Clean Streets

Problem: Los Angeles should have the cleanest streets in the world but instead they are covered in trash. Meanwhile, City Hall lets garbage pile up in our district while they argue over whose job it is to clean it up. If City Hall can’t clean up our streets, I WILL. 

1. Creating Jobs With Rapid-Response Clean Teams Funded by Federal Jobs Program

I’ll sponsor legislation to create a National Clean Corps, a federal jobs initiative to hire and train local workers for rapid-response trash removal in our cities including Los Angeles. We’ll pay for this through existing Department of Labor workforce grants and AmeriCorps infrastructure programs as well as partnering with the LA Conservation Corps. It’s federal job creation that will pay visible dividends on our streets.

2. Federal “Adopt-a-Block” Grants for Local Action

I’ll fight for federal community cleanup grants that expand to cover trash on our streets that go directly to neighborhood councils, churches, schools, and nonprofits — not through city bureaucracy. Every neighborhood in CA37 can also “adopt a block” and get the tools and pickup coordination they need. Federal HUD and EPA community funds will be redirected toward micro-grants and volunteer supplies like gloves, garbage bags, rakes, and more.

3. Federal Crackdown on Illegal Dumping and Corporate Neglect

I’ll push for federal enforcement on illegal dumpers, waste haulers, and slumlords using environmental and consumer protection laws. I’ll fight to expand federal prosecution of companies that treat our neighborhoods like dumping grounds. Fines from these cases go directly into the National Clean Corps federal grant pool for trash pickup.

4. National Civic Cleanup Day

I’ll introduce a resolution creating a National Cleanup Day, encouraging every school, church, and business to participate for their very own neighborhoods by offering federal matching grants to reward schools and community organizations that lead cleanup events to expand respect and pride for our communities - the long-term solution for no trash on our streets is to not litter in the first place.

5. Modern Infrastructure, Federally Backed

I’ll fight for next-generation trash infrastructure in federal transportation and urban development bills such as more, newer, high-efficiency trucks, public garbage can deployment and management, expanded teams, and better waste tracking. This will kick off with pilot programs for federal-local partnerships in high-need cities including Los Angeles, funded from the existing federal infrastructure and climate budgets.