Los Angeles County Department of Public Works
Encyclopedia
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW) is responsible for the construction and operation of Los Angeles County's
road
s, building safety
, sewerage
, and flood
control. DPW also operates traffic signals and intelligent transportation systems, drinking water
systems in certain communities, operates five airports, paratransit
and fixed route
public transport
, administers various environment
programs, issues various permits for activities in the public roadway, and has a Department Emergency Operations Center that works in conjunction with the County Emergency Operations Center operated by the Sheriff's Department. The department is headquartered in Alhambra
.
Services are provided primarily to the unincorporated county with some services provided to contract cities. Flood control and watershed management services are provided to all of the county except the Antelope Valley
. The Department of Public Works
is the largest municipal public works
agency in the country, employs over 3,500 people, and has a budget in excess of one billion dollars.
As part of its flood control and water supply responsibilities, the Department of Public Works has 15 major dam
s and 27 spreading grounds in the county. Pacoima Dam
is one of the largest owned by Public Works and survived the Northridge earthquake in 1994 when it was momentarily weightless.
Water from the dams is released into flood-control channels and some is diverted into spreading basins where it percolates into the ground and recharges the groundwater
. The surface water is not used directly as it requires more cleaning than groundwater. Near the coast, the department has constructed sea water barriers that use injection wells to create a fresh water barrier to prevent salt water intrusion from the ocean
into the groundwater.
The DPW is a leader in watershed
management. It provides storm drain education programs, publishes and enforces best management practices for activities that may affect the watershed, and manages watersheds to provide a balance between flood control, recreation, and protecting the natural environment.
The first director was Thomas A. Tidemanson, P.E.
After his retirement, the Alhambra, California headquarters building was named for him.
Gail Farber became the Director of Public Works on December 1, 2008 at an annual salary of $230,000. Farber was previously the Director of Public Works for the City of Orange
.
(1st District) dedicated East L.A.’s own “City Hall.” As a thriving unincorporated community, East Los Angeles has long awaited for its own full service civic facility. The new County Hall will serve as East L.A.’s “City Hall”— bringing County services closer to the community. The County Hall is a significant milestone of the ELA Civic Center project, initiated in 1999, to establish a central location where the local community can easily access County services. County Hall services include the First District Community Office, the Public Works Building and Safety Counter, the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of Regional Planning, and other permitting agencies such as the Health Department and the Fire Department.
Los Angeles County Flood Control District Opens Historic LA River Wetlands Project – On May 8, 2008, County of Los Angeles Supervisor Don Knabe
(4th District) was joined by City of Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster
to open the Dominguez Gap Wetlands in Long Beach. The $7 million treatment wetlands and spreading grounds project is the latest in a series of regional, multi-benefit projects implemented by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, including the Sun Valley Park and Tuxford Green projects in the Sun Valley Watershed and the Tujunga Wash Greenway and River Restoration project in the San Fernando Valley’s Valley Glen community.
The wetlands project is one of the top five demonstration projects of the Los Angeles River Master Plan.
The wetlands project is the first of its kind in the Los Angeles County region. It maintains the integrity of flood protection along the urban lower reaches of the river, while introducing new water quality elements, groundwater recharge, restoration of native habitat, pedestrian and equestrian trails, environmental education, and river bike trail enhancements.
The project encompasses extensive renovation of two preexisting Flood Control District spreading grounds, located along both sides of the Los Angeles River between Del Amo Blvd. and the 405 Freeway.
State Official Award $25 Million to Southland Water Projects – On July 25, 2008, Lester Snow, director of the State Department of Water Resources, presented a $25 million mock-check to County of Los Angeles Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke and local officials from water supply and water treatment agencies, municipalities, and non-governmental organizations throughout the greater Los Angeles county region. The $25 million will help fund 14 water-related projects dispersed throughout Los Angeles County. State and local
For 25 years, the County Engineer Department was housed in the historic Higgins Building, a 10-story Beaux-Arts style commercial building that was designed and built by noted architect Arthur L. Haley and engineer Albert Carey Martin in 1910, at the corner of Second and Main Streets in Downtown Los Angeles
. After "overseeing construction projects large and small from one of the city's strongest buildings, the county determined that the department needed more modern quarters and pulled up stakes in 1977," according to the Los Angeles City Planning Department, which designated the building as the Historic-Cultural Monument #873.
In 1977, the County Engineer Department moved to the corner of 5th Street and Vermont Ave., Los Angeles until the merge of the three departments. At that time the department was called the Department of County Engineer-Facilities.
