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# Playing Politics with Your Broken Sidewalks
July 23 2012
Written by Rick Orlov.
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NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL ISSUE - Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, who is running for the Los Angeles City Council, the argument is simple: Cities should not abandon a four-decade-old policy of paying for sidewalk repair and transfer the cost to homeowners.
While those may be welcome words to homeowners frustrated with L.A.'s $1.5 billion backlog of sidewalk repairs, it infuriates local government types who hear something else - just another politically motivated, budget-busting mandate from Sacramento.
"This bill is a particular favorite of mine," Dan Oney, who opposes the measure, said sarcastically. He publishes Public CEO, a daily newsletter tracking state government. "It takes a huge amount of spending responsibility and puts it directly on the shoulders of local government."
Angered by the measure, Oney wrote an editorial opposing it as an example of an unfunded state mandate.
"This is something that might help Fuentes politically next year, but could come back to bite him if he does win that City Council seat," Oney said.
Oney argues that state mandates, without funding, are one of the prime causes of the bankruptcy of cities such as San Bernardino and Stockton.
Fuentes, D-Sylmar, believe the measure is needed to force the city to live up to its obligations.
Even though state law says repair of sidewalks is a homeowner responsibility, the city in 1973 assumed responsibility for the repairs as well as for any accidents.
"This is not intended to bankrupt cities," Fuentes said. "But I think the bigger problem is the city having ignored this problem. I think it is patently unfair for the city, after 40 years of repairing the sidewalks, to now abandon them. The city had assumed responsibility and let it decay."
Fuentes' Assembly Bill 2231 is scheduled for its next hearing on Aug. 6 in the Senate Appropriations committee. ([**The rest of Rick’s column … plus the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils weighs in … here**](http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_21133367/fuentes-bill-would-keep-sidewalk-repair-resonsibility-cities?utm_source=The+City+Maven+List&utm_campaign=81c34ee2d4-Maven_s_Morning_Coffee5_23_2011&utm_medium=email).)
*(Rick Orlov covers City Hall for the dailynews.com. where this column first appeared. His Tipoff column appears Mondays. For a daily political fix, go to the Sausage Factory at[ insidesocal.com/politics](http://insidesocal.com/politics). You can contact him at rick.orlov@dailynews.com )* –cw
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 59
Pub: July 24, 2012
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