If you’ve ever contacted the UCLA Facilities Management Trouble Call Desk, the calm voice and soothing presence offering help on the other end of the line was likely the first dispatcher ever hired in the department, staff member Sherston Sanz.
“It was a perfect fit for me at the time, and it continues to be a perfect fit,” said Sanz, who recently celebrated 30 years of service in the department. “UCLA is a great place to be, to be a part of, and here I am — three decades later.”
Sanz’s role at the Trouble Call Desk makes him the first point of contact for people reporting problems from anywhere on campus and throughout UCLA Health facilities adjacent to campus. Troubles range from cleanups, light outages, plumbing — leaks, overflows, clogs and drips — locked doors, pest invasions and broken elevators. You have to be steady, Sanz said of his job, with the department’s range covering UCLA’s 34 million square feet of space.
“Most of the calls we get are HVAC-related from all over campus and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center,” he said, noting that the small ways he assists Bruins in need with a facilities issue make him proud.
Sanz triages each issue and assigns responsibility to the appropriate technician, craftsperson, groundskeeper or other skilled Facilities Management professionals to handle the problem. Three decades as a dispatcher have honed Sanz’s knowledge of the department’s specialty areas.
“It’s an ever-evolving learning process. A ceiling leak may require a plumber, or it could be a mason or roofer. If a door doesn’t work, it could go to hardware, the sheet metal guys or the carpenters,” said Sanz. “No matter what the problem is, I’m going to send someone to investigate it.”
Problems span the gamut for a public university — and, at times, even beyond Westwood. Sanz once took a call from the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Lodge, a conference center and family resort located 90 miles east of Los Angeles in the San Bernardino Mountains. A large tree at the edge of the property had thick branches hovering precariously over a private residence. The caller explained that he was afraid it might fall, so Sanz put in the work order, and a grounds person promptly loaded up and drove up a mountain road to handle the removal.
The trouble call desk is available 24/7 throughout the year. On a typical day shift, counting calls, emails and problems reported through the UCLA 311 app, the department receives about 200–300 inquiries. These are only the ones requiring a work order. There are also calls requesting information or a follow-up.
When Sanz got his start helping to problem-solve for Facilities Management, he worked night shifts for the first 24 years. That’s an 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. schedule.
While some might be wary of an overnight shift, it was a good fit for Sanz, especially after his daughter was born in 1998, enabling him to spend daytime hours with her while his wife was at work. The overnight schedule also allowed him to coach high school track and field, something he continues to do at a local private Catholic high school.
Sanz can coach every track and field event, but his specialties are throwing events and long-distance running. With his love of athletics, he’s excited about the 2028 Summer Olympics returning to Los Angeles — and UCLA hosting the LA28 Athlete Village.
Sanz knows when the athletes arrive, they’ll receive a warm welcome in Westwood. It’s that very spirit he loves most about UCLA.
“It’s a beautiful campus, but the best part is really the people: They’re so friendly and welcoming,” he said. “People don’t want to leave the university. It becomes a second home.”
