BILLION SOUGHT TO FIX STREETS 2 COUNCILMEN PROPOSE BOND.

Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH Staff Writer

Faced with crumbling asphalt and a decades-long maintenance backlog, the City Council will consider asking voters to approve a $1.5 billion bond measure in November to repair 4,000 miles of city streets over the next eight years.

The bond proposal, introduced Wednesday by Councilmen Tony Cardenas and Greig Smith, who represent portions of the San Fernando Valley, would cost the average homeowner less than $100 a year over its 20-year term.

The money would allow 60 percent of the city's 6,500 miles of streets to be upgraded in just eight years, rather than 80 years under the current repair schedule, officials said.

"I want to see our streets repaired in my lifetime," Cardenas said at a news conference. "I hear residents (complain) all the time - in my neighborhood, in my home. I myself have complained about our streets. ... The people of Los Angeles, I feel, are fed up, and they're ready to do something about it."

The motion, currently backed by seven council members, would have to be passed by a majority of the 15-member council by Aug. 10 in order to be placed on the Nov. 7 ballot.

The bond plan - which surprised many on the council - comes amid proposals for new trash pickup fees and for water and energy rate hikes in the city, as well as a proposal from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for a multibillion-dollar state infrastructure bond issue.

Edwin Ramirez, president of the Pacoima Neighborhood Council, said streets in his community need repair but he's already paying for Los Angeles Unified School District construction bonds, water bonds and fees, in addition to his regular property tax.

"One hundred dollars is not a lot, but you add that to all the other bonds that have been passed and we're paying for," Ramirez said. "There are things that people are willing to sacrifice and pay. But how much is enough?"

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - who just proposed a trash-fee hike to pay for 1,000 more police officers - believes well-maintained streets are important and will consider the bond proposal, a spokesman said.

Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who chairs the council's Transportation Committee, said she hadn't yet seen the bond proposal, but questioned how it would fit with Villaraigosa's goal of increasing funding for city streets and sidewalks.

"I'm a big proponent of filling potholes and repairing our streets to keep our city moving," Greuel said. "It's important to get the pulse of your constituents, and there's a lot of discussion of all the fees and increases and how they will impact people."

But Smith said the bond measure would be an investment, and homeowners would see a return on their money.

"Nothing will add more to the value of someone's property ...than the first impression a buyer has. And the first impression a buyer has is driving on the street to get to that home," he said.

Bruce Ackerman, president and chief executive of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, said property owners probably could support a measure that promised a real solution to the potholes and cracks that plague many streets.

"Bonds seem to be much more acceptable by the electorate than outright tax increases," he said. "And we have to take care of infrastructure. The entire underpinning of our communities have been so neglected."

However, he added, politicians need to be honest with voters about why infrastructure is underfunded when fees and tax revenue are on the rise.

"The money that used to be set aside for upkeep is still being collected, but if you look at budgets you see it's going into (employee) salaries and pensions," Ackerman said.

Cardenas and Smith said the bond issue would address the massive backlog without cutting funds for parks, policing and other municipal services.

Their proposal also calls for the council to establish a permanent funding level so the city doesn't fall behind on street repairs again.

City government never budgeted enough money for street maintenance after the post-World War II housing boom, when the number of street miles jumped from 2,500 to 6,500, Bureau of Street Services Director William Robertson said.

"For almost 30 years, there was no increase in the money that was allocated to maintain the street system, and that's what crippled us," he said.

State transportation dollars and revenue from the gasoline tax also have been inconsistent, he added.

Robertson figures his department needs about $90 million a year to maintain city streets. But he said he received only half that amount over the past decade before an increase to $63 million in the current budget.

Under the bond proposal, the department would get about $187 million per year, enough to erase the backlog and remain current on maintenance.

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com

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