In the Spotlight: Valley Center Shop Keeps the Wheels on the Road
By Paola Adler
LADWP’s Fleet and Aviation Services division, part of Power System, supports the operation, engineering and maintenance of 9,500 vehicles, six helicopters and other equipment in the Department’s fleet. These machines are essential to the Department’s functions, particularly to support the work of crews in the field. And effective and well-coordinated maintenance is essential to keep the vehicles operating normally and to ensure compliance with important regulations. The Fleet Maintenance section’s Valley Center Shop is the largest of LADWP’s maintenance facilities in the Valley, and due to its size, can handle major repairs and projects.
About Valley Center Shop
The shop’s 28 employees are divided between day and night shifts so they are able to minimize downtime while servicing equipment. A wide variety of vehicles and equipment come through the Valley Center Shop, including sedans, pickup trucks, vans, aerial bucket trucks, digger derrick trucks, truck tractors, trailers, cranes, street sweepers, trailer mounted equipment and specialized trucks. Though the shop primarily provides service to the Power Transmission and Distribution division, they also support other divisions, including Telecommunications, Water Operations, Water Resources, Water Quality, Customer Service, Facilities Services, Central Fabrication and Repair Shops, as well any other divisions in the area.
One of the shop’s primary focuses is preventative maintenance, including routine inspections to ensure both safety and compliance with regulations required by agencies such as the California Air Resources Board (CARB), California Bureau of Automotive Repair and California Highway Patrol. These inspections often involve testing for emissions or safety. Failure to complete them can result in fines, or losing exempt license plates and registrations – which could ground essential components of LADWP’s fleet. One of the shop’s recent successes was the replacement of 11 truck mounted air compressors on vehicles for Water Distribution. These modifications were necessitated by a CARB regulation and had to be completed by a specific deadline, all while limiting downtime for the vehicles so they could be ready to use for essential projects.
“Fleet vehicles and equipment require routine maintenance to be safe and reliable. There are several services required by regulatory agencies that must be performed to avoid sanctions and fines. Without the Valley Center Shop, the work would have to be absorbed by other shops that are too small to perform the work. Vehicle and equipment downtime would increase, affecting the ability of the Department’s work crews to perform their normal duties.”
Richard Fujimura, Fleet Services Manager for Fleet Maintenance
The shop also handles minor and major vehicle repairs, maintaining a phone line from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, so customers can easily contact the shop throughout the work day if their vehicle breaks down. Another unique function of the shop is maintaining the backup generators for the Department’s Telecommunications microwave sites, which are communications towers located in remote areas of the Los Angeles Basin.
Careers
The overall operations of the shop are managed by Equipment Repair Supervisors Glenn Smith (day shift) and Maurice Bertrand (night shift). Employees are expected to have journey-level skills in diagnosing and repairing a wide variety of vehicles, as well as a positive attitude with good customer service skills.
“I feel fortunate to work here. I enjoy the diverse types of equipment to work on and collaborating with knowledgeable people. The end result is a well-oiled machine.”
Patrick Joulget, Automotive Electrician
The wide variety of positions available include Equipment Repair Supervisor, Senior Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic, Construction Equipment Service Worker, Mechanical Helper, Maintenance Laborer, Auto Electrician, Equipment Mechanic, Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic, Tire Repairer and Welder. You can learn more about these jobs and check for current, upcoming, and all job opportunities at www.joinladwp.com.
Team Members
Day Shift (pictured above):
- Equipment Repair Supervisor: Glenn Smith
- Senior Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic: Michael Myers
- Construction Equipment Service Worker: Donald Warner
- Mechanical Helper: Leo Chavez Jr.
- Auto Electrician: Patrick Jouglet
- Equipment Mechanic: Arthur Lomeli, Michael Gunning
- Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic: Ryan Andrews, Ryan Brito, Charles Brodock, Gary Griffiths, Dan Patanawong, Ian Penney, James Pfeiffer, Gregory Smets
- Tire Repairer: Silvestre Coronel
- Welder: Patrick Toolis
Night Shift:
- Equipment Repair Supervisor: Maurice Bertrand
- Senior Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic: Darren Coe
- Construction Equipment Service Worker: Gustavo Casillas
- Maintenance Laborer: Michael Thomas
- Equipment Mechanic: Dennis Siazon, Wilner Tinoyan
- Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic: Vicente Sanchez, Francisco Sandoval, Michael Shane, Philip Smalling
- Tire Repairer: Miguel Cortez
Photos by Art Mochizuki
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