Call the Waste Management # to report this - It is not a city issue.

I have. Nothing works.

Is it the Recycling container, or the waste bin? If it's the recycling container, call Glenn, at CA Waste Solutions. 772-1861, or email him at glennledet@calwaste.com We had to report the driver twice, but eventually it stopped. (I think they just transferred him to YOUR neighborhood!! I submitted photos - that really did the trick.

large, stinky trash cans

City of Oakland Public Works Agency referred this issue to CODE ENFORCEMENT, service request # 438997. Please contact that agency to follow-up. For more information, please visit the "Helpful Links to Other Resource Partners" at the link below.
http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/PWA/Connect/ReportaProblem/index.htm
Thank you.

The link is circular: eg. go to link, go to code enforcement, then it goes back to public works site.

Still blocking sidewalk and bus stop. Can't someone get them to put trash in back lot instead of blocking sidewalk?

Still Rumbo al Sur is a bad neighbor! They could easily put the garbage cans in their lot or pay for a dumpster also in their lot. They could also get their lights working. Sidewalk is dangerously dark as is their parking lot.

As suggested above, this matter has been reported to the City of Oakland's Code Enforcement Division (File #1301430). The problem is that Rumbo al Sur puts the bins in the bus stop for pickup. WM and Waste Solutions just put the bins back where they are found. The restaurant, Waste Management, and AC Transit were initially notified of this problem over a year ago.

Does anyone remember where the trash cans were left with the previous restaurants at this location?

They had a dumpster which was parked in their parking lot.

Great. That was my guess. And the parking lot isn't heavily used during pickup time.

I thought that I read about someone talking to the manager, but I don't see that above. Could someone refresh my memory on this? I love the restaurant, and want them to have a good relationship with the neighborhood.

Also, it would be wonderful if someone uploads an image of the garbage at the bus stop.

At 7pm tonight, there were quite a few cans in the parking lot. If the cans stayed there, and Waste Management picked the cans up from the lot, I think that the complaints would decrease.

There were also a few cans at the side, near the diners. Just off of Wellington, near Park.

at 6 this morning, once again rumbo's huge, stinky, overflowing trash/recycling bins were lined up along the bus stop at park & wellington. it must be that oakland's code enforcement department is as effective as OPD.

Please upload an image of the trash.

I think part of the problem is Rumbo doesn't have a dumpster. The prior restaurant had a dumpster. Why isn't the manager of Rumbo responding to this? Must know about it.

A notice was sent out from the City's Code Enforcement Division on March 25th. According to Code Enforcement, Rumbo has three weeks to get into compliance. If Rumbo's trash bins are still strung along the bus stop, as they were yesterday (sorry, no pics), let's bombard the Code Enforcement office with calls (510.238.3381) re complaint #1301430. Let's be the squeaky wheel they cannot ignore.

I received an email from the manager. They are aware of the problem. He seems friendly, and would like to resolve the issue. I wish that he would respond on SeeClickFix.

if rumbo's manager is aware of the problem, why were their 7 stinking, overflowing trash cans once again lined up along the bus stop this morning - from the bus bench all the way to the crosswalk. even the bus driver commented on how little space there was for passengers to board.

Rumbo al Sur could easily move the trash cans to the Wellington side of the property where the sidewalk and parkway strip are wide enough to accommodate them, or pay for a dumpster to be located in their lot, or put the trash cans in the entry to the parking lot itself. And with all the muggings etc. in the neighborhood there is no excuse not the fix the parking lot lights so they work. Some neighbors have called for a boycott of the business. I'm thinking of picketing myself.

Can someone please photograph the cans next time they are there.

Rumbo thinks they have solved the problem by moving their cans closer to the crosswalk, but now they are exactly where the rear bus doors open. A few days ago I started to get off the bus at this stop and would have been trapped between the bus and the heavy green bins if I had actually stepped down. It's really dangerous and not something you would notice or be expecting ahead of time.

