“Paul Zwerdling, an accountant and attorney whose father used to be a schoolteacher in South-Central, has been trying to help them (the doctor and nurse who founded the clinic) with the banks and bureaucrats, particularly with some of the knuckleheads at City Hall.

Construction cost estimates have risen while they await city approval. Zwerdling became convinced Hannah and Singleton needed to make a few hefty campaign donations in order to get things moving.

But even if they were so inclined, they’re tapped out after sinking every penny into the clinic and maxing out credit cards.

“The city says 50% of the wall space has to be windows,” Zwerdling complains — a bonehead requirement that will drive up the cost of the new building and make things a little awkward for patients. “You’ll have women up in stirrups in front of a big picture window.”

The neighborhood is full of eyesores and code violations, Hannah and Zwerdling point out, including burned-out buildings that sit untouched. So why would city officials become sticklers for aesthetic detail and make life all the more difficult for people trying to do good work?”