She should know. Several years ago Hernandez, whose family owns the Saratoga Oaks Lodge on Big Basin Way, twisted her ankle on the sidewalk in front of the lodge. So did several guests.

"It's not pedestrian-friendly," she said.

For two years the city has been trying to solve the problem of badly maintained sidewalks in the Saratoga Village. The problem is, they are owned by Caltrans.

John Cherbone, the city's public works director, said Caltrans does a few repairs now and then. "I guess it's not a priority for them," he said.

The city has tried to take over the right of way for the Village sidewalks so that its crews can maintain them. It's been a roller coaster ride.

A cooperative agreement was signed two years ago with Caltrans stating that the state agency would provide $741,000 to the city for sidewalk repairs once they were relinquished to the city.

Soon after, the state ran into budget problems and decided to withhold approving relinquishment projects if funding was required.

Things have changed again recently.

"There is fresh hope now. The state has released the Proposition 42 funds that are meant for transportation issues," Cherbone said. "The funding might come through this year but the state Legislature still has to approve it."

At a meeting on June 15, the city council approved an extension of a cooperative agreement with the state for the relinquishment of the Village sidewalks to the city. The existing agreement ends on June 30.

Cherbone said that the sidewalks need extensive repairs.

"According to a recent project, they're not up to current standards when it comes to safety or ADA guidelines. We cannot accept them in the condition they are in. There are countless tripping hazards," he said.

Cherbone said that he was confident that the city would be able to do a better job.

"Caltrans has thousands of miles of freeways to look after. It is almost an aberration that they are in charge of the sidewalks," he said. The sidewalks in the Village add up to less than a mile.

Stephen Howard, who owns the Village Jeweler on Big Basin Way, said that things were much worse in the 1980s.

"Caltrans redid the street about 17 years ago. They also dug up the sidewalks and repaired them," he said. "They had really deteriorated. There were a lot of holes in them."

Hernandez said that the problem had been compounded by the planting of trees that damage the surrounding areas.

"The city should be careful while planting trees. A lot of the trees planted have grown roots that are damaging the sidewalks," she said.

"The Village is also not well-lighted but it still is a pleasant place," she added.

Howard said that the area in front of his store is just fine.

"I make sure I don't trip over anything. I'm from Detroit. You don't know what bad sidewalks are if you haven't been in Detroit," he said.