Community Development Agency
www.santa-ana.org/cd
Item # 16
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
January 20, 2026
TOPIC: Agreement with DTSA Services for Downtown Santa Ana Clean & Safe Program
AGENDA TITLE
Agreement with DTSA Services for Downtown Santa Ana Clean & Safe Program (Specification No. 25-097) (Parking Enterprise Funds)
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Romo Enterprises Inc. DBA DTSA Services for the Downtown Santa Ana Clean & Safe Program in an amount not-to- exceed $1,110,764 for a term beginning March 1, 2026 and expiring February 28, 2027, with provisions for two, one-year extensions for a total agreement amount not-to-exceed $3,501,682 (Agreement No. A-2026-XXX).
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: Yes
DISCUSSION
Downtown Santa Ana (DTSA) serves as the City of Santa Ana’s (City) primary mixed- use area with a high concentration of retail, restaurant, residential, office, and cultural uses. The area includes over 700 businesses, more than 3,000 residents, and over 1,000 daily visitors, making it a key focal point for economic activity, small business support, and visitor engagement.
An integral element of maintaining a functional downtown is ensuring that the area remains clean and safe. DTSA is an older downtown with many buildings built before car ownership was widespread and these properties lack private parking to provide for the needs of employees and patrons. Many of these employees and patrons have to find parking and walk to their properties creating a lot of pedestrian activity, which leads to maintenance conditions in DTSA different from other areas of the City.
In addition to serving residents and businesses, DTSA accommodates tourism and regional events that increase foot traffic and require enhanced levels of cleaning, maintenance, and security services. As a result, there is a continuous need for dedicated services to support both daily operations and peak use conditions, including:
1. Staffing: Litter & Power Washing Team, Monday – Sunday
Agreement with DTSA Services for Downtown Santa Ana Clean & Safe Program January 20, 2026
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2. Security Guard Oversight: Maintaining public safety, Monday - Sunday
3. Litter/Maintenance: Removing litter and waste from all outside surfaces such as sidewalks, curbs, planters, and tree gates
4. Cleaning of Alleys in DTSA: Clearing of trash, waste, shopping carts, leaves, and pallets
5. Cleaning & Emptying Trash Cans: There are over 90 trash containers in DTSA to be emptied and cleaned as needed, on average five (5) times per day, every day.
6. Cleaning of Outdoor Benches, Bollard, and Light Poles: Cleaned on a regular basis and removing all waste.
7. Cleaning of Parklets: Picking up litter and waste, and power washing at the various parklets located within DTSA
8. Special Events (Litter Clean-Up/Maintenance): Cleaning for designated City approved events
9. Special Events (Street Closures): Street closure services with Traffic Control Plans approved by the Public Works Agency for special events approved by the City
10.Power Wash Services: Removal of gum, dirt, oil, grime, and other fluids
11.Equipment, Supplies & Facilities: Storage of cleaning and pedestrian control equipment
To fulfill this need, City Council approved a three-year agreement with DTSA Services, which will expire on March 1, 2026.
On July 14, 2025, the Community Development Agency (CDA) released Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 25-097 (Exhibit 1) for the Downtown Clean & Safe Program through the City’s online bid system. The City’s Purchasing Division set the procurement and contract terms.
Local Outreach Efforts
The Purchasing Division advertised this project on the City’s online bid management and publication system, which directly notified 10 Santa Ana vendors. One Santa Ana vendor downloaded the RFP and submitted a bid for consideration.
Vendor participation and results are summarized below:
963 Vendors notified
10 Santa Ana vendors notified
Agreement with DTSA Services for Downtown Santa Ana Clean & Safe Program January 20, 2026
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74 Vendors downloaded the RFP packet
10 Proposals received
1 Proposal received from Santa Ana vendor
Proposals submitted were opened on August 11, 2025, and evaluated. Seven (7) proposals were submitted by the deadline and were determined to be responsive to the specifications and met the City’s requirements. An evaluation committee of various City departments reviewed and rated the proposals according to the criteria listed in the RFP.
