PISMO BEACH CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item #12.B
Meeting Date: September 16, 2025
TITLE:
Downtown Sidewalk Condition Assessment
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive a presentation about the Downtown Sidewalk Condition Assessment and provide direction to staff.
DISCUSSION:
Trip-and-fall claims are the most common type of claims that the City receives. While these claims are not the most expensive claims, in the aggregate, they can become very expensive. Money spent preventing trip and fall claims has the potential for a high return on infrastructure investment because the cost of repairing a sidewalk is typically less than the cost to defend each trip and fall claim.
In order to mitigate future trip-and-fall claims, City staff contacted the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (CJPIA). CJPIA has a sidewalk maintenance program with an associated master services agreement with Precision Concrete Cutting (PCC) to provide inspection, mapping, planning, and rehabilitation work for sidewalks. Staff established the assessment area shown as Figure 1.
Figure 1. Assessment Area
This assessment area was selected because it represents the majority of the trip-and-fall locations in the city. The downtown area has the most visitors to the city and the highest concentration of commercial businesses. California Streets and Highways code provides Council Agenda 9-16-2025 12.B-1
that residential property owners responsible for the sidewalks adjacent to their properties, but for commercial areas, the City generally has responsibility. While there are areas with in the downtown with both residential and commercial areas, it is generally considered to be a commercial zone.
Additionally, until the City takes over ownership of, and maintenance responsibility for, Dolliver Street/Highway 1, staff would recommend that area be excluded from improvements so as to not complicate any acquisition or liability matters.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council receive a presentation about the Downtown Sidewalk Assessment and provide direction to staff on making repairs consistent with the Assessment recommendations. If there is interest, staff would also seek opportunities, upon City Council concurrence, to address crosswalk enhancements that would seek to make similar improvements for the benefit of all users in the area, including those around the paid parking zones.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact related to this report. Depending on the direction from the City Council, staff will prepare cost estimates for the City Council’s consideration.
Submitted by: Rosemarie Gaglione, Director of Public Works City Manager Approval:
Council Agenda 9-16-2025 12.B-2