For years, the Flood Control District and the County Road Department were headquartered in buildings at Alcazar Street in East Los Angeles by the Los Angeles County General Hospital.
Major divisions of the Public Works Department were located at various locations in Los Angeles city for a number of years, until the 12-story glass building in Alhambra, California
was purchased and refurbished. This tallest structure in Alhambra was formerly the western headquarters of Sears, Roebuck and Company
, where some fixture units still bear the label "Sears". The steel frames were strengthened in 2006 after it was learned from the Northridge earthquake
that the welded joints were not adequate to withstand a major earthquake.
in East Los Angeles
. Demolition commenced before officials led by then County Supervisor Ed Edelman
halted the work with a stop-work order. Demolition crews had already begun to dismantle the walls when Edelman, then Los Angeles City Councilwoman Gloria Molina
, sheriff's deputies and more than 50 concerned community members showed up at the site to ensure the demolition work was halted. Edelman blamed a "foul-up" in the Public Works Department for issuing the demolition permit and assured the gathered crowd that heads were going to roll and that he would "try and stop this damn demolition before it happens."
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
s, building safety
Building code
A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures. The main purpose of building codes are to protect public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to the...
, sewerage
Sewage collection and disposal
Sewage collection and disposal systems transport sewage through cities and other inhabited areas to sewage treatment plants to protect public health and prevent disease. Sewage is treated to control water pollution before discharge to surface waters....
, and flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
control. DPW also operates traffic signals and intelligent transportation systems, drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
systems in certain communities, operates five airports, paratransit
Paratransit
Paratransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules. Typically mini-buses are used to provide paratransit service, but also share taxis and jitneys are important providers....
and fixed route
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
, administers various environment
Environmental policy
Environmental policy is any [course of] action deliberately taken [or not taken] to manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce, or mitigate harmful effects on nature and natural resources, and ensuring that man-made changes to the environment do not have harmful effects on...
programs, issues various permits for activities in the public roadway, and has a Department Emergency Operations Center that works in conjunction with the County Emergency Operations Center operated by the Sheriff's Department. The department is headquartered in Alhambra
Alhambra, California
Alhambra is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, which is approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. As of the 2010 census, the population was 83,089, down from 85,804 at the 2000 census. The city's...
.
Services are provided primarily to the unincorporated county with some services provided to contract cities. Flood control and watershed management services are provided to all of the county except the Antelope Valley
Antelope Valley
The Antelope Valley in California, United States, is located in northern Los Angeles County and the southeastern portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert...
. The Department of Public Works
Public works
Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
is the largest municipal public works
Public works
Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
agency in the country, employs over 3,500 people, and has a budget in excess of one billion dollars.
As part of its flood control and water supply responsibilities, the Department of Public Works has 15 major dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s and 27 spreading grounds in the county. Pacoima Dam
Pacoima Dam
Pacoima Dam is a variable radius arch dam on Pacoima Creek in the San Gabriel Mountains, in Los Angeles County, U.S. state of California....
is one of the largest owned by Public Works and survived the Northridge earthquake in 1994 when it was momentarily weightless.
Water from the dams is released into flood-control channels and some is diverted into spreading basins where it percolates into the ground and recharges the groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
. The surface water is not used directly as it requires more cleaning than groundwater. Near the coast, the department has constructed sea water barriers that use injection wells to create a fresh water barrier to prevent salt water intrusion from the ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
into the groundwater.
The DPW is a leader in watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
management. It provides storm drain education programs, publishes and enforces best management practices for activities that may affect the watershed, and manages watersheds to provide a balance between flood control, recreation, and protecting the natural environment.
The first director was Thomas A. Tidemanson, P.E.
Professional Engineer
Regulation of the engineering profession is established by various jurisdictions of the world to protect the safety, well-being and other interests of the general public, and to define the licensure process through which an engineer becomes authorized to provide professional services to the...
After his retirement, the Alhambra, California headquarters building was named for him.
- Vision: The national leader in customer satisfaction and employee excellence
- Mission: Enhance our communities through responsive and effective public works services
- Values: Safety, Professionalism, Integrity, Respect, Innovation, The environment
Gail Farber became the Director of Public Works on December 1, 2008 at an annual salary of $230,000. Farber was previously the Director of Public Works for the City of Orange
City of Orange
The City of Orange is a Local Government Area of New South Wales, Australia, including Orange and the surrounding areas. It is on the Mitchell Highway and the Main Western railway line.It includes the villages of Lucknow, Shadforth, Spring Hill and March....
