With all the concern about West Nile virus in Southern California, I would think the powers that be would make it easier to report standing water. My husband, a swimming pool technician, services a pool in Northridge. Next door to his client is a green pool, clearly unserviced by any professional, with stagnant water that provides a breeding medium for mosquito larvae. He tried calling the county health department and encountered only a willingness to receive reports on dead birds.
He called Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's office and was given a phone number that was never answered. He went online to the health department website and was only able to report standing water near our home, which is inappropriate, as we do not live in that neighborhood. He gave up, asked the client to report it and slathers on the DEET insect repellent whenever he goes to service his client's pool. Surely our local government can do better than this. Pool techs can be a first line of defense; someone should make it easier for them to do some defending.
