LOS ANGELES (KNX) — Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin issued an audit report on Wednesday including recommendations to the City Council for revamping L.A.’s sidewalk repair program.
“Tens of thousands of sidewalks throughout Los Angeles are impassable for the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and pedestrians of all ages,” he said. “Despite its recent focus on the issue, our city’s sidewalk repair program is simply not working as it should.”
In the last five years, L.A. has received more than 1,700 claims and been named in 1,020 lawsuits for injuries related to sidewalks. It has paid out more than $35 million in settlements, including $12 million this fiscal year alone.
An assessment of the city’s 9,000 miles of sidewalk has been deemed too expensive. But Galperin said in his report that new technology exists to complete assessments at low cost.
"It is safe to say that much like our sidewalks, the program itself needs to be repaired because it's broken. The program has not been responsive to meet the needs of Angelenos who use our sidewalks day in and day out, and any of us who traverse the sidewalks of Los Angeles have experienced that," Galperin said in a news conference outside City Hall on Wednesday morning.
Galperin has recommended that the City Council amend the municipal code to include new sidewalk inspection criteria for identifying defects. This would replace the current system, ni which entire parcels are assessed for compliance with accessibility laws.
He also recommended that the council change the prioritization guidance to include sidewalks beyond those close to city facilities for immediate repair.
The Controller advocated for an expansion of the L.A. Bureau of Street Services’ capacity to provide short-term responses to sidewalk defects reported by the public.
Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who chairs the Public Works Committee, joined Galperin on Wednesday to call for a revamp. He said the city should explore federal funding options through the newly passed infrastructure bill.
"We can't fix what we can't measure ... we must have a comprehensive sidewalk assessment to better understand the specifics of the problems. Business as usual has not been enough to properly address our infrastructure challenges, and certainly not for our sidewalks," Blumenfield said.
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