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In Los Angeles, there is an online interface for residents to request city services, like bulky item pickups, graffiti removal and pot hole repairs. There’s even a phone app. In April, I reported a ficus hedge down the block that an owner had allowed to get so overgrown, it engulfed the sidewalk, forcing pedestrians onto a dirt parkway. It took 4 months and 12 follow-up phone calls, but it finally got trimmed today. Civic engagement takes patience, but it works.
Illustration by Lee Crutchley [1]