Lynwood : City Hall Will Close Fridays to Meet Air Quality Rules

Beginning Dec. 3, Lynwood city offices will be closed on Fridays to comply with South Coast Air Quality Management District plans to improve air quality.

Earlier this year, the AQMD directed all cities in Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Los Angeles counties with more than 100 employees to devise a plan to reduce the number of vehicles on freeways at peak hours.

Lynwood’s 200 employees were made aware of the council’s decision to start the 10-hour, 4-day work week at a city planning conference held last Friday. The experimental program will run until June 31, the end of the fiscal year, said Michael T. Heriot, assistant city manager. The city manager’s office is expected to provide an evaluation of the program by the end of May, Heriot said.

“It’s really a monster to try to meet the requirements and still provide quality service,” he said. “But this might work very well. The public will have an hour early in the morning and in the evening to access the city facilities. We also anticipate saving money by having City Hall shut down three days a week.”

The recreation center will remain open on Fridays because most recreation staff members start work after 10 a.m. and are not affected by the AQMD requirements.