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INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSING - A crumbling infrastructure near Vanalden Avenue and Greenbriar Drive, Tarzana, in councilmember Bob Blumenfield`s district, continues to deteriorate due to an underground water leak and is certain to collapse as the pavement weakens. The impending ground downfall can be sudden, and it can trap or bury people before they can escape.
It pains me immensely to witness that kind of disintegration of the city`s infrastructure during my daily morning walk. Residents have reported this condition repeatedly through the city`s 311 system and directly to elected officials.
The city has known for over FOUR years about this disaster "in waiting", but instead of fixing the problem, it simply covers the saturated area with asphalt, a temporary solution that will surely fail. Further, it has added a new potential hazard to the site, a barricade to warn drivers and to force them into the opposite lane, raising the risk of head-on collisions.
Water has been seeping up through the pavement from an upstream underground source, eroding the roadbed beneath the asphalt. The result is recurring potholes, cracking, and surface collapse. City crews periodically arrive, patch the asphalt, and leave. Within months, the same damage returns-because the water never stopped.
This is not a mystery. It is basic civil engineering
These are cosmetic fixes, at best. Much like Mayor Karen Bass’ State of the City address on February 2, calling for a new clean streets initiative to ‘accelerate beautification’ of major thoroughfares throughout the city ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics. How reminiscent of the phrase to "put lipstick on a pig!" Making superficial or cosmetic changes to something in a futile effort to disguise its fundamental failings.
The Tarzana problem reveals a notable relationship between the deteriorating city`s infrastructure and city government with its dissolving and vanishing leadership and civic order. Sinkholes develop gradually and imperceptibly below the surface, eventually compromising ground stability and creating immense safety risks, much like the diminishing accountability and eroding of public trust faced by the city today.
In the case of a sinkhole, water infiltrates beneath the surface, gradually dissolving foundational materials while the exterior may appear to remain seemingly unaffected. Similarly, within our city governance, norms deteriorate, enforcement becomes less effective, accountability and transparency diminish, and coordination between departments and institutions declines. When that happens, daily routines may continue as usual, but the essential structures supporting civic order are steadily eroding.
Los Angeles’ Vision Zero program is a prime example. The city's effort to eliminate traffic deaths was impeded by a lack of cohesion across departments, insufficient political support, and an imbalanced approach.
The governance cavity must be corrected. The forthcoming elections can offer some relief if the voter becomes fully aware of the issues. It is a fact that the governance structure is under-maintained and politically deprioritized, meaning that elected officials allocate attention, resources and urgency below the most pressing problems because the political incentives do not reward addressing them. Like not correcting a city’s aging and failing water mains but using the funds for beautification projects first.
When voters do not call for change, leaders have no incentive to act.
Drawing on my years in government and politics, I have observed firsthand that many instances of city administration dysfunction arise when leaders respond to issues after they occur, rather than taking strategic measures. Instead of planning, they react. Therefore, this tendency to manage problems reactively, instead of anticipating and preparing for them leads to situations where emergencies appear to surface unexpectedly when, in truth, they were predictable. The Tarzana sinkhole problem is headed to fall into this category.
This is not just one street in Tarzana. It is about a pattern of deferred maintenance, fragmented responsibility between city departments, and unwillingness to accept recurring public safety risks because the consequences are not yet headline worthy.
The cost of doing this right now is modest compared to the cost of a sudden collapse-vehicle damage, injuries, emergency repairs, lawsuits and loss of public trust.
LA’s infrastructure is old, brittle, and failing in slow motion — but it rarely rises to the top of the political agenda. It is not prioritized because benefits are long term and fall beyond elections cycles. As a result, there is no political payoff. After all, grand ribbon cuttings attract the cameras.
There is a pattern that exists and voters must be aware of it. Once elected, a politician will not seek resolution of problems if they have a long-term payoff, are complex, have low political reward or hold high political risk. Yet these are the issues that matter most to the city’s long-term survival.
We need a maintenance culture, not constant crisis. The ideal emergencies are those resolved early and kept from public view. Without consistent maintenance, every issue escalates to an emergency.
Los Angeles needs leadership that identifies issues early, creates actionable solutions, mobilizes city departments proactively, and leads decisively. While not glamorous, this approach helps keep the city strong, safe and healthy.
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, understood well the need for action. “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
(Nick Patsaouras is an electrical engineer, civic leader, and a longtime public advocate. He ran for Mayor in 1993 with a focus on rebuilding L.A. through transportation after the 1992 civil unrest. He has served on major public boards, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Metro, and the Board of Zoning Appeals, helping guide infrastructure and planning policy in Los Angeles. He is the author of the book "The Making of Modern Los Angeles.")