.
Recent Public Works accomplishments
Opening of the East Los Angeles County Hall Building - On January 31, 2007, Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria MolinaGloria Molina
Jesus Gloria Molina is an American politician, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the current chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.-Background and career:...
(1st District) dedicated East L.A.’s own “City Hall.” As a thriving unincorporated community, East Los Angeles has long awaited for its own full service civic facility. The new County Hall will serve as East L.A.’s “City Hall”— bringing County services closer to the community. The County Hall is a significant milestone of the ELA Civic Center project, initiated in 1999, to establish a central location where the local community can easily access County services. County Hall services include the First District Community Office, the Public Works Building and Safety Counter, the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of Regional Planning, and other permitting agencies such as the Health Department and the Fire Department.
Los Angeles County Flood Control District Opens Historic LA River Wetlands Project – On May 8, 2008, County of Los Angeles Supervisor Don Knabe
Don Knabe
Donald R. Knabe is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, serving the Fourth District. Knabe is the current Chairman for the 2010 session. He recently was reelected on the June 3, 2008 election....
(4th District) was joined by City of Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster
Bob Foster (politician)
Robert "Bob" Foster Robert "Bob" Foster Robert "Bob" Foster (born on January 1, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York is the mayor of Long Beach, California. He was elected after a runoff election in 2006. Prior to serving as mayor, Foster climbed the ranks of Southern California Edison, becoming president...
to open the Dominguez Gap Wetlands in Long Beach. The $7 million treatment wetlands and spreading grounds project is the latest in a series of regional, multi-benefit projects implemented by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, including the Sun Valley Park and Tuxford Green projects in the Sun Valley Watershed and the Tujunga Wash Greenway and River Restoration project in the San Fernando Valley’s Valley Glen community.
The wetlands project is one of the top five demonstration projects of the Los Angeles River Master Plan.
The wetlands project is the first of its kind in the Los Angeles County region. It maintains the integrity of flood protection along the urban lower reaches of the river, while introducing new water quality elements, groundwater recharge, restoration of native habitat, pedestrian and equestrian trails, environmental education, and river bike trail enhancements.
The project encompasses extensive renovation of two preexisting Flood Control District spreading grounds, located along both sides of the Los Angeles River between Del Amo Blvd. and the 405 Freeway.
State Official Award $25 Million to Southland Water Projects – On July 25, 2008, Lester Snow, director of the State Department of Water Resources, presented a $25 million mock-check to County of Los Angeles Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke and local officials from water supply and water treatment agencies, municipalities, and non-governmental organizations throughout the greater Los Angeles county region. The $25 million will help fund 14 water-related projects dispersed throughout Los Angeles County. State and local
History
The department was formed in 1985 in a consolidation of the county Road Department, the Flood Control District (in charge of dams, spreading grounds, and channels), and the County Engineer (in charge of building safety, land survey, waterworks).For 25 years, the County Engineer Department was housed in the historic Higgins Building, a 10-story Beaux-Arts style commercial building that was designed and built by noted architect Arthur L. Haley and engineer Albert Carey Martin in 1910, at the corner of Second and Main Streets in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
. After "overseeing construction projects large and small from one of the city's strongest buildings, the county determined that the department needed more modern quarters and pulled up stakes in 1977," according to the Los Angeles City Planning Department, which designated the building as the Historic-Cultural Monument #873.
In 1977, the County Engineer Department moved to the corner of 5th Street and Vermont Ave., Los Angeles until the merge of the three departments. At that time the department was called the Department of County Engineer-Facilities.
For years, the Flood Control District and the County Road Department were headquartered in buildings at Alcazar Street in East Los Angeles by the Los Angeles County General Hospital.
Major divisions of the Public Works Department were located at various locations in Los Angeles city for a number of years, until the 12-story glass building in Alhambra, California
Alhambra, California
Alhambra is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, which is approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. As of the 2010 census, the population was 83,089, down from 85,804 at the 2000 census. The city's...
was purchased and refurbished. This tallest structure in Alhambra was formerly the western headquarters of Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
, where some fixture units still bear the label "Sears". The steel frames were strengthened in 2006 after it was learned from the Northridge earthquake
Northridge earthquake
The Northridge earthquake was a massive earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 04:31 Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, lasting for about 10–20 seconds...
that the welded joints were not adequate to withstand a major earthquake.
