Goldstein Investigation: $1.3 Million Paving Machine Sits Idle While Homeless Man Lives Underneath

AIRSTRIKES LIKE THIS COULD BECOME MORE FREQUENT AS TENSIONS SOAR BETWEEN ISRAEL AND IRAQ. L.A. HAS SOME OF THE WORST ROADS IN THE NATION WE KNOW THAT THE DAVID GOLDSTEIN HAS FOUND THE CITY'S MILLION DOLLAR STREET PAVER HAS BARELY BEEN USED ON THE STREETS BUT IS BEING USED BY HOMELESS MAN WHO IS LIVING UNDERNEATH OF IT. REPORTER: SHOWS HOW LITTLE IS BEING USED FOR TAXPAYERS FUNDED THE NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART STREET PAVING MACHINE THAT'S ABLE TO RIP UP ASPHALT RECYCLING AND THAN REPAY THE STREET. IT ALL SOUNDS GREAT THAT IS IF IT WAS BEING USED. THIS BRAND-NEW MILLION-DOLLAR PAVING MACHINE CAN FIX SOME OF THE BROKEN STREETS IN LOS ANGELES BUT WE FOUND IT SO RARELY USED A HOMELESS MAN IS NOW LIVING UNDERNEATH IT. A $1.3 MILLION HOUSE WASTED SPACE, WASTED WASTED MONEY. REPORTER: MARTHA WHO DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE HER LAST NAME POINTED OUT THE PAVEMENT PROBLEMS WHERE SHE LIVES ON PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD IN MID-WILSHIRE. THIS BUMP IS AWFUL. REPORTER: SHE AND OTHERS WE TOLD ABOUT THE MILLION-DOLLAR PAVER WONDER WHY THEIR STREET IS STILL IN DISREPAIR WHILE THE PAVING MACHINE IS NOW AT HOME FOR THE HOMELESS. I FEEL BAD. REPORTER: THE MACHINE IS CALLED A COLD RECYCLER. THIS IS WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO DO, REPAVED STREETS RECYCLE THE ASPHALT SAVING THE CITY MONEY. WE OBTAINED THE CITY PURCHASE ORDER WHICH SHOWS TAXPAYERS SHELLED OUT MORE THAN $1.3 MILLION TO BUY IT. SO THE LOGS SHOW IT LOGS SHOW ATLANTIS SERVICE JUNE 16 OF LAST YEAR BUT HAS ONLY BEEN USED 51 HOURS IN THE 10 MONTHS OF THIS APRIL INCLUDING JUST FIVE HOURS THIS YEAR. IT SEEMS THE CITY MAY BE GOING TO GREAT LENGTHS TO KEEP THIS BILLION DOLLAR PIECE OF EQUIPMENT HIDDEN. THEY HAVE TARPS THAT LINE DEFENSE HE CAN'T SEE THROUGH ON THE LOT WHERE IT'S PARKED IN VAN NUYS. THE ONLY WAY YOU KNOW IT'S A CITY LOT IS NO TRESPASSING SIGN WAY UP HIGH BUT EVEN FROM THAT HEIGHT YOU CAN'T SEE THE MACHINE. THE ONLY WAY WE SAW IT WAS FROM SKY TO WITH A HOMELESS MAN WHO APPEARED TO BE WEARING AN ELECTRONIC MONITORING ANKLE BRACELET. WHEN WE SHOWED UP THE NEXT DAY SOMEONE FROM THE CITY WAS UNLOCKING THE GATE. HE WENT IN TO CHECK BUT WOULDN'T LET US FOLLOW. WHEN HE CAME BACK HE SAID HE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING. HOW DOES A HOMELESS GUY SLEEP UNDER $1.3 MILLION PIECE OF EQUIPMENT? I HAVE NO IDEA SIR. REPORTER: IT SEEMS THERE WAS A BIG HOLE IN THE FENCE WHERE SOMEONE COULD GET IN AND SURE ENOUGH LATER THAT AFTERNOON CBS 2 STU MUNDEL HIGH ABOVE IN SKY 2 SAW THE MAN COMING HOME. HE WALKED ACROSS WHAT HAS BECOME HIS FRONT YARD AND DUCTS UNDERNEATH HIS TAXPAYER-FUNDED HOME. WE SHOWED THE VIDEO TO POLITICAL WATCHDOG JACK HUMPHREY WHO CALLED THE PAPER WASTE OF MONEY. WE NEED TO DO THIS AND DO THAT AND PUT TOGETHER A MEMO THAT JUSTIFIES THIS BUT ALL THE ASSUMPTIONS ARE BOGUS. REPORTER: IN HIS STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS LAST MONTH MAYOR GARCETTI TOUTED HIS PAVING PROJECTS. WE HAVE PAID 11,000 MILES OF ROAD. REPORTER: BUT WE SHOWED THEM HIS NEW PAVER. THIS THING COST $1.3 MILLION IT'S BEEN USED FIVE HOURS THIS YEAR, 51 HOURS IT'S BEEN IN SERVICE. IT'S A GOOD USE OF TAXPAYER MONEY? IT WILL PAY FOR ITSELF EVEN AT THIS RATE IMPROVE FOR YEARS. THE MAYOR SAID THE MACHINE WILL REDUCE COSTS AT ABOUT ONE THIRD ONCE A GETS GOING IN RIGHT NOW IT'S STILL IN THE TESTING STAGES OR THAT'S WHAT HE SAYS IS SITTING PRACTICALLY IDOL FOR 10 MONTHS. YOU HAVE TO WONDER WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON. WHY IS IT NOT BEING USED? WHILE THE OLDER MODEL THAT WAS ONLY FOUR HOURS IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. CITY OFFICIALS SAID THAT ONE WAS OBSOLETE BUT IT SEEMS THIS NEW ONE ISN'T MUCH BETTER. PAT: DID YOU GET THE NAME OF THE HOMELESS GENTLEMAN? THE MAYOR SAID HE WAS GOING TO TRY TO WORK WITH SOME TO SEE

Channel: KCAL News

Views: 592,129

Keywords: CBS 2 News Evening, los angeles, paving machine, david goldstein

Id: UK0iG2ajmJA

Length: 4min 27sec (267 seconds)

Published: Wed May 09 2018