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 will be observed in Oakland on May 1 of this 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 Outreach 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 by e-mail (link) or by telephone:

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.
• 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 legally dispose of unwanted household items:
• Donate your salvageable items to Goodwill Industries (510) 698-7200 or info@eastbaygoodwill.org or Salvation Army510) 451-4514 or www.salvationarmy.org .
• Contact Waste Management of Alameda County to schedule a free bulky pick-up (mattresses, sofas, chairs, tables, appliances) at (510) 613-8710.
• When purchasing new appliances, request the store to remove unwanted old appliances.
• Waste Management of Alameda County is the only licensed hauler within the City of Oakland. When having materials removed by landscape contractors or other individuals, request a copy of the receipt from the dump to make sure that your property is disposed of in a proper fashion.
• Property owners are responsible for the maintenance of the sidewalk in front of their property. Leaving debris and/or bulky items on the sidewalk is illegal, unless you have already scheduled a pick-up of these items.
• 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 to request bulky pickups, please contact Waste Management at (510) 613-8710. When telephoning, please provide the litter container number or the location.

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 Program

The Litter / Nuisance Enforcement Officers (LEOs) are the City of Oakland's investigative arm against illegal dumping, hauling, and blight on public property. The program areas are:
I. Outreach and Education
The LEOs provide information, public education, and outreach to the business communities, community groups and other interested groups who will work together to identify problem solving strategies on issues of illegal dumping, illegal hauling, and blight on public property.
II. Investigation and Identification of Violators
The LEO program utilizes the Oakland Municipal Codes (OMC) and California Penal Codes (CPC), as well as existing blight laws to investigate complaints and issue citations for violations of illegal dumping. The average administrative fine for illegal dumping is $1,000. Depending on the size of the pile, the fine may escalate to thousands of dollars.
III. Enforcement
The LEOs are authorized to assess administrative fines against perpetrators of illegal dumping and to tag and tow abandoned vehicles on the streets in accordance with the OMC and CPC. LEOs issue citations on vehicles parked illegally on the streets and sidewalks, post warning signs on misused litter containers, and issue encroachment notices for items illegally placed in the public right of way.
To report illegal dumping, blight and/or nuisance on public property :
See the Public Works Agency Customer Call Center web page @:
Public Works Agency Customer Call Center
or call (510) 615-5566
or e-mail the Call Center @ PWACallCenter@oaklandnet.com
Other helpful phone numbers:
Code Enforcement Department (City) 238-3381 
    Blight or nuisance on private property
Alameda County Complaints 
    Vector Control (rats or other pests) 567-6800 
    Restaurant / Food (health) 567-6700
Abandoned Vehicles (Police) 777-8622
Hazardous Materials (Fire) 238-3927
Animal Services (City) 535-5602
Recycling and Garbage issues (City) 238-SAVE
Waste Management 613-8710 
    For all garbage service and to schedule 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 PWA Customer Call Center 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 PWA Customer 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 Division would like your help and cooperation.
Here is how you can assist us in keeping your street clean:

• Do not place leaves or other debris into the gutters 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) (Observed Monday, July 5, 2010)
• 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 note! The schedule of MLWOP (Mandatory Leave WithOut Pay) days for fiscal year 2010–2011 (July 1 through June 30) has recently been published. The list is as follows:

• Friday, July 2, 2010
• Friday, August 13, 2010
• Friday, September 10, 2010
• Monday, October 11, 2010
• Friday, November 12, 2010
• Monday, November 29, 2010
• Monday through Thursday, December 27, 28, 29, 30, 2010
• Thursday, March 31, 2011
• Friday, April 1, 2011

Most City services will be shut down on those days. Street sweeping is not scheduled to take place, and tickets will not be issued for street sweeping parking violations. To reiterate, there will be no street sweeping on Friday, July 2, 2010, Sunday, July 4, 2010, or on Monday, July 5, 2010, and no tickets will be issued on those days for street sweeping parking violations

Parking meters will be enforced on the following non-street sweeping days (see Finance and Management Agency’s Parking Enforcement page at http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/fwawebsite/parking/parking_enforce.htm )

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

 
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

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 is responsible for cutting and keeping the City’s hardscaped medians, pedestrian pathways, and public rights-of-way free of overgrown vegetation.

• 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

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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.

• The Graffiti Abatement program will perform one “courtesy” abatement on private property. Subsequent instances of graffiti on private property will be referred to CEDA, who will perform the work at the cost of the property owner, or provide a list of private companies providing abatement services. [Oakland Municipal Code §8.10.080]

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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