Los Angeles is currently undergoing mediation over accusations that the city is violating the terms of a $1.37 billion ADA lawsuit approved in April 2015. The settlement outlines that the city must put those funds towards a new Sidewalk Repair Program, remedying sidewalk and ramp accessibility for Angelenos with physical disabilities.
Initially reported by LAist, the reason for calling mediation is undisclosed. Meetings began at the beginning of 2026 and have continued nearly every month, with the city and the plaintiffs’ representatives exchanging proposals to find a realistic solution.
The initial settlement describes a 30-year plan set to begin in 2016 with the goal of reviving the city’s sidewalks and mending dangerous obstacles such as cracks and slippery ramps. 10 years later, over 5,000 repair reports remain uncorrected, not including filings made through the non-emergency 311 line. Since 2016, the Bureau of Engineering – which oversees the program – records 1,750 successful repair projects.
Los Angeles is responsible for putting $31 million (adjusted every five years for inflation) towards the program annually. Mayor Karen Bass’ office reports that it continues to fulfill this requirement, though this amount is seemingly insufficient in practice.
“The backlog reflects the reality that the annual volume of incoming requests exceeds the resources allocated annually to address these requests,” Mary Nemick, director of communications at the bureau, explains in an email to LAist.
The original lawsuit was initiated by Mark Willitis, a quadriplegic resident, who sued the city in 2010 for allegedly failing to install and maintain accessible pedestrian right-of-ways. The case was later broadened into a class action lawsuit that resulted in the planned settlement.
Prior to the settlement, sidewalk repairs already fell far behind demand while waiting for a conclusion to the case. Paired with a worker shortage and lack of a system for determining which cases were highest priority, this only widened the gap between requests and renovations as time went on.
In conversation with the L.A. City Council Public Works committee, Julia Sanchez de la Vega, the Sidewalk Repair Program Division Manager, breaks down the realistic timeline for repairs; Urgent and high-priority reports are currently on a waitlist for anywhere from one to five years, while lower-priority items are projected to be addressed in up to ten years if the current rate continues.
The Sidewalk Repair Program is only one of the investments Los Angeles is making to better pedestrian experiences. The Spring-Alameda Safety and Mobility Project began work on Sept. 10, set to install high-visibility crosswalks and ADA-compliant curb ramps for Chinatown and DTLA.
The city is currently in the process of establishing light detection and ranging, referred to as LiDAR, in an effort to document and register the conditions of pedestrian infrastructure in real time. The program is previously set up in other major California locations such as San Francisco and San Diego, with a third of Los Angeles – including areas preparing to host the 2028 Olympics – already logged.
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