By Jorge Casuso

July 20, 2012 -- Chris Brown, the new operations coordinator for Downtown Santa Monica Inc. (DTSM), likes to take on new challenges. He has been a teacher at a nursery, a bus mechanic, a mortician and a team leader for Downtown's Ambassador program.

But his newest challenge as a DTSM employee is perhaps the most rewarding -- making sure to address issues as they crop up, whether it's a wall that needs power-washing or a pothole that needs to be filled, so Downtown is always clean and welcoming.

"What I'm most excited about is helping the Downtown maintain its good name," Brown said. "I also like working with City staff to help with the upkeep of the area.
 
In his new role, Brown helps keep the day-to-day activities and services of the $1.2- million-a-year comprehensive Ambassador Program and the $1.2-million-a-year Enhanced Maintenance program on track. His job entails conducting daily inspections, tracking work orders to make sure they are completed and compiling maintenance reports.

"I walk the district everyday, find things that need to be done and report them," Brown said. "If there's a light signal that's not operating or something dumped illegally in an alleyway, I'll call the person that handles that."

Brown also stays in touch with police and homeless service providers, calling police to report a problem or contacting the caseworker of a homeless individual in need of help.

"I really like his style of work," said Alex Acuna, operations manger for DTSM and Brown's supervisor. "He's very organized and detail oriented, and he's very eager to learn."

The crews he works with, Brown says, "take pride in keeping the area clean and being informative."

Brown, who is married and has a two-year-old daughter, worked as an ambassador in Long Beach before coming to Downtown Santa Monica and enjoys walking the Downtown to greet visitors and make sure everything is running smoothly.