Nearly 50% of L.A. City's Sidewalks are Unsafe

VAN NUYS, CA – Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007 – Nearly 50 percent of sidewalks in Los Angeles are unsafe posing a widespread threat to public safety, a coalition of Realtor associations throughout the city reported recently as it launched a door-to-door offensive to solve the problem.

“At a minimum, the city budget to repair already broken sidewalks needs to be doubled if elected leaders truly care about protecting the elderly, disabled, youngsters on bikes or roller blades and runners who every day use sidewalks and could be injured in a trip and fall,” said Winnie Davis, president of the 12,500-member Southland Regional Association of Realtors.

“Current efforts to eliminate this growing threat to public safety fall woefully short and leaves the city exposed to massive legal payments,” Davis said. “It’s ludicrous to think that a problem this massive could be solved by implementing a proposed ordinance requiring sidewalks to be fixed only when a home is sold.”

City officials readily acknowledge that at the current pace, efforts to fix the estimated 4,600 miles of broken sidewalks will take upwards of 50 years.

Unsafe sidewalks represent 43 percent of the 10,750 miles of sidewalks throughout the City of Los Angeles, but the percentage of broken sidewalks could be much higher because many homeowners may not have reported a problem to the city.

“Realtors are being trained to identify problem locations, contact property owners, and work with Neighborhood Councils citywide to seek a solution to this serious threat to public safety,” said Jim Link, chief executive officer of the Southland Regional Association of Realtors. “Just like the police department’s ‘Broken Windows’ initiative, a broken sidewalk often is the first sign of potentially more serious problems afflicting a neighborhood.

The citywide coalition of Realtor associations mounting the campaign intends to:

• Contact homeowners whose sidewalks are seriously damaged to ensure that they report the problem to the city and are aware of their rights, responsibilities and the various options for fixing the sidewalks.
• Develop on-line information resources for all property owners that detail the problem and offer solutions.
• Work with Neighborhood Councils to educate members regarding the seriousness of the problem and the need for action.
• Lobby for at least a doubling of the estimated $9 million the city already budgets for fixing sidewalks and pruning or replanting trees that cause 80 percent of the damage due to root growth.
• Encourage city leaders to expand the popular 50/50 program which has the city and property owners splitting the cost of sidewalk repairs.
• Discourage elected officials from using a point-of-sale approach to the problem and educate them about how that a point-of-sale tactic may well exacerbate the threat to public safety and the city’s liability.

“Citywide liability risks are never solved with a point-of-sale initiative,” said Mel Wilson, the association’s legislative advocate. “Just like requiring installation of earthquake gas shut-off valves when a home is sold, some homes on a street will be safe while others next door will still pose a risk, a risk which leaves the entire community exposed and vulnerable.”

Additionally, fixing a sidewalk is a much more complicated, expensive and time-consuming task than installing an earthquake gas shut-off valve or a water-conserving low-flow toilet.

“While there is some debate about how to fund sidewalk repairs,” Wilson said, “Neighborhood Councils agree that this public safety nightmare needs to be addressed now.”

In addition to the Southland Regional Association of Realtors, Associations of Realtors participating in the campaign include: the Beverly Hills Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors, Southwest Los Angeles Association of Realtors, Rancho Southeast Association of Realtors, Foothills Association of Realtors and the Consolidated Realty Board.

The Southland Regional Association of Realtors® is a local trade association with more than 12,000 members serving the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. SRAR is one of the largest local associations in the nation. Go to www.srar.com to search for every home listed for sale in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.