Council recognizes grassroots 'Clean LA with Me' movement and pledges coordination on cleanups

The Los Angeles City Council formally recognized Juan Naula, founder of the grassroots cleanup movement Clean LA with Me, during a presentation Friday. Councilmember Kevin Rodriguez said Naula had "organized more than 300 cleanups across our city," engaged "over 250 volunteers," and helped remove "more than 4,000 bags of trash." Rodriguez said the movement has inspired neighborhood pride and encouraged civic action.

Naula described starting the effort in November and said he began the work with "only trash bags, gloves, and my hands." He told councilmembers he wants city operations to be more responsive to volunteer cleanups: "Please, when I make a request, the only I'm asking is just come and pick up the trash. I'm not asking any anything else because I'm not gonna stop doing it." He said he hopes to see systemic change within two years and that he does not want to be picking up trash for the rest of his life.

Councilmembers thanked Naula and discussed practical coordination steps. Councilmember Rodriguez said he would ensure Naula received deputy contact numbers and would coordinate with sanitation and other city bureaus so collected trash is removed after volunteer cleanups. Councilmember Park and others emphasized environmental and wildlife impacts of street litter as a reason to prioritize services.

Councilmembers also linked the recognition to operational work on 311: committee chairs announced a special joint meeting on February 3 to review 311 improvements and make the service more accessible for residents and volunteer organizers.

The council expressed praise and committed to staff follow-up; no formal ordinance or funding was adopted during the presentation.