PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - The City of Long Beach Fleet ranked third place out of thousands of fleet operations in the nation in the “Government Fleet” magazine and American Public Works Association (APWA) 2020 Leading Fleets competition. The honor is awarded based on leadership, competitiveness and efficiency, planning for the future, and overcoming challenges. The City fleet was awarded 6th place in 2019 and in 2018, 10th place in 2017 and 12th place in 2016.

“Our high-performing fleet exemplifies Long Beach’s long-term commitment to service, sustainability and fiscal responsibility,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “This recognition clearly reflects our values and vision as we continuously strive to improve the work we do.”

The City’s Fleet Services Bureau is a division of the Financial Management Department. Fleet manages and maintains the City’s wide variety of vehicles, including police cars, fire engines, boats, helicopters, street sweepers and refuse trucks.

“We've introduced significant numbers of alternative fuel vehicles into the City fleet over the years, most recently 70 electric vehicles that produce zero emissions,” said Fleet Services Bureau Manager Dan Berlenbach. “The overriding goal of our green fleet program is to minimize the City fleet's environmental footprint, and we're honored to be recognized with this award. We strive to always be sustainable while providing high-quality and efficient fleet operations to the City. I am proud of the hard work and consistent effort of all Fleet’s staff.”

The City fleet is currently 45% alternative fuel and the 2021 replacement plan is 87% alternative fuel. The City is developing a Sustainable Fleet Policy, with a planned goal of reducing emissions by 1% per year while increasing alternative fuel vehicle count by 2% per year. 

The City of Long Beach Fleet continues to strengthen its proactive Green Fleet Program, currently focused primarily on electric vehicles. An interdepartmental Battery Electric Vehicle Task Force is guiding the transition of all possible City vehicles to electric alternatives, with a five-year implementation plan to electrify and install infrastructure for up to 200 City vehicles.

The Leading Fleets awards are sponsored by Ford and Geotab.

The City fleet has also received two other accolades in this year:

• No. 14 in the 100 Best Fleets Green Fleet award, which recognizes and rewards peak-performing fleet operations in the Americas for 20 years. Criteria for this award includes use of technology & Information, collaboration, creativity, efficiency, staff development and resource stewardship.
• Top 20 Green Fleet by Heavy Duty Trucking. This award recognizes a growing focus on electric trucks and renewable fuels and rewards organizations that clearly lay out their sustainability goals.

For additional information about the City’s Fleet Services, visit longbeach.gov/finance/. 

About the City of Long Beach
Home to approximately 480,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach offers all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods nestled together along the California coast. As a full-service charter city, Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, a highly-rated school district, Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning City departments such as Health, Parks, Recreation and Marine, Development Services and more. The City also has a highly respected university and city college, two historic ranchos, five hospitals, five golf courses, 171 parks, miles of beaches, marinas, bike paths and a Bike Share program.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit http://longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About Financial Management
The Department of Financial Management oversees the financial and fleet services operations of the City and serves as a financial adviser to the City Manager and City Council. It is the mission of Financial Management to keep the City financially strong. The Financial Management department is organized into seven bureaus: Accounting, Budgeting, Business Services, Commercial Services, Financial Controls, Fleet Services and Treasury. To learn more about Financial Management, visit: www.longbeach.gov/finance.

About Fleet Services Bureau
The purpose of the Fleet Services Bureau is to provide vehicle and equipment acquisitions, preventive maintenance, repair and fueling services to City departments so they can have safe, reliable, cost effective equipment and vehicles to accomplish their operational goals and purpose. The Towing Operations and Lien Sales Division is responsible for providing tow response, roadside assistance, and unclaimed vehicle disposition.

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