Brief

Councilmember Nithya Raman introduced a motion (seconded by Eunisses Hernandez) directing review of current maintenance practices for steep hillside streets in Los Angeles. The motion passed the Public Works Committee in February 2026 and was unanimously approved by full Council (12-0-3) on March 13, 2026. The file is now closed.

Full summary

Councilmember Nithya Raman's motion addresses a longstanding infrastructure gap: many of Los Angeles's steepest hillside streets cannot be serviced by the Bureau of Street Services' standard equipment, leaving residents who depend on those roads without reliable maintenance. The motion notes that Los Angeles is home to some of the steepest streets in the country, with narrow lanes, high-grade inclines, and sharp turns that make routine repairs technically difficult or infeasible with conventional tools. A related problem underlies the maintenance gap: prior reporting from the Bureau of Engineering and Bureau of Street Services (under C.F. 18-1114) found that many hillside streets were never built to City standards in the first place and were never formally accepted into the City's road network. Normally, property owners construct roads to City specifications under permit, after which the City accepts them and assumes maintenance responsibility. Many hillside streets skipped that process entirely, leaving their status — and the City's obligations — ambiguous. The motion directs the Bureau of Street Services to report back within 60 days on what maintenance it currently provides for streets too steep for standard equipment, and how it plans to maintain those streets going forward. The directive is scoped as an information-gathering step rather than a spending commitment, but it sets up the groundwork for future policy decisions around equipment investment, maintenance standards, or capital improvements in hillside neighborhoods. The motion was referred to the Public Works Committee on January 9, 2026. The committee approved it on February 25, 2026, with members Hernandez and Padilla voting yes and Hutt absent. The full Council adopted the motion 12-0-3 on March 13, 2026, and the file closed five days later. The Bureau of Street Services report, due within 60 days of adoption, is the next substantive development to watch.

Activity (5)

• 2026-03-18 Council action final.
• 2026-03-10 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on March 13, 2026.
• 2026-02-25 Public Works Committee approved item(s) .
• 2026-02-20 Public Works Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on February 25, 2026.
• 2026-01-09 Motion referred to Public Works Committee.

Documents (5)

• 2026-03-18 Council Action · council_action
• 2026-03-13 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-02-25 Report from Public Works Committee · report
• 2026-02-25 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-01-09 Motion · motion