Letters to the Editor: Fixing Los Angeles’ roads and sidewalks should be the city’s top priority

To the editor: We can’t change the geography of our city, which necessitates relying on trucks and automobiles as the backbone for the movement of people, goods and services. The current strategy of just filling potholes is like trying to put a Band-Aid on a cut that requires a tourniquet (“Don’t let the mayor’s budget make our streets even worse,” May 7). There are many high-traffic streets that need complete replacement. Fixing our roads and sidewalks for the benefit of all Angelenos should be job one.

Joe Grauman, Los Angeles

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To the editor: A friend of mine has lived in her home in the Miracle Mile neighborhood for over 50 years. One day, she got a letter from a lawyer stating that his client tripped on the sidewalk in front of her house and was suing her for the injuries he sustained. She hired a contractor to repair the sidewalk and was assured that no permit was needed. Then she got a ticket from the city for repairing the sidewalk without a permit! This is a no-win situation.

Frima Telerant, Westwood