Dear Editor, 

We share a love for our fair city. 

However, equal time should be given to the fact that parts of the city are in a slow decline into a squalor that is comparable to older parts of LA County. 

A walk down around my own neighborhood identifies homes, businesses, shopping centers, yards, and/or parkways are unkept. Dead lawns, peeling paint, oil stained driveways, weeds, bus stops, inoperable vehicles - a general lack of care - are contributing to a general blight.

I believe that the city operates with a surplus. Why then are there not more steps taken to ensure that it’s citizens can continue to enjoy a better quality of life, at least aesthetically? 

Take a drive through the city and I’m sure you will find that I am not wrong. The Home Depot center is a particular problem. Just recently there were three mattresses located behind the tire center that were there for two weeks! It was a short-lived homeless encampment. Used hypodermic needles lay around. Trash consistently accumulates within the landscaped (I use the term lightly) areas. I could go on. 

Who holds the property owners to account? Are there not city codes to be enforced or programs for those who may not be able to afford the upkeep? 

You get my drift. If we don’t start now, the city’s decline into squalor will soon be a runaway train. Thanks for listening.

Via Facebook direct message, anonymity requested

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