Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian, 2nd District, on July 2 introduced the Comprehensive Citywide Sidewalk Repair Program, a sweeping plan to fix the city’s failing sidewalks in front of private homes and commercial and public properties.

“This is a critically important issue for people … all over the city,” Krekorian said. “We have an opportunity to fully address the broken and buckled sidewalks that have plagued Los Angeles for decades. This is a comprehensive, sustainable program that will result in sidewalk repairs at residential, public and commercial properties. It will pave the way for better, safer sidewalks across Los Angeles.”

His first motion seeks to repair buckled sidewalks by creating a Sidewalk Repair Trust Fund to help pay for future sidewalk repairs at private homes; and reconstituting the 50/50 shared cost sidewalk program to repair current broken sidewalks at private homes, with 50 percent of the cost of repair paid by the city and 50 percent by homeowners.

Additionally, Krekorian hopes to develop a low- or no-interest revolving loan program from which homeowners can borrow to make sidewalk repairs and pay the money back over a fixed term; a complaint-driven mapping and prioritization system to identify and coordinate repairs to sidewalks most dangerous to pedestrians; an enforcement mechanism to ensure commercial property owners comply with existing sidewalk laws; and a plan to create design and construction standards for sidewalks to maximize mobility.

The councilman’s second motion looks to create a comprehensive program to fix public sidewalks in parks, municipal buildings, civic centers and other community facilities.

The motions will be referred jointly to the Budget and Finance Committee and the Public Works and Gang Reduction Committees for discussion and further action.