On Sidewalk Repairs, First Step Is Toughest

Underneath Carmel Hanratty’s liquidambar tree lies concrete chaos.

Buckled bits of pavement tilt at awkward angles, divided into uneven polygons. Bulging tree roots barrel through the concrete, like giant snakes refusing to yield to any human-made substance.

And Hanratty, a 20-year-resident of Van Nuys, is actually one of the lucky ones. Her sidewalk has at least been patched by the city.

“Yes, they came out and threw a shovelful of this stuff on it,” she said, prodding a coat of blacktop with her toe. “But it’s a Band-Aid approach. They’re not really addressing the problem. . . . The city has been no help at all.”

It may not be the type of spectacular Southern California disaster depicted in films like “Volcano” or “Escape from L.A.,” but the gradual decline of city sidewalks has evolved into a financial and political problem of increasing urgency. Easily overlooked in an urban landscape still designed around the automobile, the walkways have come to symbolize the city’s struggle to age gracefully.

Roughly one-third of all Los Angeles sidewalks--or 4,620 curb miles--have suffered damage from tree roots, fluctuating weather patterns or seismic activity. Officials estimate the cost of repairs at $375 million. A map of recent service requests shows the damage spread across neighborhoods rich and poor, from the hills to the flatlands, from Sherman Oaks to South-Central.

With the exception of a stretch during the 1970s, the city has always held property owners responsible for sidewalk repair. But the city is reviewing its options since it can be held at least partly responsible if residents lodge complaints. The city, after all, planted most of the trees that are causing problems.

A national survey by Los Angeles officials found that most major cities, except for Washington, D.C., and Boston, expect property owners to fix sidewalks. Still, many other Southern California cities--including Glendale, Burbank, Santa Monica and Culver City--routinely fund extensive repairs.

Few L.A. residents have chosen to maintain sidewalks; repairs often cost at least $1,000.

“Who’s got the money?” said Jim Washington, chief street-use inspector for Los Angeles. “That’s the bottom-line issue here. I mean, you’re thinking about taking a vacation or trying to afford a car and you’re supposed to fix your sidewalk?”

As repairs are ignored, cracks keep growing, largely because of the shallow-rooted carob, ficus and liquidambar trees that were popular when many city neighborhoods were developed. And so do city court costs. The Department of Public Works recently reported that the city has been named in an average of 250 claims a year, and paid $1,125,000 in annual settlements.

A settlement approved last month by the City Council is typical. Ronnie Hodges, a motorcycle mechanic, won $200,000 from the city after tearing up his knee while jogging in South L.A. He tripped on a sidewalk panel that jutted up 14 inches, and he required knee-joint replacement surgery as a result, according to the city attorney’s office.

Hodges’ neighbors had complained to the city, officials said, but only temporary asphalt repairs could be done, a combination that has left the city liable in hundreds of other cases.

The scenario is all too familiar to Hanratty.

“I can’t stand looking out here. I’m always afraid I’ll see someone trip,” she said. “A lot of people aren’t even using the sidewalks anymore, it’s gotten so bad. They just walk or bike in the street.”

The city has been debating changes in its sidewalk-repair policy since 1991, without action. Now, claims like Hodges’ have prompted a new wave of talk.

Council members Ruth Galanter and Mike Feuer are among those pressing the issue. Feuer has formally requested that the Budget and Finance Committee later this month discuss the possibility of using state gas tax funds for sidewalk repair.

But Washington, whose office deals with sidewalk repair, doubts that gas tax money would cover all of the $375 million needed.

City reports in recent years have listed an array of possible solutions, such as taxing residents annually, giving tax breaks to residents who do routine maintenance, adding the cost of repair to a property’s closing escrow or simply splitting the cost with the owner.

Last year, the council appropriated $750,000 in city money to be divided evenly among the 15 council districts. But because of red tape, the money has yet to be used for any repairs.

Whatever path to progress is taken, people on all sides consider it “a near-and-dear issue,” in Washington’s words. That’s why Feuer--whose district ties with Jackie Goldberg’s for the highest number of sidewalk-related claims--has taken up the cause. Each of their districts racked up 56 legal claims between 1994 and 1996.

“It’s not simply a matter of reducing the city’s liability. It’s assuring residents that this basic service is provided for them,” Feuer said. “There is a package of city services that residents can feel entitled to: getting potholes filled, trees trimmed and having sidewalks not be sources of danger. Those are reasonable expectations to make.”

But city inspector Washington thinks people already rely too heavily on government.

“People always tell me, ‘Well, why doesn’t the government come in and do something?’ ” he said. “And I always say, if you want to see government, go to the bathroom and look in the mirror. Government is you.”