December 30, 2011
From the desk of
Nazario Sauceda, Interim Director
Bureau of Street Services
Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa
Historical Windstorm: Historical Response
During the early hours of December 1st, 2011, the City of Los Angeles experienced a violent windstorm. An
unusual convergence of high and low pressure weather systems sent winds that in some areas were recorded in
excess of 100 miles per hour. Although no part of the City was spared, the northeastern communities of Eagle
Rock, Highland Park, Glassell Park, and Mount Washington were especially impacted. The violent winds lasted
only eight to ten hours but left devastation in their path. The winds were particularly destructive to the urban
forest as trees failed wholly or in part resulting in dozens of blocked streets. The
Bureau of Street Services (BSS) received hundreds of tree emergency calls on December 1st and by early morning had fifty crews and several hundred employees
responding to the event. In the early stages of the event, the Bureau’s primary task was providing timely first
response to secure emergency sites and provide public access. By Monday, December 16th, the number of tree
emergency requests had reached over 2,100 and the BSS continued clean-up operations while responding to
new requests. A Departmental effort took place for weeks and as of today, all locations reported have been
cleaned and the city has re-established its normal status. The restless actions of the City employees were highly
appreciated by those residents who had fallen trees blocking access to their homes. One of them expressed her gratitude by saying, “You are
Angels in the City of Angels”.
Interns: A New Source of Energy and Creativity
Interns represent a source of new energy and creative ideas and the BSS’ Engineering Division has welcomed two new interns. Travis
Wylde, who is in his senior year at USC and a member of the Alpha Gamma Omega fraternity. The BSS is also glad to have Linda Nguyen
who attends California State University, Los Angeles as a Graduate Student studying Structural Engineering. After a month of their internship, both are surprised to learn that studying engineering and putting it into practice can be a challenging and sometimes difficult task.
However, this is precisely why internships are so valuable. They force the new generation of workers to become more creative and to learn
to deal with the realities of governmental work. Internships are also instrumental to assist in the development of communication skills that
students have not fully honed. Lastly, Internships are organizational mechanisms to bring new visions and ideas; they represent an opportunity to renovate old practices that typically are not questioned until a new person challenges them. For the same reasons, we welcome
Linda and Travis and we encourage them to find ways to streamline or otherwise enhance the current methodologies and practices.
2011 Reflections Can Only Make Us Better in 2012
2011 was a challenging year for all City Departments but once again, our endurance, creativity, and energy made our city shine through.
While challenging, 2011 was an extremely productive year for the Bureau. Among our many accomplishments, we completed the 2011 State
of the Streets report, updated the Master Plan that will serve as our guidebook for the next two years, and implemented numerous initiatives
that enhance the services we provide. One of the duties of our Bureau is to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies, and this year we
were an instrumental part of the City’s Emergency Response Team. As we approach the new year, we will renew our energy to meet the
challenges ahead with our signature commitment to safety and service. On behalf of the dedicated men and women of the BSS, I wish you
and your families a happy and safe holiday season and a prosperous 2012.