SANTA MONICA—On Friday, March 27, the city of Santa Monica announced on its website that residents and businesses across the city will see expanded maintenance and cleaning services on their commercial corridors following the Santa Monica City Council’s approval this week of a comprehensive Public Works Department reorganization as part of the Realignment Plan Update.
The reorganization—the most significant departmental restructuring in the update—extends the increased maintenance approach that has been deployed in the Downtown core since late 2025 to all of the city’s major commercial corridors, including Montana Avenue, Wilshire Boulevard, Main Street, Pico Boulevard, and Ocean Park Boulevard.
“Santa Monica has always believed that a clean, well-maintained city is a more welcoming one for everyone. This reorganization and expansion is about making sure that every neighborhood, every corridor, every small business owner gets the same investment we’ve made in Downtown,” said Mayor Caroline Torosis. “From Montana Avenue to Ocean Park Boulevard, our residents deserve streets they’re proud of, and this expansion delivers on that promise.”
Enhanced services being extended include regular pressure washing of sidewalks and public spaces, hand and broom cleaning of streetscapes, enhanced sidewalk maintenance, and expanded landscaping and tree trimming. The services will be delivered in part through a workforce development partnership with Chrysalis.
The Public Works reorganization includes the creation of a new Downtown and Beach Maintenance Division, merging the existing Downtown and beach maintenance teams under a unified structure. Santa Monica’s 311 customer service operation, which handles approximately 70 percent of Public Works-related service requests, will transfer to the department to improve response coordination and accountability. The Mobility Division will move from the Department of Transportation into Public Works Engineering, consolidating right-of-way planning, design, construction, and maintenance under a single department.
The reorganization adds 12 positions across the department, including supervisory, technical, and community-facing roles, and includes dedicated funding for contracted cleaning and landscaping services at libraries as operating hours expand. For more details about the Santa Monica Realignment Plan, visit www.santamonica.gov.
By Danny Jones