Clean Alley Program

The Talmadge Watch Patrol spends a considerable amount of time patrolling the alleys of Talmadge – not only to prevent criminal activity but also to monitor graffiti and illegal dumping.

In 2009, several alleys in East Talmadge had become almost inaccessible due to ongoing dumping. The Talmadge Patrol instituted the Clean Alley Program in conjunction with local church volunteers and with the assistance of our City Councilmember’s office. The Patrol appealed to the neighborhood for volunteers, contacted then Councilmember Todd Gloria’s office for help procuring passes to the city dump, and for assistance in arranging donated trash dumpsters for the clean-up days. The patrol also coordinates clean alley pick-ups with the City of San Diego Environmental Services Division.

The first Operation Clean Alley was a resounding success. Not only did the volunteers remove vast amounts of furniture dumping, trash and abandoned household goods but the 60 volunteers also painted out graffiti, trimmed brush and trees, repaired fences and even generally broom-cleaned our Talmadge alleys and removed litter and dumped mattresses from alleys extending south of Talmadge to Orange and Trojan Avenues.

The operation was repeated later in 2009 and 2010 on an even larger scale when we partnered with Hoover-based Harbor Church to fill three 40-foot donated dumpsters with over fifty mattresses and a vast amount of couches, easy chairs, book cases, broken-down televisions, microwaves and an assortment of other larger abandoned items.

The Talmadge Patrol is committed to keeping our alleys clean and free of illegal dumping, overgrowth, litter and other eyesores. Watch the Talmadge.org calendar for our next Clean Alley day.

If you are interested in volunteering for a Clean Alley event, please email the Talmadge Patrol at talmadgepatrol@yahoo.com or call the patrol line at 619-453-8268.

2012 Talmadge Patrol Clean Alley Day
In conjunction with Hoover High Football team (Go Cardinals!!), the Talmadge Patrol held their 2012 Clean Alley Day on October 13 from 8 a.m. until almost 2 p.m. More than 20 Talmadge residents and 25 Hoover football players teamed up to clean out over 120 cubic yards of trash and debris out of Talmadge and adjoining-area alleys.

Removed from the alleys were several couches, about a dozen mattresses, televisions, book cases, construction waste and 4 toilets. Teams of residents also cut back heavy overgrowth and picked up trash that was littering the alleys. The participants met at 8 a.m. over muffins, donuts and coffee at Hoover High School before heading out with one of the three trucks/trailers or with broom and clipper in hand. We finished up in the early afternoon with pizzas donated by Talmadge resident Bob Roberts.

A special thanks to the Hoover High Cardinals football team, their coach Jerry Ralph, Neighborhood Watch’s Elizabeth Daitch, councilman Todd Gloria and Allied Waste.