Welcome to Weekly Highlights from City Hall - Each issue of this electronic bulletin will contain brief news and information about City programs, services and projects. 

Drive-Through Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste Collection Event This Weekend

Los Angeles County is holding a free household hazardous and electronic waste collection event in Diamond Bar on Saturday, March 4.

The drive-through collection event will take place 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on the 300 block of Bridge Gate Drive (near the entrance to the Kaiser Permanente Medical Offices).

Examples of accepted items are household chemicals such as automotive products, disinfectants, fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, weed killers, poisons, spray paints, stains and varnishes, as well as electronic items such as cell phones, computers, electronic games, printers, televisions, and microwaves. Trash, tires, and large appliances (refrigerators, stoves, washing machines, etc.) are not accepted.

Items for drop-off must be packed in disposable sturdy boxes and placed in the trunk or pick-up bed with no other items. Once at the event, event workers will remove the boxes while participants remain in their vehicle with the windows closed at all times.

There is no limit of 15 gallons or 125 pounds of hazardous waste per trip. For more information, including a complete list of all accepted items, visit www.CleanLA.com or call 888-CleanLA (253-2652).

Protect Your Car Against Catalytic Converter Theft

The number of reports filed for stolen catalytic converters has shot through the roof in recent years. This vehicle part has become a target for theft because of the precious metals - platinum, palladium, and rhodium – it contains, and the fact it takes as little as 30 seconds to steal using basic tools. In this month’s blog I cover catalytic converters – what they are, why they are so valuable, and what measures to take to prevent them from being stolen - www.diamondbarca.gov/safetyspeak.

Public Works Department

Fallen Tree Temporarily Blocks Diamond Bar Boulevard

On Wednesday, March 3 in the early afternoon, a Canary Island Pine tree fell onto Diamond Bar Boulevard. All northbound and southbound traffic lanes were completely blocked due to the large size of the fallen tree. Public Works crews responded within minutes of this incident. Although arborist contractors did not arrive until approximately an hour after it being reported, Public Works crews immediately began to trim portions of the tree to allow the blocked northbound traffic to proceed. Staff secured the site with traffic control operations to safely detour traffic away from the site, and also alerted the local schools about this incident for their coordination with afternoon student pickup. This tree was removed approximately two hours after it had fallen and Diamond Bar Boulevard traffic flow resumed to normal conditions shortly thereafter. 

Community Development Department

February 28, 2023 Planning Commission Meeting Update

The Planning Commission took the following actions:

• Approved the 2022 General Plan Status Report for submittal to the City Council.
• Approved a Development Review application for a new, 13,500 square-foot custom home at 23121 Ridge Line Road.

February 2023 Plan Check and Permit Revenues

The City issued 177 building permits and received $157,760 in permit and plan check fees in February.  A total of 1,394 permits were issued through the eighth month of the fiscal year, and revenues during that period reached $1,047,290.  The midyear-adjusted revenue estimate is slightly under $1.6 million, so permit activity is on target to reach that estimate. 

February 2023 Code Enforcement Activity

• New Cases Opened:                   226          
• Inspections Performed:               396
• Notices Issued:                           350
• Citations Written:                          15
• Total Fines & Penalties:        $12,300
• Cases Closed:                            177
• Signs Pulled from ROW:             218

Voluntary Compliance Rate          79.1%

“Voluntary compliance” means that the violation was corrected and the case was closed before any citations were written.

Unpermitted Construction

• Stop Work Orders:                        15
• Permit Fees to Legalize:         $8,519

New Businesses: February 22-28

Traditional Acupuncture Clinic
888 S. Brea Canyon Road, Suite 315 
Acupuncture services, no massage

 L.M.W. Fortune Consultant (US), Inc.
1370 Valley Vista Drive, Unit 200
Medical billing service

Chariot Limo Service
3230 Fallow Field Drive, #201
Corporate office for car rental and limousine service near LAX

Parks and Recreation Department

Diamond Bar Youth Invited to Join Volunteens Program

Registration is now open for Diamond Bar teens to apply to join the City’s youth program. Volunteens is a leadership training program designed for ages 13-17. Participants will be assigned as assistants to summer programs, including Summer Day Camp, Kinder Skills, Concerts in the Park and Senior Programs. 

Interested participants  should register by April 14 at  www.diamondbarca.gov/recregister using the following codes: 

• Activity Code: 2760 – 1 for 13-year-olds
• Activity Code: 2761 – 1 for 14 to 17-year-olds

For additional information about the program or registration please call the Parks and Recreation Department at (909) 839.7070.