Our guest for this episode of the EmpowerLA Podcast is Nazario Sauceda, outgoing Director of the Bureau of Street Services. Nazario has a long history with the City and as strong a relationship with the Neighborhood Councils as anyone. In our conversation, Nazario stresses the important role his agency plays in the everyday lives of Angelenos, how Street Services has changed its approach to maintaining our City’s streets, and how being active on your Neighborhood Council can help you improve your community. We hope you enjoy!
Show Notes:
A Brief History of the Bureau of Street Services (BSS)
Nazario mentioned his predecessor at BSS, Bill Robertson. Check out this BSS presentation for a brief overview of the Bureau’s history.
Nazario Sauceda, Vanguard Award Winner
In 2018, Nazario won the prestigious Neighborhood Council Civic Engagement Los Angeles Vanguard Award at our annual EmpowerLA Awards. The Vanguard Award honors City employees or departments doing outstanding work in partnership with Neighborhood Councils. Nominees are submitted by Neighborhood Councils and winners are chosen by the Congress of Neighborhoods Planning Committee in partnership with the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. Nazario was nominated by the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council.
MOU Between Public Works and Neighborhood Councils
Nazario mentioned how the Department of Public Works pioneered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department and Neighborhood Councils. This effort was led, in part, by USC professor Terry Cooper and helped usher in an increased level of responsiveness to Neighborhood Council concerns. You can read more about some Neighborhood Council MOU history here.
“City Services” Program for Neighborhood Councils
City Services is a program where Neighborhood Councils can hire the Bureau of Street Services to do work (e.g. tree-trimming, pot holes, etc.) that it can’t do during the week.
Street Condition Map (Based on Pavement Condition Index Scores)
Nazario stressed the importance of the quality and condition of our streets. The City has made significant strides in recent years, but, as the map shows, we still have a ways to go. You can use this tool to see the state of all 70,000 City blocks in the City of Los Angeles.
“State of the Streets” Report
This is the fifth edition of the Bureau’s three-year assessment of the state of our City’s streets.
Nazario Sauceda Retirement Announcement
Nazario has been with the City for 30 years, but, unfortunately for us, he is moving onto the next phase of his life. We are so grateful he was able to make one last stop to talk with us at the EmpowerLA Podcast. Thank you, Nazario, for all your years of service! You can read more about his storied career in this announcement from the Mayor.
EmpowerLA’s monthly podcast is produced by Arin Abedian and hosted by Brett Shears.
The views expressed in the EmpowerLA Podcast do not necessarily reflect those of EmpowerLA or the City of Los Angeles. The veracity of any claims made during the recording are the sole responsibility of the host and guest(s).
