The City Council Tuesday called for a review of all contracts associated with maintaining the Los Angeles River as elected officials look to consolidate such work.
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In a unanimous vote, the council approved a motion that aims to consolidate maintenance responsibilities to one entity, the LA River Rangers program. Council members instructed relative departments to list all current river maintenance contracts, fees, term lengths and staff costs.
The report will also provide information for other maintenance needs related to the LA RiverWay, LA River Greenway, river parks and other city- maintained areas along the Los Angeles River.
The report is expected to be done within 60 days.
Council members Nithya Raman, Eunisses Hernandez, Imelda Padilla and Hugo Soto-Martinez introduced the motion for the report on Feb. 5.
The motion aims to address "fragmentation," which in some cases has led to inconsistent service levels, uneven cost distribution, and dissatisfaction among residents who care about the L.A. River, officials said.
The Department of Public Work's Office of Community Beautification created the L.A River Rangers program, which has demonstrated success in addressing routine maintenance needs thanks to state grants and partnership with the L.A. Conservation Corps, they added.
"To ensure consistent and effective maintenance, these daily activities should be consolidated under a permanent L.A. River Rangers program," the motion reads. "Internal consolidation of daily maintenance activities will also aid the city in its regular collaboration with Los Angeles County, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, US Army Corps, and other entities responsible for the Los Angeles River."
While the council members aim to consolidate most, if not all, work to the L.A. River Rangers, there may be some specialized maintenance -- like lighting, major repairs, and homelessness services -- that would require assistance from another city department or team.
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