Letters to the Editor: L.A. planted the wrong trees, and our broken sidewalks are proof
To the editor: I share Steve Lopez’s frustration with the city of Los Angeles’ system (or lack thereof) for sidewalk repairs caused by street trees. But nowhere in this conversation are people addressing (pun trigger warning) the root cause of the problem: poor plant selection.
As anyone in the planting design world knows, heeding the dictum “right plant, right place” is paramount. Put another way, don’t adopt a rottweiler when your studio apartment only has space for a shih tzu.
Decades ago, city planners made the mistake of choosing fast-growing specimens like the Indian Fig Laurel, which develop massive root systems that raise the ground around the trunk. These beasts are only suitable for large parks and open spaces where they can fulfill their genetic destiny.
This approach applies also to residential gardens. DNA programs all living things to achieve a predictable mature size.
Do a little research before bringing home your next plant and then shoehorning it into that foot-wide sliver of soil running along the back of your garage.
Billy Goodnick, Santa Barbara
The writer is a landscape architect.
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To the editor: Asking homeowners to repair damaged sidewalks is not a good solution.
In the first place, homeowners do not have a legal deed to the sidewalks, the planted trees and adjacent curbs. These all belong to the city involved.
Secondly, any person injured by tripping on damaged sidewalks could sue the homeowner for damages. A homeowner does not have the right to restrict access to sidewalks, but could be liable for accidents? Not a good idea.
The city should repair sidewalks as part of its city maintenance program. If it cannot because of a lack of resources, it can reimburse homeowners to hire a contractor to perform the work, under the auspices of city management.
Dick Owen, Huntington Beach
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To the editor: Just days before Lopez’s column about the endless backup and lack of resources to address impassable and crumbling sidewalks in L.A., The Times had a story about a $40-million settlement the city had to pay in a federal case where it was found to have misused grants for buildings constructed that were inaccessible to the physically disabled.
After Lopez’s column ran, there was another article about $40 million in settlement payouts involving the Los Angeles Police Department, which has cost the city hundreds of millions over several decades for a laundry list of misdeeds.
Yes, insurance covers some of these payouts (and God knows what our premiums must be), but one has to wonder about how great the city would be, about all the wonderful things government might accomplish, if its agencies could just abide by the law and rein in abuse and corruption.
Mitch Paradise, Los Angeles
