Downtown Services & Stewardship
Keeping Downtown Berkeley Clean, Welcoming & Vibrant
From daily cleaning and beautification to friendly assistance, community outreach, and enhanced safety services, our Downtown Ambassadors work to create a welcoming, prosperous downtown for residents, businesses, and visitors.
CARING FOR OUR STREETS
Cleaning & Maintenance
| Cleaning Ambassador Schedule | Premium Zone | Standard Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Average Weekly Coverage | 7 days/week | 5 days/week |
| Litter removal/pan & broom | Twice per day | Once per day |
| Detail cleaning of public amenities | Twice per day | Once per day |
| Graffiti removal | Daily as needed | Daily as needed |
| Weed removal | Daily as needed | Daily as needed |
| Power washing/spot cleaning | Daily as needed* | Daily as needed* |
| Power washing/scheduled cleaning | Daily as needed* | Daily as needed* |
| Hospitality Ambassador Schedule | Premium Zone | Standard Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage in all areas | 7 days/week 12-16 hours | 7 days/week 8-12 hours |
| Primary method of coverage | Foot patrol | Foot or Segway patrol |
| Patrol rounds | 4 rounds per shift | 2 rounds per shift |
| Business contacts | 6 per shift | 3 per shift |
| Outreach with street populations | Daily | Daily |
| Reporting | Daily | Daily |
HERE TO HELP
Cleaning & Hospitality
The Ambassador program creates a more welcoming Downtown environment for residents, workers, and visitors through hospitality and outreach efforts. Ambassadors walk the Downtown on a regular schedule providing a friendly source of directions, information, and assistance.
Provide daily cleaning services including trash removal, street sweeping, power washing, graffiti removal, and basic repairs.
Provide hospitality by offering directions, information, and escort services, especially for the arts venues, including the Welcome Kiosk located in BART Plaza.
Support merchants by addressing their concerns and needs for service.
Report on blight issues to City of Berkeley Department of Public Works and other relevant departments, including safety hazards, property damage, broken street lights, graffiti, campsites, landscaping issues, abandoned bikes and news racks, etc.
Support events, placemaking, and vibrancy programming in Downtown including staffing kiosks, distributing promotional materials, and assisting at events.
Address problematic street behavior through education, outreach, and reminders of local ordinances regarding smoking, noise, open containers, aggressive panhandling, lying upon a commercial sidewalk during prohibited times, trespassing, etc. Also, support merchants and other stakeholders in dealing with challenging street behaviors.
MAKING DOWNTOWN SHINE
Beautification
The DBA provides beautification services for Downtown Berkeley, with a focus on the landscaping of Downtown planters, flower baskets, and the installation of holiday lights during the winter season.
Current beautification projects include:
Planting and maintenance of succulents and other plantings in planters and medians throughout Downtown
Installation, maintenance, watering, and annual replenishment for 180 hanging succulent baskets
General weeding, new grading, and maintenance of tree wells, as well as reporting damaged and missing trees to the City
Installation of holiday lights during winter season
Future projects under consideration:
Cosmetic capital improvements, including street furniture, information kiosks, pedestrian lighting, and other amenities.
Enhanced wayfinding and directional signage to help visitors navigate through downtown.
Public art.
SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY SAFETY ECOSYSTEM
Outreach & Safety
Ambassadors also provide outreach and safety enhancement services to our Downtown community.
The DBA funds an Outreach Ambassador who coordinates with others in our community safety ecosystem to connect people in need to social services, shelter, and housing.
The Safety Ambassador Program (launching in 2027) was added as part of the PBID renewal in response to strong community feedback that safety is a top priority for our district.
Safety Ambassadors support compliance with community safety ordinances through education, outreach, intervention, ccoordination with City services and, when required, law enforcement. They support merchants, residents, workers, and visitors with a quick-response hotline (see below) to address issues quickly, effectively, and safely. Safety Ambassadors are equipped with safety and de-escalation training and know when to involve additional support services in resolving problematic situations.
Need Assistance Downtown?
Operating in Berkeley
Have a maintenance concern or need help from our Ambassador team? We're here to support a cleaner, safer, and more welcoming Downtown Berkeley.