Here are some photos of Rumbo Al Sur on a Monday morning. Note that the cans block disabled access along the street. Also, cans are still blocking the bus stop. Buses pull in even with the end of the block. Exit is in this location, though that is 18, and not V. Wheelchair access may also be in this location.

More photos on Monday morning.

More photos on Monday morning.

once again on monday morning (7/1/2013) there were six or seven huge trash cans spread out all along the bus stop -- really gross and smelly in this heat. (i'm sorry but i couldn't stop to take a pic.) rumbo is totally ignoring oakland's code enforcement order to keep the trash cans out of the bus stop. any ideas on what to do next?

Only thing I can think of is to picket the restaurant on a Friday or Saturday night

Rumbo is a bad neighbor. We are boycotting. They need to get their act together w/the trash/recycling and the lighting. Someone is going to fall on the side of their restaurant and sue them.

Here is another Monday morning photo.

Nothing is being done.

I have reported the issue to AC transit. I believe that they have the authority to issue a citation via Alameda County Sheriffs

Thanks for posting the photo. Getting AC Transit involved sounds like a good idea.

I called AC Transit this morning, around 7:30AM to ask them to cite Rumbo al Sur today. I was given a complaint number 353700.

Assigned to research department, though AC Transit operator did not know which department that is.

This department will get back to me within a week or so, and may be able to go to the stop on some future Monday. I could not get contact information for the department, but they will email me. Usually, AC Transit is good at responding to complaints. I'm frustrated, but I think that they will respond.

The AC Transit stop ID is 53600

Here are the garbage cans of Rumbo al Sur, blocking most of the AC Transit bus stop.

so why doesn't rumbo do something or ac transit or the city?

Rumbo doesn't care about a few bus riders. The city has its hands full with murders and such.

Since the issue is interference with a bus stop and bus riders, AC transit is the place to lodge complaints and to request action. Bus stops are patrolled by Alameda County Sheriffs so AC transit has some teeth.

Until Rumbo hears with someone who can mess with them they are going to continue to focus on fish tacos and not really be concerned about their trash.

I put up a series of photos of this morning's Rumba al Sur garbage. I thought that Rumbo al Sur would enjoy seeing additional photos of their restaurant.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56789206@N08/sets/72157635048372522/

I talked to the Oakland code enforcement department today, and opened
up a new complaint.

I also discovered something fascinating.

They do have a report from April. They send a courtesy notice to Rumbo
al Sur. They did not receive a response from Rumbo al Sur. After 2
months, since they had not received a response, they closed the
violation.

By the end of this week, the city will send another notice to Rumbo al
Sur. They will include my photos. Rumbo al Sur has 3 weeks to fix the
problem. However, the city will close the ticket if they do not have
more calls.

In order to keep the new ticket open, someone needs to call code
enforcement whenever they see a problem with the garbage cans. I
suggest that people call code enforcement every Monday morning.

building service
code enforcement
510-238-3381
Complaint number 1304103

I talked to the Oakland code enforcement department today, and opened
up a new complaint.

I also discovered something fascinating.

They do have a report from April. They send a courtesy notice to Rumbo
al Sur. They did not receive a response from Rumbo al Sur. After 2
months, since they had not received a response, they closed the
violation.

By the end of this week, the city will send another notice to Rumbo al
Sur. They will include my photos. Rumbo al Sur has 3 weeks to fix the
problem. However, the city will close the ticket if they do not have
more calls.

In order to keep the new ticket open, someone needs to call code
enforcement whenever they see a problem with the garbage cans. I
suggest that people call code enforcement every Monday morning.

building service
code enforcement
510-238-3381
Complaint number 1304103

I also reported Rumbo al Sur for not having a numeric address on their building. They lost the last 2 digits. It is easier to report them if they have their address visible. It is also easier for emergency vehicles to response, for either Rumbo or other nearby businesses.

I found out additional information from Chris. Rumbo al Sur is one of the few businesses in Glenview which do not sweep their sidewalk. A few times, Chris was upset at the mess in front of Rumbo al Sur, he swept it up himself. The reaction of Rumbo al Sur: they yelled at Chris for placing Rumbo's garbage into Rumbo's cans.

