Keep Oakland Clean and Beautiful Division

The Keep Oakland Clean and Beautiful ("KOCB") Division of Oakland’s Public Works Agency is dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the City’s natural aesthetic qualities. In pursuit of this goal, KOCB is responsible for regularly scheduled street sweeping , the reduction of litter  Citywide, keeping our hardscaped (concrete or asphalt) medians and City-owned lots free of overgrown vegetation , pickup of illegally dumped materials  discarded on our streets, and the removal of graffiti  on public property. The Division also plays a support role in keeping our City parks  at their best.

Keep Oakland Beautiful ("KOB") is the volunteer branch of KOCB. KOB is a local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful  and provides ongoing opportunities for Oakland’s citizens to effect positive change, while simultaneously enjoying Oakland’s remarkable beauty. Some of KOB’s annual activities include the planting of bulbs  in the fall, participation in Creek-to-Bay Day , Community Cleanup Days , Earth Day  events in April, and the Great American Cleanup  which is observed in Oakland in April of each year.

For more information on how you can make a difference, click below on volunteer opportunities through Keep Oakland Beautiful .

The various branches of KOCB provide these services:

• Continuous effort toward reduction of Illegal Dumping ;
• Staff dedicated to Litter Enforcement  and Education;
• Regularly scheduled Street Sweeping
  (see below  for information about street sweeping during holidays);
• Management of the City’s hardscaped medians and City-owned lots through daily Vegetation Management ;
• Ongoing Graffiti Abatement ; and
• Volunteer Opportunities through Keep Oakland Beautiful .

Contact:

Operations Manager
David Ferguson  (510) 434-5111

Administrative Assistant II
A. L. “Toni” Anderson  (510) 434-5107

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Illegal Dumping

750 50th Avenue
(510) 615-5566

• The Illegal Dumping program is responsible for removal of trash, debris and refuse illegally dumped in the public right-of-way.
• The program collects over 4,000 tons annually of illegally dumped appliances, furniture, tires and household trash. Learn more Facts About Oakland's Infrastructure  (.pdf format).
• When reporting illegal dumping problems, please be sure to have the exact address and provide information as to the specific type of debris, e.g., tires, couches, trash bags, etc.
• Illegal Dumping Is A Crime!  (Click here for more information on how you may help discourage this practice.)
• Waste Management of Alameda County  is responsible for daily servicing of the litter containers in the downtown area. The illegal dumping staff is responsible for maintenance and repair of these containers. Illegal dumping staff is also responsible for clearing debris from the areas surrounding the litter containers and for providing a second litter container service, if needed.
• To report overflowing litter containers and/or bulky pickups, please contact Waste Management at (510) 613-8710.

For more information or to report illegal dumping activity or illegal haulers, contact the PWA Customer Call Center  at (510) 615-5566, or complete a Witness Statement Form .

Public Works Supervisor I
Jeffrey Van Eck  (510) 434-5104

Public Works Supervisor I
Versall Henderson (510) 434-5103

Public Works Supervisor II
Frank Foster  (510) 434-5109

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Litter / Nuisance Enforcement

 Office hours: Monday through Friday - 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Vision
The Litter / Nuisance Enforcement program’s vision is to reduce illegal dumping and blight on public property.

Program Areas

Outreach and Education
Plan, coordinate, implement a comprehensive resource network to reduce illegal dumping. Educate and provide outreach to the community on issues of illegal dumping, hauling, and blight on public property.

Investigation and Identification of Violators
The Litter / Nuisance Enforcement Officers are the City of Oakland's investigative arm against illegal dumping and hauling, blight on public property and the public right-of-way (streets and sidewalks). The LEO program utilizes the Oakland Municipal Codes and California Penal Codes, as well as existing blight laws.

Enforcement
The officers are authorized to assess fines against perpetrators of illegal dumping and to tag and tow abandoned vehicles on the streets in accordance with the Oakland Municipal Codes and California Penal Codes. Officers issue citations on vehicles parked illegally on the streets and sidewalks, post warning signs on misused litter containers, and encroachment notices of furniture disposed of on the public right-of-way.

Customer Service
The mission of the City of Oakland Litter / Nuisance Enforcement Officer ("LEO") program is to provide a fast, effective, and professional response to illegal dumping and nuisance blight on public property.

Geographic Area	Litter Enforcement Officer
North and West Oakland Chinatown, Downtown West of Lake Merritt Council Districts 1 & 2	Bobby McConnell bmcconnell@oaklandnet.com office: (510) 434-5115 cell: (510) 385-8622
Central Oakland 1st Avenue – High Street Montclair District Council Districts 3, 4 & 5	Richard Wright rwright@oaklandnet.com office: (510) 434-5118 cell: (510) 385-8245
East Oakland High Street – 109th Avenue Skyline Blvd. District Council District 6	Quincey Smith qsmith@oaklandnet.com office: (510) 434-5122 cell: (510) 385-8609
Clean Community Supervisor	Cookie Robles-Wong crobles@oaklandnet.com office: (510) 434-5126

If you do not see your neighborhood listed, contact the LEO nearest to your area, or contact:

Public Service Representative                     Tanya Simmons  
                                                                 tsimmons@oaklandnet.com
                                                                office: (510) 434-5117

To report illegal dumping, blight and or nuisance on public property:

Public Works Agency Customer Call Center             (510) 615-5566
E-mail:                                          PWACallCenter@oaklandnet.com

