Oakland hosts community clean-ups at 7 city parks ahead of Earth Day
OAKLAND - The city of Oakland is in the middle of a weeklong "spring cleaning" leading up to Earth Day Saturday. Mayor Sheng Thao joined with volunteers Wednesday to roll up their sleeves and spruce up seven city parks.
"Anytime we get to do that we take advantage of it," said Alex Lizama, an Oakland city worker. "Like today we are able to get a lot of help, so we get to do more."
Lizama, who maintains parks in East Oakland, was one of the dozens of city workers who took part in the cleanups.
"Normally two people work here, but today we have about twenty volunteers who came out to help us," said Lizama. "Most of the time we just do maintenance, but with these volunteers, we are able to do special projects like mulching."
Mayor Thao says this is just one of many more cleanups to come.
"For me, when we talk about public safety we are talking about how kids are when they go to parks; that they have access to their parks and clean parks; and make sure streets are clean, so they can get to and from school," said Thao.
"If you are from Oakland -- whether it's now or later on when you have kids -- you want to take them to parks that you know they are going to enjoy or be safe at," added Lizama. "So if you could just help us keep these parks clean, that goes far for not just us, but for you and your family"
Oakland city public works said they are currently hiring more gardeners in their department. They are also asking for more volunteers for a neighborhood cleanup Friday.