Public Works - Maintenance

This division provides preventative maintenance and repairs for City-owned buildings and facilities including the following services: HVAC, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, painting, general repair, parking structure maintenance and oversees the City’s custodial services contracts.

The City of West Covina works to combat graffiti using a variety of methods including quick eradication, arrest of graffiti vandals, and community education/outreach.  By working collaboratively with the Police Department, Public Works Department, and the Community, we can better control and maintain the cleanup process for graffiti in West Covina.  Our best partners in this process are YOU, the Community.  As with other crimes, “If You See Something, Say Something!”

The Public Works Department is responsible for graffiti abatement of all City right-of-way, parks, and City-owned buildings and facilities.  Abatement services include painting over, removing, pressure washing, and repairing any and all surfaces damaged by graffiti. 

Crews generally provide a 72 hour response time window in which reported graffiti is abated.  Graffiti containing foul language, racial slurs, obscene images, and/or tags that target specific individuals are considered emergencies and are expedited for removal or abatement within 48 hours of being reported.  

These services do not include abatement of Caltrans right-of-way, SCE-owned facilities, or areas located outside the City's jurisdiction.  These areas are abated by third party contractors or other agencies.

Crews will abate graffiti from private property that is visible from the public street and is reasonably accessible on a case-by-case basis.  A release of liability from the property owner may be required. 

To report Graffiti located in the City of West Covina:

1. Via the website at: GoGov Reporting Application
2. Via the West Covina Mobile Phone App
3. Call the Graffiti Hotline 24/7:  (626)939-8458

*The website and mobile app are preferred methods for faster clean up response and tracking purposes.  

 To report Graffiti outside of the City's jurisdiction, please refer to the contact information below: 

LA County Graffiti Hotline:                                                    (800) 675-HELP or submit request online here Version Options Public Works - Maintenance Headline

CALTRANS Graffiti or Maintenance Requests:         (213) 620-3991  or Click Here Version Options Public Works - Maintenance Headline       

City of La Puente Graffiti Hotline:                                     (626) 855-1598

City of Covina Graffiti Hotline:                                            (626) 384-5599

To report graffiti on SCE owned facilities or equipment:  Email here Version Options Public Works - Maintenance Headline

Reporting Graffiti not only helps keep our City clean, but you could potentially receive a cash reward!  If you witness graffiti in progress and can provide information that leads to the arrest of the individual who created the graffiti, you could be eligible for a $100 reward while still remaining anonymous.  See the WCPD web page for more details.  To report graffiti in progress call 9-1-1 immediately.

This division provides contract administration for the maintenance of park facilities, landscaped and natural open spaces, landscaping street medians, street trees, Civic Center open areas, and landscaping maintenance districts. It also provides water conservation services and janitorial/building maintenance including park restrooms and recreation facilities.

This division repairs and maintains streets, sidewalks, traffic signals, street signs, lighting, and sewer and storm drain systems. It provides contract administration for the street sweeping and solid waste collection programs and assists other City departments with various projects.

• CalTrans works in conjunction with City of West Covina to provide maintenance services to the city in relation to areas surrounding 10 freeway's on and off ramps, to include street repairs, traffic signals, signage, vegetation maintenance, graffiti mediation and more. To report concerns or issues in these areas, you can use the following link to submit a Maintenance Service Request directly to Caltrans to avoid delay in response times: https://csr.dot.ca.gov/
• Southern California Edison, maintains all street lighting not owned by the city. To report an issue with a street light, please contact Southern California Edison Company if you notice that a street light is in need of repair, is cycling on and off (flickering), or is damaged. you can do so by calling SCE at (800) 611 - 1911 or visiting their website to report an issue as follows: https://www.sce.com/outage-center/report-street-light-outage

The Public Works Department, in conjunction with West Coast Arborists Inc., maintain street trees citywide.

The City of West Covina is currently trimming each of 33,000 city trees based on a 5 year trim cycle. Palm Trees are trimmed on a 2 year trimming cycle. Trimming outside of this would be based on an emergency need only.

If you believe that your City owned tree is creating an emergency type situation; i.e., hanging branches, falling branches, tree or branches blocking traffic, please report it to us by either using our GoGov reporting application (<- click on the link ) or by calling (626) 939-8458. 

 If a large branch or tree has fallen after the hour of 4:30 pm, please contact Communications at (626) 939-8500.

The City does not remove a tree unless it is dead, dying, or causing a danger to the general public. In addition, the City does not remove or trim trees for nuisance reasons; i.e., leaves, seeds, sap falling on cars, property, or blocking view. If you would like to request a tree removal and it does not fall under the current guidelines for removal, there may be a fee required.