Major Divisions
- Architectural and Engineering Division – designs various buildings and facilities for other county departments
- Aviation Division – operates the five general aviation airports: Fox FieldGeneral William J. Fox AirfieldGeneral William J. Fox Airfield , locally known as "Fox Field" is an airport located in Lancaster, California serving the Antelope Valley region of northern Los Angeles County. Although the airport is used primarily for general aviation, there are limited scheduled cargo operations, and the U.S...
(LancasterLancaster, CaliforniaLancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley...
), Brackett FieldBrackett FieldBrackett Field is a public airport located one mile southwest of La Verne, in Los Angeles County, California, USA. It was named after Dr. Frank Parkhurst Brackett .-History:...
(La VerneLa Verne, CaliforniaLa Verne is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 31,063 at the 2010 census, down from 31,638 at the 2000 census.-History:...
), Whiteman AirportWhiteman AirportWhiteman Airport is a general aviation airport located in the Pacoima district of Los Angeles, California, United States.Located in the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood celebrities sometimes use this airport; however, Van Nuys Airport is used more often....
(PacoimaPacoima, Los Angeles, CaliforniaPacoima is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California.It is bordered by the Los Angeles districts of Mission Hills on the west, Arleta on the south, Sun Valley on the southeast, Lake View Terrace on the northeast, and by the city of San Fernando on the north...
), Compton/Woodley AirportCompton/Woodley AirportCompton/Woodley Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located two miles southwest of the central business district of Compton, a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2007–2011, it is...
(ComptonCompton, CaliforniaCompton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city of Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city to incorporate. The city is considered part of the South side by residents of Los...
), and El Monte AirportEl Monte AirportEl Monte Airport is a public airport located one mile north of the central business district of El Monte, a city in Los Angeles County, California, USA. The airport covers and has one runway.- External links :...
(El MonteEl Monte, CaliforniaEl Monte is a residential, industrial, and commercial city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city's slogan is "Welcome to Friendly El Monte," and historically is known as "The End of the Santa Fe Trail." As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 113,475,...
) - Administrative Services Division - provides contract support, fleet, procurement and warehousing services for the Department
- Building and Safety Division – regulates construction on private properties
- Construction Division – issues permits for constructions on public right-of-ways
- Design Division - designs departmental facilities
- Environmental Programs Division - promotes recycling, and regulates underground storage tanks and industrial waste disposal
- Flood Control Maintenance Division – operates and maintains dams, open channels, storm drains, debris basins, check dams and pumping plants
- Geotechnical and Materials Engineering Division - Ensures proper land development from geology and soils engineering to subdivision mapping standards
- Land Development Division - regulates the developments in private lands
- Project Management Division – manages capital project constructions for the County
- Road Maintenance Division – maintains the various streets and roads in the unincorporated portions of the County
- Sewer Maintenance Division – operates and maintains sewers, pumping stations and sewage treatment plants
- Survey Division – provides survey services, maintains public land/survey records
- Traffic and Lighting Division – handles the traffic controls and lights on the streets of the unincorporated portions of the County
- Water Resources Division - handles water conservation, and operates and maintains three seawater barriers
- Watershed Management Division - handles multipurpose watershed projects and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit Program
- Waterworks Division – provides water services
Controversies
In 1988, the Department issued a demolition permit for tear down the historic Golden Gate TheaterGolden Gate Theater
Golden Gate Theater is a Spanish Baroque Revival Churrigueresque-style movie palace built in 1927 on Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, California. In 1982, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The theater closed in 1986; the retail building built around it was damaged...
in East Los Angeles
East Los Angeles, California
East Los Angeles is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
. Demolition commenced before officials led by then County Supervisor Ed Edelman
Edmund D. Edelman
Edmund D. Edelman was a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1965 to 1974 and of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1975 to 1994...
halted the work with a stop-work order. Demolition crews had already begun to dismantle the walls when Edelman, then Los Angeles City Councilwoman Gloria Molina
Gloria Molina
Jesus Gloria Molina is an American politician, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the current chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.-Background and career:...
, sheriff's deputies and more than 50 concerned community members showed up at the site to ensure the demolition work was halted. Edelman blamed a "foul-up" in the Public Works Department for issuing the demolition permit and assured the gathered crowd that heads were going to roll and that he would "try and stop this damn demolition before it happens."
External links
- Los Angeles County Department of Public Works web site
- Lakewood Accountability Action Group A group of County Residents that lives in Lakewood California (within Supervisor Knabe's district) and often assists cyclists and others with getting the LA County Dept. of Public Works to repair and or fix issues with the San Gabriel River Bike Path.