Downtown Is Now Cleaner and Safer

The Downtown Long Beach Alliance is known for getting the word out on exciting, fun-filled events like the Taste of Downtown with KCRW Summer Nights held in August. The DTLB Alliance is also known for helping to keep the downtown a safe and clean place to go see a concert, go out to dinner, go to and from work, and to find a comfortable dwelling in one of the residential buildings.

DTLB Alliance’s Clean & Safe Team employees have a lot to do with the downtown being livable and enjoyable to spend time in. They’ve got a very big job to do.

They’re doing some of the cleanup after homeless people have left their personal items behind; or a large event just took place where music fans dumped a lot of cups and other trash; or commuters are getting on the Metro train or a bus ride and leave their share of refuse and belongings behind.

You’ll see Clean Team wearing distinct red shirts with gray pants – on foot, bicycle, or in specialized Segway or all-terrain litter vacuum (ATLV) vehicles to manage sidewalk cleanup and operations. Clean Team is accompanied by Safety Ambassadors who patrol the streets to help create a better quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors.

The Clean and Safe Team consists of staff members who sometimes get recognized by winning “Employee of the Quarter” honors after doing a great job. These porters and pressure washers are responsible for picking up trash, sweeping and removing debris from the sidewalk and curb, as well as removing graffiti and stickers, pulling weeds, and wiping down street furniture, DTLB Alliance says.

At times, they are called upon to pick up debris from an overturned city trash receptacle, as well as articles of clothing and trash from abandoned homeless encampments. There are times, too, when they’re called in to help dispose of bulk items such as discarded couch cushions, chairs and mattresses.

They may also be asked by visitors to give directions, provide safety escorts, and help to jump-start cars with dead batteries. Safety Ambassadors also report when they see something, serving as extra eyes and ears for the Long Beach Police Department to assist in crime prevention.

DTLB Alliance works in tandem with the City of Long Beach’s Go Long Beach mobile application for cleanup services. DTLB Alliance covers an area spanning north and south from 10th Street to Shoreline Village. From east and west, it goes from Alamitos Ave. to the I-710 freeway.

You’ll see some of their vehicles parked outside the DTLB Alliance office in The Hubb building on Pine Ave. and Broadway. You’ll also see staff getting ready to start their trips. Signage on the building promotes their “One Downtown” approach that includes 150 blocks, six neighborhoods, and more than 33,000 people in an area of 1.38 square miles.

How the Team Started

The program is funded through property assessments via a Property-Based Improvement District (PBID) to support downtown maintenance. The PBID was first established by Downtown property owners in 1998. For the past 28 years, the PBID has been effectively managed by the DTLB Alliance, a 501(c) non-profit organization founded in 1937. It operates on behalf of the tenants and commercial property owners of the Business Improvement District (BID).

It is dedicated to the management, marketing, security, maintenance, advocacy, economic and community development of the assessment districts in cooperation with the City of Long Beach and the private sector. The city says that it has multiple distinct BIDs located across various commercial corridors to help fund local improvements, cleaning, safety and marketing.

The Clean & Safe Team has been managed by Block by Block, an SMS Holdings company, since it started up in 2005. Block by Block says that it launched Downtown Long Beach Safety Guides at that time and customized the services for the city. Block by Block and DTLB Alliance designed the program to address “unique challenges combining an urban waterfront locale with a dense residential core and energetic night life and entertainment scenes.”

SMS Holdings operates facilities services around the country. The parent company offers a range of services from cleaning and safety to uniforms and hospitality.

Radio-equipped Clean Team members begin their work early each morning to ensure that the central business district remains attractive and clean. Five days a week, the Clean Team uses an All-Terrain Litter Vacuum along the curb line. This includes pressure washing sidewalks, patios, and parklets on weekly and six-week rotations.

DTLB Alliance says that its Safety Ambassadors support the Long Beach Police Department, property owners and tenants in overall crime prevention and reduction in neighborhood street disorders. Highly trained and distinctly uniformed, Safety Ambassadors patrol the central business district 12-18 hours a day on bike and on foot helping to deter challenging quality of life issues, offering an enhanced sense of security, and serving as goodwill ambassadors.

DTLB Alliance Safety Escorts are available Sunday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9:45 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. Call (562) 244-1365 for assistance. You can also submit a request for service on the DTLB Alliance website at downtownlongbeach.org/clean-safe/

Along with the City of Long Beach’s refuse collection, public safety and policing staff, and its Go Long Beach cleanup program, the DTLB Alliance has a very important role to play. It’s one of the reasons that spending time downtown can be quite pleasant and leave you with a very good impression of how Long Beach is doing.

Jon LeSage is a resident of Long Beach and a veteran business media reporter and editor. You can reach him at jtlesage1@yahoo.com.