Los Angeles County seeks almost $1 million to keep 241 pay phones operating

Los Angeles County officials are moving to allocate nearly $1 million to preserve service at 241 public pay phones. The Internal Services Department submitted a request to the Board of Supervisors for $953,000 to award a contract to LittleJohn Communications Inc., covering maintenance, repairs, inspections, coin collection, network troubleshooting and vandalism response. Under the deal, the county will retain 60 % of revenue from phones that generate $100 or more per month, but will not share earnings from lower-earning units, and will pay $54.95 per phone each month for upkeep.

The existing contract, which also serves county parks, courts, sheriff facilities and hospitals, ends on September 30, after which a few month-to-month extensions remain. If approved, the new agreement would begin on October 1, run for five years and include options to extend up to eight years and six months. The board’s timeline for approval has not been disclosed.