One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Why Are There So Many Cracks in L.A.'s Sidewalks?
Photo by M.Markus via Flickr
Monster cracks in L.A.'s sidewalks are going unrepaired while politicians dither over whether to make homeowners responsible for their upkeep, according to KCET's SoCal Connected.
Cracked sidewalks come low on the list of priorities for a budget-strapped City Hall. In the meantime, almost half of the sidewalks in Los Angeles are cracked, crumbling, or buckled and in need of major repair. The city is letting big repairs go but it's not yet telling homeowners that they have to shoulder the burden.
That's already the case in many cities in California — and it used to be the case in Los Angeles. But correspondent Vince Gonzalez says politicians are worried that if they told homeowners that they were responsible for repairs, there would be a backlash. Homeowners, including who are also cash-strapped, wouldn't appreciate paying a huge bill to repair the sidewalk before they sell their home. The city is also worried that homeowners would rip out the trees that are causing many of those monster cracks. That's the reason that the city took ownership of the sidewalks in the first place.
The city failed to apply for stimulus money, as well, for no apparent reason, Gonzalez reported.
Here's more from Gonzalez's report:
Sponsored message
The folks at SoCal connected want to see the cracks in your sidewalks. No, really! They're creating a massive map of all the crumbling sidewalks in the city and they're asking for submissions:
1. Send us your photo using one of these two options:
E-mail your photo to socal.connected@yahoo.com
(Please send only one photo per e-mail to avoid surpassing message limits)
Add your photo to our Flickr pool, here, and tag it "sidewalks"
2. Make sure the photo is geotagged, or else include an address or the nearest cross streets so we can map it.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