To schedule an inspection of a city tree, please call (626) 939-8458. To report a city tree issue visit the Cities GoGov reporting application

To search your address for the city tree's trimming cycle grid, please click on the below link which will take you directly to an interactive map where you can verify the grid trimming for city trees in your area: 

Tree Trimming Interactive Map

If you are calling about a tree on private property,  please contact Public Safety Division at (626) 939-8426. 

Below is the current 5 year city tree trimming cycle as of 2023. For larger copy (PDF)  please click on the link for 5-Year Tree Trimming Cycle Map: 

Below is the current 2 year Palm tree trimming cycle as of 2023. For larger copy (PDF)  please click on the link for 2-Year Palm Tree Trimming Cycle Map:

Maintenance District Tree Trimming map below. For a PDF file of this map, please click on the link for Maintenance District Site Map:  

Tree Related Sewer Problems May be Avoided

Tree roots growing inside sewer pipes may be the most expensive sewer maintenance problem experienced by homeowners. Sewer problems may be avoided if homeowners take the following precautions.

• Know where your sewer line is located
• Do not plant trees or any deep rooted vegetation within 15 feet of sewer line
• Install a sewer clean out if you do not have one in the front of your residence
• Put grease and food scraps into the trash for disposal
• Use baskets or strainers in the sink drain to catch food scraps then dispose of it in the trash
• Be cautious of chemicals and additives that claim to dissolve grease. Some additives simply pass grease down pipes where it can clog sewer lines in another area.

The City may provide assistance to the homeowner after verifying that a city-authorized and owned tree damaged a sewer line between the mainline sewer in the street and the homeowners lateral pipe. Homeowners may call the Public Works Maintenance Division at (626) 939-8458 for more information.

West Covina Municipal Code Chapter 24 - Vegetation Article II - Trees In Public Place

The Fleet Services Division oversees purchasing and maintenance of all City vehicles and equipment, maintains and oversees the City’s fueling system, and manages storage and disposal of hazardous materials. 

The Department of Public Works policy in regard to the distribution of sandbags to the public during emergencies is to assist homeowners or small businesses that are at risk of experiencing flooding during heavy storms. Public Works will know who to call ie: “911”, The Flood Control District, Fire Department, or other easily available services in an emergency for expert help.

Public Works, Maintenance Division will provide enough sandbags to protect the average home or store from flooding (about 10 sandbags). In instances that require over 10 bags, the property owner or resident should seek advice to find a solution beyond sandbagging.

Limitations

• Sandbags will not seal out water.
• Sand and soil filled burlap sandbags deteriorate when exposed for several months to continued wetting and drying. If bags are placed too early, they may not be effective when needed.
• Sandbags are basically for low-flow protection (up to two feet). Protection from higher flows requires a more permanent type of structure.

Caution

Do not use straw or bales of hay in lieu of sandbags. They do not perform as well as sandbags and may be washed away.

Sandbags

Sand and sandbags are available to West Covina residents (24-hours) at the following Fire Station locations: 

• Fire Station No. 121 / City Yard:

819 S. Sunset Ave.
West Covina, CA 91790

• Fire Station No. 122:

2441 E. Cortez Street
West Covina, CA 91791

• Fire Station No. 124:

1815 S. Azusa Ave.
West Covina, CA 91792

• Fire Station No. 125:

2650 E. Shadow Oak Dr.
West Covina, CA 91792

There is a 10 bag limit per household on free sandbags. Extreme situations may require the homeowner to consult a civil engineer, engineering geologist, or geotechnical engineer. 

The fire stations are open 24 hours a day should you have an emergency and require sandbags. The bags are not prefilled with sand. Residents will have to fill the sandbags with the available sand. It is suggested to bring your own shovel because there may not be a shovel available. 

For further information, please contact the Public Works Department. 

Sandbags are also available at Los Angeles County Fire Stations under the following guidelines:

Residents may purchase additional sandbags at: 

• Home Depot, 2220 S. Azusa Ave, West Covina 

Using Sandbags

Sandbags, when properly filled and placed, will redirect storm and debris flows away from property improvements.

Filling

• Fill sandbags one-half full. Sand is suggested if readily available; however, sand is not mandatory, and any local soil may be used.
• For a more durable bag with increased effective life, mix 10 parts of sand or soil with one part of cement. The materials can be mixed and placed dry. After all bags are in place, a light sprinkling of water is recommended. This technique is only effective with burlap sandbags and will not work with plastic sandbags.

Placing

Fold top of sandbag down and rest bag on its folded top as shown in the illustration on the right. It is important to place bags with the folded top toward the upstream or uphill direction to prevent bags from opening when water runs by them.

Stacking Sandbags

Care should be taken to stack sandbags in accordance with the illustrations. Place each sandbag as shown, completing each layer prior to starting the next layer. Limit placement to two layers unless a building is used as a backing or sandbags are pyramided (see illustrations below).