Arnold Schwarzenegger kicks asphalt, takes on pesky L.A. potholes. City says one was a service trench
Brentwood residents saw a familiar face shoveling asphalt repair mix into a hole in the street on Tuesday: Arnold Schwarzenegger. But what he thought was a pothole, it turns out, may have actually been a service trench for gas line repairs.
The frustrated former governor and movie star took to the streets with a shovel, a bucket and a “do it yourself” attitude after he said he’d waited three weeks for the city to repair his local road.
“Today, after the whole neighborhood has been upset about this giant pothole that’s been screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks, I went out with my team and fixed it,” Schwarzenegger said in a tweet. “I always say, let’s not complain, let’s do something about it. Here you go.”
Schwarzenegger filled what he thought were two separate potholes on Mandeville Canyon Road, spokesperson Daniel Ketchell said.
“Arnold was getting upset because of all the complaints he continued to hear from other people in the neighborhood,” Ketchell said.
Rain breeds potholes in aging roads around Southern California. You can file a claim for damage your car incurs, but reimbursement is not guaranteed.
At least one of the holes was a service trench meant to be used for permitted work by Southern California Gas Co., the Los Angeles Department of Public Works said.
SoCalGas crews completed an upgrade on a pipeline at the end of January and “applied temporary paving over the excavation,” the utility company said in a statement.
Typically, SoCalGas applies permanent paving within about 30 days of the project completion, but the schedule was delayed due to the rain, according to the statement, which said paving should be complete by the end of the week.
Schwarzenegger intended to fix a problem he saw in his neighborhood, Ketchell said, but if his actions brought attention to needed road repairs then that’s a positive development.
Schwarzenegger “isn’t attacking any city officials. He knows how much work Mayor Karen Bass has,” Ketchell said. “This is more of a reminder that these things can be done quickly.”
An onslaught of atmospheric rivers hit California this winter, exposing the delicate balance of the systems that provide critical water and can prompt dangerous floods.
Last week, Los Angeles officials acknowledged a “tremendous surge” in road repair requests following excessive rain.
Los Angeles has received 19,642 pothole repair service requests since December, according to Bureau of Street Services General Manager Keith Mozee.
The city anticipates completing all pothole repair work by the end of April, he said.
Schwarzenegger, 75, ended his term as a Republican governor in 2011. A former professional bodybuilder, he writes a daily fitness newsletter called “the Pump Club.”
Is there abandoned furniture on your block? Pothole driving you nuts on your commute? Use Shape Your L.A. to learn how to get your city government to address everyday issues.
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