By Lookout Staff

December 13, 2010 -- Ask Eddie Greenberg, who headed the crew that kept the Santa Monica Promenade clean, what's his fondest memory in his 34 years as a City employee, and he won't say it's walking the popular strip with Bobby Kennedy Jr., laughing at jokes and slapping each other's backs.

Nor was it chatting with actor Charles Bronson on a street corner or being told by President Bill Clinton in a parking garage elevator that the Promenade is cleaner than Disneyland.

"The memory that comes to mind is on a beautiful morning when the scrubbing machines have done their job," Greenberg says, "and the ultraviolet rays of the sun are shining on the street and it gives me that glowing image of the city of the hill."

Greenberg, who retired Friday from his job, has been a staple of the Promenade since it opened it 1984. The soft-spoken, self-effacing City worker was there for the grand opening, and he has been there nearly every day since, making sure it's a clean, inviting place for visitors.

"For me it was more than a job," Greenberg said. "It was a vocation. The Promenade is not an eight-hour a day job, five days a week."

Indeed, Greenberg was always there to take an off-duty call and help during an emergency. He literally helped pick up the pieces after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake and was there on a rainy summer's day in 2003 to help out after an elderly driver plowed through the farmer's market, killing ten and injuring 60.

"I'm glad we were there to help as many people as we could," Greenberg said.

Greenberg joined the City's maintenance team on July 1, 1977 after working with the late Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Union. A big Santa Monica booster, he had moved to the beachside city from his native Montreal when he was seven years old.

A dedicated environmentalist, Greenberg has pushed Santa Monica’s maintenance crew to the cutting edge, pioneering the use of eco-friendly products and technologies, City officials said.

During his tenure, Greenberg did much more than clean up the Promenade. He helped troubled teenagers get off the streets and served as a caring role model for everyone from the homeless to the local shop owners.

But when it comes to defending the Promenade, Greenberg's never shied away from telling City officials how he sees it. Just days after his retirement, he was telling reporters that the Bayside District should be expanded to encompass the eastside of Lincoln Boulevard.

"Some work really needs to be done over there," Greenberg said.

So how does Green berg feel about retirement?

"I have mixed feelings," he said. "I'm happy everything was left in order. It seemed to have gone by so quick."

And what does he plan to do now?

"Retiring, there's a lot of work to it, getting all the papers in order," Greenberg said. "I'll do a little volunteering for local communities. I'll still be in the district."

Any parting words?

"I feel I've finished this job, like I've been to the mountaintop," Greenberg said. "It helped a lot of people and I met some great people. Can you imagine little ol' me having a conversation with Charlie Bronson?"