Requirements of the RFP included: litter maintenance, special events clean-up, power washing, daily cleaning of City infrastructure (bollards, light posts, benches), cleaning and maintenance of parklets, alley cleaning, street closure equipment set-up and breakdown for approved City sponsored events, and security guard procurement and oversight.
Table 1 below provides the ranking of each proposal.
Table 1
Rank Proposer
1 DTSA Services
2 Vested Solutions
3 Ultimate Maintenance Services
4 Alltech Industries Inc.
5 Veterans High Risk Security Solutions Inc
6 (tied) DMS Facilities Services
6 (tied) Orange County Building Maintenance
DTSA Services is a local business from Santa Ana that presented the most comprehensive and forward-looking proposal (Exhibit 2). Their proposal went further than the RFP scope and requested services, such as their training of staff for ambassadors of DTSA, integration with City response teams, and operational readiness and depth of resources. Staff recommends awarding an agreement to the highest-ranked firm, DTSA Services (Exhibit 3) with the funds generated from DTSA parking revenue that is in the Parking Enterprise Downtown Enhancements, Contract Services expenditure account (No. 02718133-2-62300). Additional details provided in the DTSA Services proposal are as follows:
1) Ambassadors for Downtown: The proposal emphasizes a trained, full time team that not only performs cleaning and safety functions, but also actively engages with the public. They provide directions, answer questions, and welcome visitors to DTSA.
2) Integration with City Response Teams: The team works cooperatively with the Santa Ana Police Department - Santa Ana Multi-Disciplinary Response Team (SMART) and helps identify actions needed for non-emergency transient related issues. This collaboration with the City is vital to maintain the quality of life in DTSA.
Agreement with DTSA Services for Downtown Santa Ana Clean & Safe Program January 20, 2026
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3) Operational Readiness: The proposal provides clear details on staffing levels, supervisorial structure, reporting systems, and equipment maintenance. This level of detail shows DTSA Services’ ability to deliver consistent, reliable, and well-managed services.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for Parking Enterprise Downtown Enhancements – Contract Services account (no. 02718133-62300) will be budgeted in the respective fiscal years outlined below with Year 1 in the amount of $1,110, 764 and Option Year 2 in the amount of $1,166,301 and Option Year 3 in the amount of $1,224,617 for a total amount not to exceed of $3,501,682.
Future funding will be allocated on an annual basis and included in proposed budgets for City Council consideration.
Agreement
Year
Fiscal
Year
Accounting
Unit -
Account #
Fund
Description
Accounting Unit,
Account
Description
Amount
FY 25-26
(Mar-Jun)
02718133-
62300
Parking
Enterprise
Downtown
Enhancements,
Contract Services
$370,255
Year 1 FY 26-27
(Jul-Feb)
02718133-
62300
Parking
Enterprise
Downtown
Enhancements,
Contract Services
$740,509
Year 1 Total $1,110,764
FY 26-27
(Mar-Jun)
02718133-
62300
Parking
Enterprise
Downtown
Enhancements,
Contract Services
$388,767
Year 2 FY 27-28
(Jul-Feb)
02718133-
62300
Parking
Enterprise
Downtown
Enhancements,
Contract Services
$777,534
Year 2 Total $1,166,301
FY 27-28
(Mar-Jun)
02718133-
62300
Parking
Enterprise
Downtown
Enhancements,
Contract Services
$408,206
Year 3 FY 28-29
(Jul-Feb)
02718133-
62300
Parking
Enterprise
Downtown
Enhancements,
Contract Services
$816,411
Year 3 Total $1,224,617
Grand Total $3,501,682
Agreement with DTSA Services for Downtown Santa Ana Clean & Safe Program January 20, 2026
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EXHIBIT(S)
1. Request for Proposals (RFP) for Clean & Safe Program
2. DTSA Services Proposal and budget
3. Agreement with DTSA Services
Submitted By: Michael L. Garcia, Executive Director, Community Development Agency Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager