councilwoman Janice Hahn -- whose office has also made cleanup requests that drew a slow response -- has asked the council to direct the Bureau of Street Services and the Los Angeles Police Department to find ways to crack down on illegal dumping and change the way enforcement officers go about their jobs. No date has been set for her motion to be considered by the council.
