The burst water main under Sunset Boulevard is a wake-up call for LA.
Not shiny objects or grand social justice schemes. The city wastes billions of dollars on corrupt and failing programs — like homeless nonprofits that reward cronies instead of fixing the problem.
Underneath the mansions in our hills and the encampments on our streets, cast-iron pipes that are more than a century old are rusting, waiting to burst. The water main that ruptured in West Hollywood this week was 110 years old. And it’s hardly the only example. The city wastes billions of dollars on corrupt and failing programs — like homeless nonprofits that reward cronies instead of fixing the problem.
Twelve years ago, a burst pipe near UCLA caused massive damage to the campus. The pipe was a 90-year-old city water line.that the LA Department of Water and Power was moving so slowly on maintenance that it would replace water lines only once every 300 years. There was always a reason. Something else to spend on.
They knew that the public would be furious at having to pay more for inferior service — on top of the sales tax hikes, the gas tax hikes and all the other charges that the city, the county and the state keep piling up. Meanwhile, our leaders — at every level — found new ways to waste our money. We do need a reliable water line under Sunset Boulevard.
Time and again, the city suffers disasters that would not have been as bad, if our leaders had just paid attention to upkeep. City leaders behave as if there is all kinds of money for social programs — or for flashy events — when the reality is that City Hall isn’t even doing the bare minimum to keep LA functioning. It costs more to replace a burst pipe than to replace it before anything bad happens.
Not to mention the huge costs that a broken water main causes to local homes and businesses. We haven’t heard a plan from either of our mayoral candidates, Karen Bass or Nithya Raman, about how they plan to fix the city. No more pet projects and white elephants — like a new convention center no one will use.
The city wastes billions of dollars on corrupt and failing programs — like homeless nonprofits that reward cronies instead of fixing the problem.
Please follow us on Google to support usCalifornia Infrastructure Karen Bass Los Angeles Nithya Raman
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