Neighborhood and Community Beautification

South LA Beautification Team
CRCD’s South Los Angeles Beautification Team (SLABT) provides graffiti removal, bulky item pick-up, alley clean-ups, street maintenance, and business corridor maintenance in a 15 square-mile area representing the southern portion of Los Angeles City Council District 9. SLABT’s service area includes a City-designated Redevelopment Project Area and a 208-acre industrial brownfield site targeted for environmental clean-up and economic revitalization. SLABT also provides set-up and clean-up for more than 20 community events per year such as block club clean-ups and the Central Avenue Jazz Festival. SLABT’s professional crew works six days a week with part-time assistance from young people in CRCD's Workforce Development Program and court-mandated community service volunteers.

Graffiti Abatement
We remove 84,000 square feet of graffiti per week, reducing tension and violence between the target area’s 55 gangs. In 2008, we removed 4.3 million square feet of graffiti – equal to the size of 76 football fields. We follow a 30-50 mile daily route, and receive telephone requests for graffiti removal from residents, businesses, the Los Angeles Police Department, the City Council Office, and the City’s 3-1-1 service. To remove graffiti, we use sand-blasting, environmentally friendly pressure-washing, and color-matched paint. We received a national 2008 MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Award recognizing our collaborative efforts with the Los Angeles Police Department, City Attorney’s Office, block clubs, and community groups to reduce graffiti and improve public safety. 

Bulky item Pick-up
We collect more than 16 tons of illegally-dumped bulky items per week from public alleys, sidewalks, residential streets, and major business corridors. In 2008, CRCD removed 853 tons of bulky items. We respond to telephone requests for bulky item pick-up and alley clean-ups. 

Street Maintenance & Business Corridor Maintenance
We provide street maintenance and business corridor maintenance in Vernon-Central, including a 3-mile stretch of historic Central Avenue from Washington Boulevard to Slauson Avenue. Full-service exterior maintenance includes high-tech sweeping, scrubbing, steam-cleaning, and environmentally-friendly pressure-washing to remove grime and gum from public sidewalks. We capture, filter, and recycle our water from block to block to conserve resources and prevent dirty water from entering storm drains. We also clean-up weeds and tree wells in public spaces and empty public trash receptacles. In 2008, we collected 13,995 bags of trash. Our work promotes a business-friendly environment for merchants.

Community Events
We provide set-up, clean-up, and security at community events such as the weekly Central Avenue Farmers Market, the Central Avenue Jazz Festival, Bolero Festival, the Mayor’s “Big Sunday” Day of Service, the Environmental Fair, and block club clean-ups. We worked at more than 20 events in 2008.

How To Reach Us
Please call Montez Fowler, Program Manager, with any questions at (213) 743-6194.