L.A. Courthouses Crumble With ‘Run to Failure’ Maintenance

Water valves burst at the Compton Courthouse in Los Angeles on New Year’s weekend 2024, quietly flooding the elevators, stairwells, and a jury room.

The flood forced the courthouse shut for days as crews scrambled to repair the pipes and clean the almost 50-year-old facility that houses 31 courtrooms.

Roughly 100 court patrons stood outside the building, waiting for court staff with master calendars on clipboards to tell them what to do after the floods were discovered, according to Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles attorney Brianna Aguet. Judges, attorneys, clerks, and bailiffs sat at tables around the building’s entrance, ...