City Council Approves Payment Plan To Repair LA Sidewalks
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Los Angeles City Council members Tuesday voted in favor to pay for the repairs of residential and commercial sidewalks.
Under the "fix-and-release" proposal, city officials will cover the cost of the first sidewalk repair. Property owners will then be held responsible to pay for future fixes.
Property owners are technically responsible for the condition of sidewalks under state law. However, 40 years ago, the city decided to take over the repairs of sidewalks that were damaged by tree roots. Once federal funding dried up, the city was left with a growing backlog of repairs that were not affordable.
The motion will repeal the law that made city officials responsible for the repairs and instead commit them to performing one-time repairs on broken sidewalks.
Residential property owners will have a 20-year warranty in case the sidewalk is later damaged. Commercial property owners will have a five-year guarantee.
According to city officials, repair projects will be scheduled according to a property's location. Sidewalks that are located next to government facilities, transportation corridors and medical buildings will take precedence, but other factors could also influence when repairs would be scheduled.
According to council members, the proposal will be rolled out in the new fiscal year in July.
However, Mayor Eric Garcetti still needs to plan for funding in the budget.
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