Opinion: Ticketed and taxed for street sweeping that doesn’t happen: It’s so L.A.

President Trump may draw the highest number of critical letters to the editor, but some of the most pointed gripes you’ll hear from readers of the Los Angeles Times comes in response to articles on city services.

Think craggy sidewalks, potholed streets, utility services or expensive trash pickup — regular readers of The Times have probably noticed a dissatisfaction among letter writers when it comes to the basic government functions. Add to this list another local service: street sweeping.

A Times report earlier this week confirmed what many of us who drive and live in Los Angeles have long suspected: The posted “No Parking” sign may designate a block for cleaning on certain days, and cars left parked during the restricted hours are sure to be swiftly ticketed — but the promised street sweeping may not happen.

Several readers wrote to us to share their frustration.

Ron Epstein of Woodland Hills has noticed a cleaning discrepancy:

Oh, did I love your article about streets in our city and when they are cleaned by the Bureau of Street Services.

I’ve worked in the same office building on a Woodland Hills cul-de-sac for four years. Every Tuesday morning, we can’t park on one side of the street because of posted street cleaning signs; it’s the same deal on Wednesday morning on the other side of the street. Sure enough, the street sweeper is there every week. I can’t think of a more unnecessary chore.

It does not sweep around Warner Center Park across the street, where cleaning is likely needed, and I can’t remember the last time I saw a street sweeper in my residential neighborhood, which is about four miles away.

The city is spending its money cleaning the same street — unnecessarily — every week, inconveniencing local business owners. What’s wise about that?

Warren Evan Larsen of Sunland hasn’t spotted a street sweeper in his neighborhood for years:

The story failed to note how long “a year or more” can extend when going without a sweeping. I’ve lived above La Tuna Canyon for 28 years, and I remember only one cleaning.

Even after the La Tuna Canyon fire several weeks back, there was no cleaning; locals just swept up the debris like always.

On behalf of the millions of Angelenos who seldom, if ever, see the sweepers we pay for, I want to thank The Times for printing a picture of a cleaning machine and reminding us what they look like.

Santa Monica resident Marilyn Wexler believes L.A. residents are getting scammed:

I’m sorry, to force residents to not park their cars (and find another non-existent space) under the threat of “potential street sweeping” sounds to me like just another money-making scam.

With today’s technology, the city ought to be able to give real-time updates on sweeping schedules. Forcing residents to pay twice for something — in the form of taxes and parking tickets — they do not get is borderline criminal.

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