Beach Department Hiring Temps for Restroom Cleaning

The county's Department of Beaches and Harbors will hire 13 temporary workers to help with beach restroom cleaning and other beach maintenance after hearing complaints of closed and dirty restrooms, officials said.

Santos Kreimann, head of the Department of Beaches and Harbors, addressed the county's Board of Supervisors last week and suggested the county hire 13 more janitors at a cost of $372,000 to keep the bathrooms clean and functioning. The board did not make a decision on funding bathroom maintenance.

The Department of Beaches and Harbors has decided to use a one-time funding mechanism to pay for the positions and four of the 13 workers will be kept on permanently, Debbie Talbot, a spokeswoman for the department, said. The funding will come from unexpected revenue from leaseholders in the marina and the department also will delay filling vacant administrative positions to offset the cost, Talbot said. Crews will focus on restroom cleaning and will defer maintenance in other areas, such as sweeping parking lots and replacing volleyball nets, Talbot said.

The beach department implemented a new cleaning schedule in May that called for janitors to start cleaning restrooms at 7 a.m. instead of 5 a.m. due to limited staffing. The department adjusted staffing to make sure seven county bathrooms were open early. Those restrooms are located at Will Rogers State Beach, Knob Hill in Redondo Beach, San Pedro and two each at Malibu and Manhattan Beach.

The new workers will supplement beach maintenance crews and will be deployed to the most used beaches, Talbot said. The county maintains 52 restrooms and 36 parking lots at county beaches.

The department in April announced that beach service curtailments would be implemented in May, including the later start time for restroom cleanings.

The county does not maintain the restrooms at city-operated Venice Beach, Santa Monica and Long Beach.