March 4, 2025
Public Works
DATE: March 4, 2025
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Daniel Chavarria, Director of Public Works
Tawfic Halaby, Deputy Director of Public Works
Operations & Maintenance
Hugo Mendoza, Public Works Abatement Division
Superintendent
Subject:
January 2025 Abatement Presentation
FINANCIAL IMPACT: None
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The Director of Public Works provides the City Council
with a monthly presentation highlighting the activities of the Public Work’s Abatement Division. This presentation reflects the abatement activities for January 2025.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
RECEIVE a presentation on the January 2025 abatement
activities – Public Works Department (Hugo Mendoza
510-231-3030 / Tawfic Halaby 510-620-5482 / Daniel
Chavarria 510-620-5478).
AGENDA
REPORT
March 4, 2025
DISCUSSION:
On a monthly basis, the Director of Public Works provides the City Council with a presentation highlighting the activities of the City’s Abatement Division. The Abatement Division is responsible for many citywide activities, including hosting neighborhood dumpster days, picking up illegal dumping and weed abatement, and supporting homeless encampments abatement.
Dumpster days are scheduled for Richmond residents on a rotating basis, typically once or twice a year, depending on the size of the neighborhood. In preparation for these events, staff from the Abatement Division provide assistance to elderly and disabled residents who are unable to transport items to the designated dumpster day location
When addressing illegal dumping, the Abatement Division staff meticulously tracks specific items such as mattresses, paint, oil, and tires to ensure their proper disposal, as these items are not placed in landfills. Within the public right-of-way, the Abatement Division staff is responsible for removing weeds and abating encampments.
Occasionally, in collaboration with Code Enforcement staff and Richmond Police Department staff, and with the appropriate signed warrant in hand, the Abatement Division staff enters private property to perform abatement functions.
The presentation summarizes Abatement staff activities for the month of January 2025 (Attachment 1).
The following are highlights from the report:
Removed 280.88 tons of illegal dumping
Removed 251 mattresses
Removed 122 gallons of paint/oil
Removed 175 tires
Abated 17 encampments and removed 36.29 tons of debris Removed 242 graffiti tags from 120 locations
SYNERGISTIC POLICIES:
Strategic Goal Area No. 3 Improve the Quality of Life and Community Health/Improve Social Determinants of Health
Goal 3.1 Improve maintenance of built environment, parks, and new recreation infrastructure
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Presentation