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LA City Council Approves Study For $3B 'Save Our Streets' Proposal

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday approved a study of $3 billion in bonds to fund emergency street repairs.

"Save Our Streets L.A." was proposed by councilmembers Mitchell Englander and Joe Buscaino.

"When we proposed this, Mitch and I were the newest members, and our goal was a new generation of city government," Buscaino told KNX1070's Pete Demetriou.

LA City Council Approves $3B 'Save Our Streets' Study

"We didn't want to sit on this problem, because it's going to cost more as we continue to ignore it."

The council voted 15-0 following a PowerPoint presentation showing 38 percent of LA's 28,000 lane miles are in failing condition and need to be completely reconstructed.

"We will be targeting regionally in four quadrants is the idea," Englander said. "We want to fix every street in every community."

The council asked for a report within 45 days on the streets most in need of reconstruction and alternative ways of paying for the work.

If approved, the plan would take 10 years to complete.

The city council has until July 16, 2014, to draft the language of the plan, which will need a two-thirds vote to pass in Nov. 2014.

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