Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa ordered a comprehensive report Monday to find out why illegally dumped refuse has been allowed to sit for weeks in alleys in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. “The mayor’s view is that people should not have to wait for weeks to have trash picked up,” said Gil Duran, a spokesman for Villaraigosa, who was traveling in Israel. Documenting the conditions in photographs and videos, The Times reported Monday that refuse — including dead animals — festered for weeks in some South Los Angeles alleys. At the same time, arrests for illegal dumping by investigators with the Department of Public Works, which is responsible for maintaining alleys, dropped from 359 in 2002 to just three so far this year. The officials blamed budget cuts for their inability to crack down on violators. For the full storyy visit http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dumping17-2008jun17,0,3576866.story