Here is my yelp review of Rumbo al Sur. I hope that by tomorrow, Rumbo al Sur will become a responsible citizen again. I want to eat there again.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rumbo-al-sur-oakland#hrid:1AEBlOmQw41frBbgkIJsfA

Here is a summary of the history, much of it from above, but I think that it is useful to have it in one posting.

Early 2012
The restaurant, Waste Management, and AC Transit were initially notified of this problem sometime in early 2012, possibly earlier.

0ct 1, 2012
Code enforcement 1205050
Regarding overflowing trash bins
They received another complaint on this code enforcement ticket in December, this was probably:

2012-12-19
The City of Oakland Public Works Agency has received the issue of garbage cans blocking the bus stop. It is registered as service request # 438997.

2012-12-21
City of Oakland Public Works Agency referred this issue to CODE ENFORCEMENT, service request # 438997,

Code enforcement inspected the property on Tuesday, January 15, 2013. The inspector did not see a problem. Of course, the problem shows up on Monday, not on Tuesday.

2013-03-20
The garbage bins were reported to the City of Oakland's Code Enforcement Division (File #1301430).
According to code enforcement, Rumbo al Sur was sent a letter. They did not respond. Therefore, the issue was closed after 2 months. If there had been a second complaint during this 2 month period, code inspection would have done an inspection.

July 29, 2013
One neighbor reported having talked to AC Transit within the last month. AC Transit agrees that this is a problem.

August 12, 2013
Reported to AC Transit, complaint number 353700

August 12, 2013
Reported to Oakland code enforcement
Complaint number 1304103

I talked to Waste Management today. They will once again investigate picking up the garbage from the rear parking

Maia from Rumbo al Sur has promised to move the trash cans around the corner on Wellington. My suggestion is that this ticket be closed after 1 month, if the cans are moved to a better location.

Let's wait and see

Rumbo al Sur continues to block the bus stop with their garbage, after promising to stop the practice.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56789206@N08/sets/72157635246389782/

For shame! Bad neighbors and now lying!!!!! Do not patronize this place! Boycott!

The restaurant garbage cans are nicely lined up, leaving the cross-walk and curb open for wheelchairs. There is at least 6 feet between the cans and the bench. Maybe the bench should be moved a couple of feet away from the city garbage can for easier access to the bus. The city garbage can is always full of commuter trash and spills over daily.

The owners agreed to put the cans out of the bus stop area and on Wellington. They lie. The cans should not be as the pics show, eg. in the bus stop area.

Noreen,

You're right about the city cans not being emptied. Unfortunately, Rumbo is sometimes blamed for this problem, though it is not their fault. There is a SeeClickFix ticket for, complete with phone numbers to call. Here's the ticket.

http://seeclickfix.com/issues/502071-city-garbage-can-not-serviced

Unfortunately, I have not explained the wheelchair access clearly for Rumbo's garbage.

The curb cuts are available for wheelchairs.

But wheelchair access for the bus is not possible.

The attached image shows this, or you can go find a very large image:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56789206@N08/9598809395/sizes/o/in/set-72157635246389782/

The wheelchair ramp on the bus is between the leftmost brown bin and the grey bin.

In addition, the lower bike compartments are blocked by the cans.

Remove the bus stop. There are 3 others within a 10th of mile.

That's not very helpful to commuters Anonymous. This is really about consideration for neighbors and abiding by the law which says that bus stops need to be accessible to the disabled, elderly etc. That's the issue. We just want Rumbo to abide by the law instead of flaunting it. We want them to be considerate to the neighborhood instead of ignoring their civic responsibilities to be a good neighbor.

On Monday, I received an irate email from Maia Levine, the manager at Rumbo al Sur. She does not want to be contacted directly, but expects Noel Gallo to be the contact.

