LA County Board

16. Protecting Santa Monica Bay and LA County Beaches from Trash and\nPollution\nRecommendation as submitted by Supervisor Horvath: Instruct the Director of\nPublic Works to report back to the Board in writing within 90 days on the\nfollowing:\nProtocols in place before and during a wet weather event to mitigate\ntrash flows;\nHow the Department of Public Works (DPW) complies with trash total\nmaximum daily loads (TMDL) limits and whether they are implementing all\nactions identified in the TMDL and watershed management plans to\naddress trash;\nAdditional protocols that could be developed to mitigate trash flows on the\nstreets (e.g. extra street sweeping, clearing out certain channels, storm\ndrains, or catch basins in advance of storms, strategic placement of\nadditional trash receptacles in high trash areas, coordinated education\ncampaigns across jurisdictions, community science/crowd sourced\ncampaigns to identify areas in need of cleaning out or repair);\nWhether existing data can identify where our trash is coming from in\nterms of specific communities and types of sources, or whether DPW\ncan undertake such assessments to better target trash reduction efforts;\nImpacts of climate change on the effectiveness of existing infrastructure\ngiven the intensity of rain and accumulated debris flows;\nEffectiveness of the Ballona Creek Trash Interceptor Pilot\nProject;\nAdditional innovations that could be deployed within Flood Control District\ninfrastructure to capture trash and debris without undermining the critical\nflood control objectives (e.g. strategies to capture debris outflows);\nResources needed to deploy or pilot new strategies;\nHow DPW collaborates with partner jurisdictions and non-governmental\norganizations to reduce trash and whether these efforts can be\nenhanced; and\nPolicies needed from partner jurisdictions adjacent to flood or sewer\ninfrastructure (e.g. cleaning protocols or deployment of infrastructure)\nand with the assistance of County Counsel, what authority the County\nhas to mandate those protocols outside of unincorporated areas;\nInstruct the Director of Beaches and Harbors to report back to the Board in\nwriting within 90 days on the following:\nWhich beaches fare worst in terms of trash accumulation, and with the\nassistance of DPW, why that is the case;\nRecommended protocols that could be implemented in advance of a\nstorm event to prevent trash entering the ocean (e.g. increased\nfrequency of servicing trash barrels and restrooms);\nProtocols to clean debris from beaches after a wet weather event and\nhow the Department prioritizes clean up when multiple beaches face\nneeds;\nWhen and how heavy equipment can be used for beach clean ups and a\ndiscussion of relevant operational safety and wildlife conservation\nconsiderations;\nWith the assistance of County Counsel, responsibilities of incorporated\nmunicipalities for maintenance and cleanup of beach and\nbeach-adjacent facilities and whether the County has authority to\nmandate any protocols outside of unincorporated areas;\nWhich resources are most lacking (i.e. equipment and human\nresources) in response to a large storm preparation and clean up, and\nwith the assistance of the Chief Executive Office, whether relevant\nCounty resources could be deployed from other Departments (e.g. Fire,\nPublic Works, Internal Services, Parks and Recreation) to achieve a\nswifter and more impactful response;\nFeasibility of engaging partners such as the Conservation Corps for\ncleanup efforts that would have secondary workforce development and\nenvironmental education benefits; and\nResources needed to deploy or pilot new strategies;\nInstruct the Director of Public Works, with assistance of the Chief Sustainability\nOfficer, to report back to the Board in writing within 90 days on the following:\nAn update on the implementation of the County’s enforcement of illegal\ndumping, single use plastics ordinances, and other laws that are designed to\nreduce the amount of littered single-use and bulky waste that contributes to\nbeach trash;\nAdditional steps that could be taken that would aid in source control (e.g.\ntrash reduction) including the potential to accelerate any deadlines from\nSB54 locally; and\nOpportunities to hold companies that are disproportionately responsible for\n(and profit from) plastics/trash pollution accountable to assist with source\nreduction and/or limiting trash from entering storm drains and waterways;\nand\nInstruct the Director of the Office of Emergency Management to report back to\nthe Board in writing in 90 days on its protocols for informing the Departments of\nPublic Works, Beaches and Harbors, and all Los Angeles County municipalities\nregarding large storm events so that they can plan accordingly and implement\nthe best practice policies described here. (23-3254)\nAttachments: Motion by Supervisor Horvath\nPublic Comment/Correspondence