The recent L.A. Times op-ed about street sweeping is sad. Doesn't Paul Thornton know about the 5 minute rule?
I do know that posted routes are hard to complete every week under the current staffing levels that the Bureau of Street Services currently operates. They are the ones that run the street sweepers (though LADOT posts the signs and enforces the parking restriction), but those same crews must also fill potholes, do spot cleaning, patch raised sidewalks (truly fixing them could take 72 years based on current funding levels), address temporary resolutions to ponding water and empty all the white wire trash baskets along the city streets... among other things.
So, it's hard to blame LADOT for doing their job when the Bureau of Street Services can't to do theirs. But, then again, how can they do theirs when they're not funded enough to do it? It's a Catch 22 because the money collected from tickets could help fund more sweeper operators to actually do the work. Paul can at least be proud he lives on the same Hollywood street as did former-Mayor James Toberman in the late 19th Century... who probably didn't have parking & street sweeping issues.
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I'm really glad that the Toberman House was saved from demolition. When I first moved to the neighborhood 3 years ago, the house was in poor shape; not knowing its historical significance, I thought it was a prime location for yet another apartment building. As it turns out, a developer had bought the property and was thinking the same thing.
Councilmen LaBonge and Garcetti should be commended for putting the property to a more profitable use (dividing the house into apartments) while upgrading its appearance. It is in great shape now:
Photo 1
Photo 2
I live in a fairly new building a block away from Mr. Thornton (circa 1978), so there's enough parking for all the tenants. I don't necessarily agree that the buildings in our neighborhood are so under-parked that residents are forced to park on the street. It's more of a problem for guests.
I agree with you that we shouldn't be angry at LADOT for ticketing us during street sweeping times if Street Services never gets around to actually sweeping the street. The signs are posted, the rules are clear, and people who have lived in the neighborhood long enough get used to it.
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