Of course, Maia had to answer an email on Monday, her day off. I had some sympathy for her, and suggested that she reconsider the tone of her email after she had a night's sleep. She remains silent, so I am sharing her email. I am including the complete email chain to make sure that I am fair to her.

Kevin,

Nothing has been 'reneged.' Please be patient with the learning curve of our staff - this occurrence was an honest mistake from a staff-member. We continue to instruct staff to leave the garbage bins up the corner. and would appreciate if our garbage bins are not pushed into our entrance. This is counterproductive as the garbage company will not even pick it up when this is done. We will continue to leave the garbage bins up the corner, and any other place is a mistake that will be taken care of. I believe this issue has been resolved, please find something else to take up your time. If need be, Noel Gallo can contact us directly.

-Maia

On Mon, Aug 26, 2013 at 10:28 AM, Kevin Dalley wrote:

Maia,

I am disappointed that you reneged on your agreement for placing your garbage. Here are images from Monday, 2013-08-26. Please fix this problem immediately.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56789206@N08/sets/72157635246389782/

I have cc'ed Noel Gallo, since he has worked on this issue since he was elected.

On 08/13/2013 05:49 PM, Maia Levine wrote:

Hi Kevin,

We have instructed staff to now place the garbage cans a bit further
away up Wellington between the crosswalk and the first parking meter -
we have also spoken to our garbage companies. I hope you find this suits
the issue as we are unable to use our back lot because of our immediate
neighbors. Please understand that we in no way are trying to work
against Glenview.

Thanks,

Maia

On Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 3:49 PM, Kevin Dalley > wrote:

Maia,

I talked to you back in March or April about the garbage situation.
I am disappointed that you have not improved the garbage pickup.

I did celebrate my birthday at your restaurant, and had previously
eaten there many times, but I feel that it is difficult to eat in a
restaurant which is such a bad neighbor.

Let me address some of the issues which I have heard discussed.

Rumbo's pickup is on Monday, the same day as all of their neighbors
have a pickup. Picking up 6-8 cans from Rumbo seems like a lot, but
it is less noise than replacing Rumbo with an apartment building and
picking up their garbage. I don't want to replace Rumbo, by the way.
I just want them to be respecful neighbors.

Of course, Rumbo is showing disrepect for many of their neighbors,
who have to stand next to their waste. Disrespecting dozens of
neighbors who use the bus is not a good idea.

As this photo shows, Waste Management places the brown cans away
from the bus stop after pickup. It's still a bit close for my
preferences, but a lot better than what Rumbo does. Of course, trash
pickup is after many bus riders have caught their bus.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/__56789206@N08/9498699826/in/__set-72157635048372522/

Waste Management will investigate moving the pickup to the back.
Rumbo may object.

--
*Maia Levine*
*
*
Office Administrator
Rumbo al Sur and A Cote Restaurants
4239 Park Blvd
Oakland, CA 94602
510.479.1208

--
Maia Levine

Office Administrator
Rumbo al Sur and A Cote Restaurants
4239 Park Blvd
Oakland, CA 94602
510.479.1208

there's nothing irate about her email. she has a job to do and it's not dealing with you 24/7!!!

Agree with comment to remove the bus stops. We do not need the buses to stop in the business district. There are bus stops only a minute away.

The buses interfere with the traffic flow, are noisy, and the commuters leave all their trash.

Agree with moving or removing the bus stop. There are 3 or 4 within a few block radius already. This is a personal vendetta and not a legitimate concern for our neighborhood.

Maia's job is as office administrator. If she promises something on behalf of her company then she needs to deliver. This particular issue impacts her bottom line exactly the same way failure to pay taxes or order supplies would. Without good will in the neighborhood many neighbors will not patronize the restaurant and word will get out.

I plan to patronize DOUBLE to make up for the headache you are causing!

This is an issue that involves patrons of AC transit and Rumbo al Sur. The issue will persist as long as patrons are inconvenienced.

The transit stop goes back to the key system, and long pre-dates Rumbo al Sur or the folks posting here.

