With the 2028 Olympic Games less than three years away, Mayor Karen Bass is showing a newfound interest in one of L.A.\u2019s less flattering qualities: its trash-strewn streets.<\/p>\n
In April, Bass announced the launch of Shine L.A.<\/a>, a beautification program that sends ordinary Angelenos out with shovels, gloves and trash bags to remove detritus from streets and sidewalks.<\/p>\n Officials are also scrambling to comply with a June 2026 legal deadline for removing 9,800 homeless encampments<\/a> \u2014 tents, makeshift shelters and even RVs. And they\u2019re working to divert three-fourths of the city\u2019s food scraps and other organic waste away from landfills, as required<\/a> under state law<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, the Bureau of Sanitation faces the prospect of more disruption, with its top executive stepping down after four and a half years.<\/p>\n Barbara Romero, who was appointed<\/a> in 2021 by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti, told sanitation employees in an email on Monday that she will leave at the end of the year. She did not say what prompted her departure or whether she has another job lined up.<\/p>\n Romero did not respond to requests for comment. A Bass spokesperson declined to comment on the reason for the exit, referring The Times to Romero\u2019s email.<\/p>\n \u201cMayor Bass thanks her for her many years of service and significant contributions to the people of Los Angeles,\u201d said the spokesperson, Clara Karger.<\/p>\n Bruce Reznik, executive director of the environmental group Los Angeles Waterkeeper<\/a>, said he is \u201cfrustrated and angry\u201d over the pending departure \u2014 and is convinced that Romero is being pushed out by the mayor.<\/p>\n Reznik described Romero as a crucial voice at City Hall on environmental issues, such as the effort to build new wastewater recycling facilities. Romero also secured new funding to pay for repairs to the city\u2019s aging sewer system, which will in turn avert future sewage spills, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cShe genuinely cares about these issues,\u201d Reznik said. \u201cShe will engage communities, even when it\u2019s uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n Romero\u2019s departure comes at a crucial time for her agency \u2014 one of the city\u2019s largest, with well over 3,000 employees and a budget of more than $400 million. Since Bass took office in December 2022, the agency has been working to bring in more money to cover the cost of trash pickup and sewer system upgrades.<\/p>\n This month, the City Council hiked trash removal fees<\/a> to nearly $56 per month, up from $36.32 for single-family homes and duplexes and $24.33 for three- and four-unit apartment properties. The increase, which is expected to generate $200 million per year for the city, will be followed by several more fee hikes through 2029.<\/p>\n The department is also in the middle of its once-a-decade selection of private companies to carry out RecycLA, the commercial trash program that serves L.A. businesses and apartment buildings with five or more units.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the basic issue of trash, which ranges from discarded fast food wrappers lining gutters to illegal dumping problems in Watts, Wilmington and other neighborhoods. International visitors to L.A. \u2014 first for next year\u2019s World Cup, then the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028 \u2014 will have a close-up view of some residents\u2019 slovenly ways.<\/p>\n Bass has sought to avert that scenario by creating Shine L.A., which has marshaled thousands of Angelenos to participate in monthly cleanups and tree plantings in such areas as downtown, Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. In her most recent State of the City address, Bass said the initiative would restore local pride in the city.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about choosing to believe in our city again, and proving it with action,\u201d she said. \u201cBlock by block, we will come together to be stronger, more unified than ever before. And that matters, especially in a world that feels more divided with each passing day.\u201d<\/p>\n