Effective Monday, July 2, parking meter rates in the city of West Hollywood increased from $1.50 per hour to $2 per hour. Revenues generated from this rate increase will provide funding for an enhanced sidewalk cleaning and security services program for commercial areas in West Hollywood.

The plan for these services was approved by the West Hollywood City Council in April and new services will be implemented during the next three months.

“The city of West Hollywood is one of the most beautiful places anywhere in the world,” West Hollywood Mayor John J. Duran said. “With a modest increase in our parking meter rates, we’re going to maintain our beautiful city by investing in cleaner sidewalks, safer parks, and more services for the benefit of residents, businesses, and visitors.”

The sidewalk cleaning program will use a cleaning process that removes deep stains, grime and gum, and uses specialized equipment with a deep-penetrating concrete sealer, which gets applied to provide a uniform sidewalk surface. The environmentally friendly process allows for the capture, filtering and reuse of water to minimize waste. The process was successfully tested in a pilot program launched in 2017 that focused on four test site locations on the north side of Santa Monica Boulevard (at San Vicente Boulevard, at Fairfax Avenue, and at La Brea Avenue) and on the north side of Sunset Boulevard at Hammond Street. The enhanced program will expand the process to sidewalks in commercial areas in locations throughout the city and areas heavily impacted by pedestrian traffic will be cleaned on a weekly basis.

Security service enhancements will include augmenting current services being delivered by Block by Block security ambassadors, which assists in public safety. Law enforcement services are provided in the city of West Hollywood by the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station; Block by Block security ambassadors are contracted by the city to assist in identifying and addressing a wide variety of quality-of-life issues. With highly recognizable Block by Block bike patrol teams, ambassadors collaborate with local businesses, residents and visitors to promote neighborhood livability and provide friendly customer service while out on the streets in West Hollywood. There will also be an expansion of PacWest security in West Hollywood Park and Plummer Park.

Additionally, there will be added services for after-hours nighttime clean-up services in heavily impacted areas of the city, including the Sunset Strip and Santa Monica Boulevard entertainment areas. There will also be an expansion of daytime trash and litter pick-up by hand crews as well as shopping cart removal services.