Penny Wise, Pothole Foolish
By Constance Sommer
What’s the real cause of L.A.’s crumbling roads? The city’s broken budgeting process.
L.A.’s streets are falling apart. At public hearings city workers complain that they can barely keep up with even the most basic street services. Hundreds of street staff were laid off last year. Trucks remain parked at city lots because there aren’t enough people to use them to perform major repairs. Since last July, the city has made do with stopgap measures like plugging potholes and laying down rectangular asphalt patches that stop short of a full resurfacing of the road.
According to the city’s own measurements, 60% of its streets were in good condition a year ago. Now it’s 53%.
