Los Angeles Schools Falling Apart, Literally

The dilapidated bleachers at Marshall High School in Silver Lake have been in such a sorry state for so long, I stopped noticing until recently, when I saw a grandfather teeter as he stepped over a sinkhole in the floorboards.

That made me really look around, as my daughter played in a city recreation league basketball game. It wasn't pretty.

I saw jutting metal stumps where seats used to be. Entire rows of seats were missing, traffic cones and yellow caution tape were used to cordon off particularly dangerous sections, and a folding chair was planted over a hole to keep people from tumbling into it.

Why do deplorable conditions like this exist, in one of L.A. Unified's most highly regarded high schools, for years on end?