‘Paving the Way to Better, Safer NoHo Sidewalks’
You know you’ve tripped, stubbed your toe, dropped everything because of a broken sidewalk. As the video below “happily” shows, our sidewalks need repair. It’s O.K. Help may be on the way.
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North Hollywood Councilmember Paul Krekorian Councilmember Krekorian, with Council President Herb Wesson Jr., introduced a Comprehensive Citywide Sidewalk Repair Program to fix the city’s failing sidewalks in front of private homes and commercial and public properties. This is the first citywide sidewalk plan in decades. The motions will be referred jointly to the Budget and Finance Committee and the Public Works and Gang Reduction Committees for discussion and further action. We will help keep the NoHo Arts District up to date on the progress of this motion via our council office. So stay tuned for more on the state of our sidewalks.
“This is a critically important issue for people in the San Fernando Valley and all over the city,” said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, District 2. “We have an opportunity to fully address the broken and buckled sidewalks that have plagued Los Angeles for decades. This is a comprehensive, sustainable program that will result in sidewalk repairs at residential, public and commercial properties. It will pave the way for better, safer sidewalks across Los Angeles.”
• FIRST MOTION: Seeks to create a Comprehensive Citywide Sidewalk Repair Program to repair buckled sidewalks at private residences and commercial properties, including:
o Creating a Sidewalk Repair Trust Fund to help pay for future sidewalk repairs at private homes;
o Reconstituting the 50/50 shared cost sidewalk program to repair current broken sidewalks at private homes, with 50% of the cost of repair paid by the city and 50% by homeowners;
o Developing a low- or no-interest revolving loan program from which homeowners can borrow to make sidewalk repairs and pay the money back over a fixed term;
o Developing a complaint-driven mapping and prioritization system to identify and coordinate repairs to sidewalks most dangerous to pedestrians;
o Creating an enforcement mechanism to ensure commercial property owners comply with existing sidewalk laws; and
o Developing a plan to create design and construction standards for sidewalks to maximize mobility.
• SECOND MOTION: Seeks to create a comprehensive program to fix public sidewalks in parks, municipal buildings, civic centers and other community facilities. The city should be a good neighbor and maintain its rights of way.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, represents Council District 2, which includes the east San Fernando Valley. His website is cd2.lacity.org, where you can sign up for news updates. Visit him on Twitter (@PaulKrekorian) or Facebook.
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