Lots of Areas of L.A. Need Maintenance

Frank Flint’s face missing on his monument downtown might trouble Paul Dean (“On the Blight Side,” Aug. 4), but to take just one example from my neighborhood: There’s a wonderful Romanesque underpass on Silver Lake Boulevard that gets no more respect than Flint’s fountain.

The stairs that once made the Silver Lake underpass convenient for pedestrians have long been cemented shut to prevent crime and to save the costs of maintenance.

Ugly, unpleasant streets lend themselves to ugly unpleasant lives in every part of town.

FRANS GUSTAFSON

Los Angeles

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Perhaps Paul Dean could do a follow-up story on a blight pervasive throughout Los Angeles County--signs illegally nailed to trees, mounted on utility poles, taped to traffic signs.

Included in this collection could be the many “diet magic,” “baby pageant” and “pilot show” signs ad nauseam. Oh, let’s not forget the many “garage sale” and “estate sale” signs that go up and never come down.

I have made many appeals to the City of Torrance to do something about this insidious problem. The appeals always fall on deaf ears. No one in government seems to care.

ROBERT BIR

Torrance