Commentary: For all the chatter by mayoral candidates, can anyone fix L.A.'s enduring problems?

"John Coanda, 61, who grew up in Los Angeles, was never bothered by torn-up sidewalks as a kid. "In fact," he said when he first emailed me about his predicament, "my friends and I sometimes used the ramping pavement as jumps for our bicycles." But his wife, Barbara, was diagnosed in 2024 with ALS, and she uses a wheelchair. When John pushes her, they can't use the sidewalk if they want to go to the store or meet with friends, or just enjoy a nice pass through the neighborhood without getting into a vehicle."

"So John pushes Barbara's wheelchair in the street, which creates an obvious safety problem. And despite John's best efforts to get City Hall to fix the sidewalks, he's not expecting help anytime soon. I'll circle back to this story in a bit, but first, about that debate."

"I recruited a half-dozen L.A. residents to watch and send me their thoughts about how the candidates tackled the important issues. And then I felt guilty for having done so, because the candidates didn't do much tackling at all. They hit their talking points, for sure, and Mayor Karen Bass, Councilmember Nithya Raman and TV personality Spencer Pratt each had their moments. But by the end of the debate, and two straight nights of gubernatorial debates as well, I came away thinking there were no clear winners, but there was a definite loser."

"Voters. This is the fault of the format more than of the candidates themselves. The deck is stacked against meaningful, substantive discussions, especially when moderator"

A couple in Mar Vista faces mobility barriers caused by long-neglected sidewalk damage. Sidewalks rise and fall due to shallow, uprooted tree roots, leaving cracked and uneven paths. John Coanda, 61, grew up using the uneven pavement for bicycle jumps, but his wife Barbara was diagnosed with ALS in 2024 and uses a wheelchair. When John pushes her, they cannot safely use the sidewalk to reach stores, meet friends, or move through the neighborhood. They instead travel in the street, creating a safety problem. John has tried to get City Hall to fix the sidewalks but expects little help soon. The piece also reflects on a mayoral debate, noting that the format limits substantive discussion and leaves voters without clear winners.

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