Helpful phone numbers:

Alameda County Complaints
Vector Control (rats, pests)                                     567-6800
Restaurant / Food (health)                                      567-6700

Code Enforcement Department (City of Oakland)      238-3381 
    For blight and nuisance on private property
Abandoned Vehicles (Police Department)                777-8622
Hazardous Materials (Fire Department)                    238-3927
Animal Services (City of Oakland)                           535-5602

Recycling and Garbage issues (City of Oakland)      238-SAVE
Waste Management of Alameda County                  613-8710 
    For litter container and garbage service and scheduling bulky pickups

Litter / Nuisance Enforcement Brochure (.pdf format)  

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Street Sweeping

750 50th Avenue
(510) 615-5566

• The street sweeping program is responsible for keeping all major thoroughfares and arterials clean of trash and debris. Regular street sweeping not only keeps city streets cleaner and safer, but it helps reduce the amount of trash that enters our storm drain system, which flows into the San Francisco Bay.

• Major arterials and commercial areas are swept at night and residential areas are swept during the day, according to a predetermined monthly schedule. The frequency of street sweeping is determined by state mandates and environmental conditions. Signs are posted on each block to notify residents of the days and times sweeping will occur, so that vehicles will be moved accordingly.

• For more information or to report an area that needs additional attention, contact the division at (510) 615-5566, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

• To request a change in your street's regular sweeping schedule, please contact the Public Works Agency Call Center  at (510) 615-5566. At least 67% of the residents of the affected block must sign a petition requesting a change in schedule .

City of Oakland Leaf Season Policies:

The fall and winter leaf season (September through February) presents special difficulties and challenges. Tree-lined streets are literally inundated with leaves for several months. During the leaf season, the Keep Oakland Clean and Beautiful (KOCB) Division would like your help and cooperation.

Here is how you can assist us in keeping your street clean:

• Do not pile leaves or other debris for the street sweeper to pick up. The sweepers are not designed to pick up large piles of leaves. Any debris in the leaves could damage the sweeping unit. [Oakland Municipal Code §8.38.030]
• Do not sweep leaves from your front yard, sidewalk, or planter strip onto the roadway. Oakland Municipal Code §13.16.100 states, in part: “Sweepings from said sidewalk shall not be swept or otherwise made or allowed to go into the gutter or roadway, but shall be disposed of in receptacles maintained on said real property as required for the disposal of garbage.” [Oakland Municipal Code §13.16.100A]
• Please utilize your green yard trimmings and food scraps cart to its capacity.

Working together, we can minimize the aggravation of the leaf season.

Street sweeping will not occur on the following City of Oakland holidays in 2010. Street sweeping will resume on the street's next scheduled day (if it is not a City of Oakland holiday):

• New Year's Day (January 1)
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 18)
• Lincoln's Birthday (February 12)
• Presidents' Day (February 15)
• Memorial Day (May 31)
• Independence Day (July 4)
• Labor Day (September 6)
• Admissions Day (September 9)
• Veterans' Day (November 11)
• Thanksgiving Day (November 25)
• Day after Thanksgiving (November 26)
• Christmas Day (December 25)

Any day not listed here is not a City of Oakland holiday; street sweeping and parking enforcement will occur on those days.

Please take note that parking meters will be enforced on the following days:

• Lincoln's Birthday (February 12)
• Admissions Day (September 9)

Please note! City of Oakland offices will be on Mandatory Leave Without Pay (MLWOP) on the following days through the remainder of fiscal year 2009-2010: Wednesday, March 31, 2010; Monday, April 5, 2010. Street sweeping is not scheduled to take place on either of these days, and tickets will not be issued for street sweeping parking violations.

To report a street sweeping problem, contact the PWA Customer Call Center  at (510) 615-5566.

Public Works Supervisor I (Day Sweeping)
Dexter English  (510) 434-5130

Acting Public Works Supervisor I (Night Sweeping)
Rickey G. Persons Sr. (510) 434-5110

Public Works Supervisor II
Robert Newman  (510) 434-5106

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Vegetation Management

750 50th Avenue
(510) 615-5566

• The Vegetation Management program (also known as the “Cut & Clean” crew) is responsible for cutting and keeping the City’s hardscaped medians, pedestrian pathways, and public rights-of-way free of excessive overgrown vegetation.

• In the winter, the Vegetation Management crew is also responsible for cleaning the storm drain inlets in Zone 3 (consisting of the area from High Street to Durant Avenue and from Oakport / Hegenberger to Skyline Boulevard).

• For more information or to report an area that requires attention, call (510) 615-5566.

When reporting problems, be sure to provide the exact address or nearest cross streets.

To report a vegetation management problem, contact the PWA Customer Call Center  at (510) 615-5566.

Public Works Supervisor I
Arthur Watson  (510) 434-5112

Public Works Supervisor II
Robert Newman  (510) 434-5106 

Graffiti Abatement

750 50th Avenue
(510) 615-5566

• The Graffiti Abatement painting program is responsible for the abatement of graffiti on public property Citywide.

• This program is also responsible for abating graffiti from all City electroliers and signal control cabinets, and maintaining the painting schedule for graffiti abatement.

To report a graffiti problem on public property, contact the PWA Customer Call Center  at (510) 615-5566.

Public Works Supervisor I
Arthur Watson  (510) 434-5112

Public Works Supervisor II
Robert Newman  (510) 434-5106

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