Boaz Hepner and his Camp Boaz crew have signed up more than 35 businesses along Pico Boulevard to adopt city-provided trash bins in an effort to clean up the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, the heart of L.A.’s Orthodox community.
Hepner is a nursing student who for several years has gathered singles and young professionals for social events. Last month he invited the 350 members of Camp Boaz to help clean up the garbage that on most days flutters on the sidewalks in front of the kosher markets and restaurants on Pico Boulevard, between La Cienega Boulevard and Roxbury Drive.
About 100 people — Camp Boaz members, as well as families and seniors — showed up on Aug. 30 for the big clean up, collecting about 50 bags of trash.
Hepner has been working with City Councilman Paul Koretz to put more trashcans on the stretch, which right now has six receptacles. With 35 businesses agreeing to line and empty bins regularly, Hepner is hoping the city will move quickly to install them.
“Once we put the new cans all over the place, it’d be nice to do one more cleanup as a great way to inaugurate finally having places to throw things out,” Hepner said.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.