For AC transit patrons, especially those who commute in the early morning hours this is a big deal. Otherwise I agree this doesn't really concern you.

Maia needs to spend 10 minutes every Sunday evening verifying that the law is followed.

Then she will spend another 30 minutes reading thank you notes.

Each week she violates the law, she will need to spend a few hours dealing with the fallout.

To me, the answer seems easy.

Where were the garbage cans this Monday? Were they out of the bus stop?

No one has been at the bus stop at 6 a.m., but the bus stop up the street has been crowded. Looks like folks are willing to avoid the bus stop.

I, along with many other regular passengers, have been at the bus stop at Park & Wellington every weekday morning between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m. Since the last round of protests, Rumbo has been putting its trash bins around the corner on Wellington. FYI, like many restaurants, Rumbo has trash pick up 3-4 times a week - not just on Mondays.

Hope that means that Rumbo has been receiving all those thank you notes that were promised.

I have been out of town for the last couple of Mondays. I plan to check this coming Monday, and send a thank you email.

This process has been more painful than any of us, including Rumbo al Sur, expected. Nevertheless, Rumbo al Sur deserves a thank you for changing their practices. Positive reinforcement works wonders.

Yes, Rumbo al Sur has moved their garbage bins. Here are photos from this morning.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56789206@N08/sets/72157635565978626/

Please send thank you email to Maia Levine:
maia.rumbo@gmail.com

and
info@RumboAlSurRestaurant.com

I talked to Noel Gallo for a few minutes Friday. My goal is to understand what went wrong here, and make it easier for Oakland to solve problems like this in the future.

For those with too much time on your hands.

Problems with handling of the issue
Rumbo al Sur contacted many times over 18 months. They promised to respond, but did not.
Oakland code enforcement contacted many times.
Code enforcement send notices to John Knowles's residence, but closed complaints if: 1. They did not receive a response; and 2. No further complaints are received within 2 months.
Rumbo al Sur staff was not aware of the code violations.
Code enforcement does not use SeeClickFix
Both Ignacio de la Fuente and Noel Gallo worked on this problem over 18 months, and were unable to resolve the problem until August, 2013.
AC Transit was contacted about the blocked bus stop and were unable to resolve the problem.
Code enforcement inspectors do not perform inspections before 8:30AM. By this time of the day, the problem was improved.
Code inspectors do not pay attention to issues which only occur at certain times of day.
Notes from code inspectors are incomplete.

How do we improve the problem moving forward:

Code enforcement should be well integrated with SeeClickFix:
Inspector's report should be placed on SeeClickFix, with photos.
Reports should be descriptive enough to determine why the inspector received their conclusion.
Additional SeeClickFix reports on the same issue should escalate the issue so that an inspection occurs.
Code enforcement should require a response from the recipient of a complaint. Lack of response should lead to an inspection.
Notices should be sent to business address as well as owner's address.
If a complaint is closed after 2 months due to no additional complaints, then a new complaint on the same subject should reopen the complaint, and result in an inspection.
Inspectors should pay attention to complaints which only happen at specific times of day. Inspections should be performed at that time.
Inspectors should be available before 8:30AM and on weekends for issues which require inspection at the hour.
Code inspectors should make detailed notes explained what they inspected, and the time of day when the inspection was made.
Councilmember Gallo's office should improve communication when they are working on issues. Take credit for meeting with Rumbo al Sur.
More funding is needed for code enforcement in particular, and for the city as a whole.
Normalize relationship between Rumbo al Sur and bus riders:
Rumbo al Sur should respond on SeeClickFix and glenfriends, explain what they are doing to fix the problem. Apologize. Stop being defensive.
Rumbo al Sur could place sign at bus stop, or buy ad.
Rumbo al Sur could have Transit Taco Tuesday, to celebrate the normalized relationship.
Bus riders could thank Rumbo al Sur for the changes.

Thank you for Kevin's tenacity and good humor throughout; I will cancel my order of close-pins with Rumbo's name woodburned on them, intended for distribution to bus riders... >;-)