Outcry About Sidewalk Repairs Elicits City Apology, Explanation

An online firestorm after Pasadena Now published a letter from former mayoral candidate Don Morgan about his experience with the City of Pasadena repairing his sidewalk has resulted in a statement of regret from the Pasadena Department of Public Works with an explanation that the sidewalk repair contractor quit because the city wasn’t paying its bills on time.

Access Pacific, awarded $800,000 of sidewalk repair work by city for the 2014-15 fiscal year, terminated its contract in or about April, 2015 after new city finance procedures brought about by the embezzlement scandal resulted in delayed payments – leaving 60% of scheduled sidewalk fixes undone. Many home and business owners had paid the city up front for the for work.

Pasadena Municipal Code Section 12.04 makes property owners responsible for maintaining public sidewalks alongside their property.

The city still has not found a replacement contractor.

City staff has included the incomplete sidewalk repairs as part of a larger concrete repairs project scheduled to be awarded to the low bidder at the September 28th City Council meeting, the City Manager’s office says.

Work is slated to start up again in November and to be completed by March of next year. A second concrete repair project is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2016.

The City Manager’s office said on Thursday that letters will be mailed next week to residents and businesses that have undone repair work to explain the new schedule.

“City Engineer Steve Wright will personally oversee the efforts and is available to answer any questions you, the Mayor or the City Council may have,” the statement said.