In an effort to streamline city services and enhance their quality, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has signed an executive directive. Announced during a Monday news conference, this marks her fifth executive directive since taking office. “A world-class city deserves world-class services — that means faster, higher quality, and better results,” Mayor Bass stated.
The announcement took place at the Boyle Heights residence of Nancy Ramirez, who had approached the city multiple times about junk piling up outside her home. The mayor said this directive aims to assist Angelenos like Ramirez by expediting services such as graffiti removal, pothole repair, and bulky item pick-up, and by increasing communication transparency between the city and the residents.
Mayor Bass acknowledged that high vacancy rates in several departments could be a reason for what some people consider a “lack of response” regarding service requests. She highlighted that, while efforts are being made to expand the city’s workforce, the situation signals a need to “upgrade our services.”
A Customer Service Steering Committee is to be established as per the directive. Led by Deputy Mayor for Infrastructure Randall Winston, this committee will focus on modernizing the MyLA311 system, the city’s existing platform for requesting services on both private property and public spaces. Winston explained that the committee will reevaluate all 68 types of service requests that the city handles, set new goals, and hold departments accountable.
The Board of Public Works President, Aura Garcia, encouraged residents to continue using the MyLA311 system, emphasizing that in 2022 alone, the Office of Community Beautification received more than 13,000 graffiti removal requests, while the Bureau of Street Services received over 42,000 pothole service requests.
Mayor Bass indicated that the customer service policy will be put in place within the next 120 days, ensuring that Angelenos have “clear expectations for the level of service they are entitled to from the city.”