Public Works Agency
www.santa-ana.org/pw
Item # 19
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
August 19, 2025
TOPIC: Caltrans Encampment Delegated Maintenance Agreement
AGENDA TITLE
Encampment Delegated Maintenance Agreement with the California Department of Transportation for Right-of-Way Maintenance Services and Appropriation of $400,000 in Reimbursement Funding (Project No. 26-6423) (Non-General Fund)
RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Approve an Encampment Delegated Maintenance Agreement with the California Department of Transportation for the City to provide encampment abatement, litter and debris removal, weed abatement, and graffiti removal within Caltrans’ right-of-way, with Caltrans reimbursing the City up to $200,000 annually for two years through June 30, 2027 for a total amount not to exceed $400,000 (Agreement No. A-2025-XXX).
2. Approve an appropriation adjustment in the amount of $400,000 to the Public Works Agency Services, Contract Services-Professional expenditure account (No. 05317021-62300), funded by reimbursements recorded in the City Services Expense Reimbursement revenue account (No. 05317002-57000) (Requires five affirmative votes.)
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute the Agreement and any subsequent related documents, including amendments and exhibits, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: No
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The City has experienced a noticeable increased in transient-related activities along state highway rights-of-way (“State ROW”), including illegal encampments, littering, and vandalism. These issues have not been adequately addressed by Caltrans. As a result, residents, business owners, community stakeholder groups, and the City Council have persistently raised concerns and call for the City to address safety, sanitation, and the physical deterioration at local on and off ramps, particularly at key gateway locations along the I-5 and SR-55 corridors.
Caltrans Encampment Delegated Maintenance Agreement
August 19, 2025
5 2
8 1
The Public Works Agency Maintenance Services Division (“PWA”) is responsible for the maintenance of the City’s right-of-way areas including street medians, linear parks, neighborhood entry areas, and arterial sidewalk areas citywide. The services include, but are not limited to, mowing, weed mitigation, graffiti removal, trash removal and disposal, and Quality of Life Team (“QOLT”) cleanups. The Division prides itself on providing rapid response to many of the cleanliness issues located in the right-of-way and other public facilities within the City’s jurisdiction. The requests PWA receives for service along the State ROW, while within city limits, are owned by the State and maintained by Caltrans. This significantly limits PWA’s ability to respond to public and City Council concerns. Despite numerous actions taken by the City, from repeated notifications to State officials, with limited success, to in some cases taking the initiative to locally clean the State ROW, the City has been informed by the State that it is precluded from accessing all areas under Caltrans’ jurisdiction, leaving the City without any reasonable ability to address City Council and public concerns.
Under the leadership and with strong support and advocacy by the Mayor and City Council to State and local Caltrans officials, emphasizing the urgency and need for the State and Caltrans to address the visibly deteriorating conditions, Caltrans engaged with the City and agreed to enter into an Encampment Delegated Maintenance Agreement (“EDMA”) which allows the City to perform maintenance services such as encampment removal, weed abatement, graffiti removal, and trash and debris removal on a reimbursement basis (Exhibit 1). The agreement provides for the City to be reimbursed up to $200,000 per year for two years. The City would perform routine maintenance services as well as as-needed encampment removals at the following 11 locations:
•Seventeenth Street and Penn Way – On/Off Ramps
•Buffalo Avenue and Main Street – Southbound Off Ramp
•Santiago Creek Underpass at Broadway
•Grand Avenue – On/Off Ramps and Underpass
•Eastside of Freeway – Between Stafford Street and Mabury Street •Southside of Freeway – Between Logan Street and Lincoln Avenue •Fourth Street – Northbound Off-Ramp
•Fourth Street – Southbound On/Off-Ramps
•Hesperian Street and Bristol Street – On/Off Ramps and Underpass •Dyer Road – On/Off Ramps and Underpass
•MacArthur Boulevard – Southbound On-Ramp
Staff estimates routine maintenance costs for these areas to be approximately $150,000 per year with the balance available for encampment removals or other additional cleanup efforts. The City will be able to mobilize immediately after the Agreement takes effect.
To facilitate regularly scheduled maintenance and rapid response by PWA to public and City Council service requests, staff will return to City Council in the near future for the award of a maintenance contract to augment staff’s efforts in performing these services.
Caltrans Encampment Delegated Maintenance Agreement
August 19, 2025
5 2
8 1
The Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for the augment services has already been released and will close on September 18, 2025.
Staff recommends approving the proposed Agreement to allow for local control over the frequency and quality of maintenance in Caltrans right of way areas visible and accessible via city streets allowing the City to bring these areas to the same standard of care as City right-of-way.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
There is no environmental impact associated with this action.
FISCAL IMPACT
With the approval of the requested appropriation adjustment, funds will be budgeted and available for this item in the accounts and project number listed below. A project number has been assigned to accurately categorize anticipated expenditures related to contracts, materials, and labor, as needed. As indicated in the discussion, expenditures will be reimbursed by Caltrans therefore there will be no net impact to the budget.
Subsequent funding for the renewal options, if exercised, will be included in the proposed budgets for City Council consideration.
Fiscal
Year
Accounting Unit-
Account #
Fund
Description
Accounting Unit,
Account
Description
Amount
2025-26 05317021-62300
(26-6423) City Services
Public Works
Agency Services,
Contract Services-
Professional
$200,000
2026-27 05317021-62300
(26-6423) City Services
Public Works
Agency Services,
Contract Services-
Professional
$200,000
TOTAL $400,000
EXHIBIT(S)
1. Caltrans Encampment Delegated Maintenance Agreement
Submitted By: Rudy Rosas, P.E., Acting Executive Director – Public Works Agency Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager