FIXING OUR STREETS; RESIDENTS GET SWEEPING RESPONSE.

Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer

Juanita Work was blunt. Her community's streets look like a ``Third World country,'' she lamented, as her Ford Escort plunged through a crumbling portion of Garrick Street.

``This place has just gone to hell,'' said Work, 61, who has lived nearby on Herron Street since 1948. ``In San Fernando you don't see filthy streets, you don't see trash piled up in alleys.''

For years, Work has complained in vain to Los Angeles officials about the general state of street disrepair, the lack of tree trimming and infrequent street sweeping in the northeast San Fernando Valley. ``It was 1985 the last time they asked people to move their cars for street sweeping,'' she said.

Now, finally, Work is getting some response from the city.

Herron Street is on the list of 937 miles of roads in Los Angeles - 80 percent of which are in the Valley - that the City Council agreed to schedule for regular sweepings.

Sweeping plan

By the end of April, sweepers began appearing weekly in some Valley neighborhoods - preceded by no-parking signs warning drivers to move their cars on sweeping days. The last of the new signs should be posted by July, city officials said.

``I would be absolutely thrilled about that,'' Work said. She even envisions a time when city crews will come to clean away the debris that washes into the streets after every rain, ``and cars that aren't moved for months would move.''

But regular street sweepings won't answer all the residents' complaints about what they call city neglect of their Northeast Valley neighborhoods.

``You can call any agency you want and nobody will respond, absolutely nobody,'' said Frank Willis of Sylmar, who said he has had three flat tires in the last 18 months driving the area's rough roads.

``If politicians are elected to become representatives of the people, that is all they should be concerned about. But there's zero, absolutely zero services,'' he said.

Raymond Jackson, president of the Northeast Community Improvement Association in Pacoima has similar complaints.

``What we are getting is the ping-pong treatment,'' he said, explaining how he is bounced from office to office when trying to determine which politician can resolve his complaints.

``I'd say the progress is so slow, I think a snail could beat them to it,'' he said. ``I feel this sector of the city is overlooked and neglected.''

More for Valley

City Councilman Richard Alarcon, who represents Jackson's area, said he saw a disparity in street-sweeping services and so pushed for the city to add 100 miles after his first year in office, and the current 937-mile package that will add about 450 miles to the Northeast Valley.

``I had to jump through hoops to get the first 100 miles of street sweeping approved,'' Alarcon said. ``I do feel there is an inequity in services, but the fact that I was able to get 1,000 miles after 18 years of adding no miles is amazing.''

Ali Sar, press deputy for Councilman Hal Bernson, who represents Sylmar, disputed residents' claim that city officials are unresponsive to complaints about poor streets and services.

``That's not accurate,'' Sar said. ``I talked to our (field deputy) in our Sylmar office who said that as soon as she gets any complaints, she phones them in, or if by letter, she faxes it to street maintenance right away.''

The biggest obstacle for speedy repairs is a lack of funding, said Greg Scott, Bureau of Street Maintenance director. His workers can't be everywhere at once, but they do their very best to respond to customers' needs.

``You're seeing a different face from the bureau, you're seeing more responsiveness within the resources we have,'' said Scott, who oversees a budget of $90 million, the majority of which goes to street resurfacing.

Communications problem

Regardless of finances, one of the problems residents face is a lack of communication from the city about who is responsible for initially paving alleys and streets.

Work and her neighbors have repeatedly complained about unpaved roadways, for instance.

But one misconception residents have, said Scott, is that the city is responsible for initial paving. According to a 1911 state law, residents must pay to install curbs, gutters, pavement, sidewalks, storm drains, street lights and sewers through a special assessment.

In newer projects, housing and commercial developers put in new roads before the occupants ever arrive. But in older neighborhoods, it's up to the residents to form an assessment district to pay for initial paving, Scott said.

``Once you bring these things up to standards,'' Scott said, ``the city will maintain them.''

SWEEPING STREETS

Street sweepers are now or will soon start cleaning 937 miles of streets in the San Fernando Valley for the first time, including streets in these communities. Not all streets within each area are included.

To find out if your street will be posted for weekly cleaning, write to the Bureau of Street Maintenance at 600 S. Spring St. Room 1200, Los Angeles, CA 90014. The bureau will not accept phone calls.

The Valley routes will be posted with no-parking signs requiring motorists to move their cars on street sweeping days by the end of July. The rest of the city will be completed by September.

ARLETA

The area bordered by Terra Bella and Osborne streets, Golden State Freeway, and Woodman Avenue. Street posting completed April 20. Street-sweeping hours: Mondays and Tuesdays noon to 2 p.m. Route 19P410.

The area bordered by Fillmore Street, the Golden State Freeway, Terra Bella Street and Dorrington Avenue. Street posting completed April 28. Street-sweeping hours: Mondays and Tuesdays 10 a.m. to noon. Route 19P412.

SYLMAR

The area bordered by Glenoaks Boulevard, Tyler Street, Dronfield Avenue and Hubbard Street. Street posting completed May 2. Street-sweeping hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays 8 to 10 a.m. Route 19P406.

MISSION HILLS

The area bordered by Mission Boulevard, the Golden State Freeway, Paxton Street, the Ronald Reagan Freeway and Columbus Avenue. Street posting completed May 9. Street-sweeping hours: Mondays and Tuesdays noon to 2 p.m. Route 19P362.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD

The area bordered by Saticoy Street, Lankershim Boulevard, Sherman Way and Tujunga Avenue. Street posting completed May 9. Street-sweeping hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m. to noon. Route 17P405.

PACOIMA

The area bordered by Fox Street, Remick Avenue, the Ronald Reagan Freeway and San Fernando Road. Street posting was to be completed Saturday. Street-sweeping hours: Mondays and Tuesdays 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Route 19P420.

The area bordered by Paxton Street, Remick Avenue, Van Nuys Boulevard and San Fernando Road. Street posting was to be completed Saturday. Street-sweeping hours: Mondays and Tuesdays 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Route 19P418.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1) Juanita Work and Frank Willis have been among those residents in Sylmar complaining about the poor quality of the area's streets.

(2) Broken-down street surfaces and a lack of street sweeping has fueled homeowners' charges that the city is neglecting them.

Tom Mendoza/Daily News

BOX: SWEEPING STREETS (see text)