Bell Gardens to begin ticketing under new street sweeping hours Oct. 5
BELL GARDENS, CA — Bell Gardens residents in neighborhoods with new street sweeping hours have until Oct. 5 to get used to the schedule before parking tickets begin.
The city has been issuing warnings instead of tickets in neighborhoods with new street sweeping hours that took effect July 28. Warnings will continue through Oct. 4 before enforcement begins Oct. 5.
The new hours only affect parts of the city. The city updated 148 street sweeping signs to show the new hours.
Questions about your street? Contact the Bell Gardens Public Works Department at (562) 806-7770.
On Tuesdays, the new 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. street sweeping hours apply to neighborhoods between the 710 Freeway and Darwell Avenue, north of Gage Avenue. On Wednesdays, the same hours apply to neighborhoods bounded by Florence Avenue to the north, Clara Street to the south, the 710 Freeway to the west, and Ira Avenue to the east. On Thursdays, the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. schedule covers neighborhoods north of Loveland and Suva streets, south of Gage Avenue and east of Garfield Avenue, including the neighborhood around Scott Avenue.
The city is mailing two brochures to every home to explain the changes.
The City Council discussed the changes Monday, with staff saying the new hours will give street sweepers sufficient time to clean streets and help keep storm drains clear. Bell Gardens is required to regularly sweep its streets under a federal stormwater permit administered by the state, and Public Works Director Bernardo Iniguez said the city can face fines if it fails to comply.
Iniguez said the changes will not cost the city any extra money because the city's contractor agreed to update the signs and change its schedule for free. He also said the city will void four parking citations issued during the rollout of the new street sweeping schedule.
Councilmember Francis De Leon Sanchez also asked staff to make the city's street sweeping maps easier to read online. Staff also reminded residents that cars must stay off the street for the entire posted time, even if the street sweeper has already gone by.
Staff outlined two alternative street sweeping schedules but recommended against either option, saying both could increase costs and make street sweeping and trash collection less efficient. The City Council voted 5-0 to keep the new street sweeping schedule in place.
