A Los Angeles resident expressed disbelief and amusement after a pothole repair outside his home, which took over 15 months to complete, resulted in a comically sloppy job with excess asphalt spilling onto the sidewalk and fracturing tiles. The incident, documented by the resident on Reddit, occurred just days after Mayor Karen Bass faced public criticism for a video showcasing her administration's approach to street repairs.
The resident initially reported the pothole on May 9, 2025. More than 14 months later, he was alerted by the sound of an asphalt truck. City workers reportedly completed the task in approximately 30 minutes. Upon inspection, the resident found asphalt unevenly spread, covering a large area of the street and encroaching on the sidewalk. Photos shared online revealed a significant gap in the new asphalt, exposing unpaved ground.
This latest complaint follows criticism of Mayor Bass's handling of street repairs. The mayor recently posted a video on Instagram addressing a pothole complaint, referencing a New York City official's social media-based response strategy. In her video, Bass explained that crews could not repair a specific pothole because a car was parked over it, and she stated a temporary "No Parking" sign would be placed to facilitate a future repair.
The mayor's video was met with widespread mockery in the comments section, with users questioning why the pothole was not fixed before the filming or why city crews did not return the next day. Many also expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of calling 311 for city service requests.
Financially, the City of Los Angeles allocated $89.2 million for pavement preservation in fiscal year 2025, out of the Bureau of Street Services' total budget of $208 million. This pavement preservation funding represented about 43 percent of the bureau's budget. Nithya Raman, a mayoral candidate challenging incumbent Mayor Bass, recently stated that the city is only operating 12 of its 28 pothole repair trucks, citing a $1 billion budget deficit that hinders the city's ability to hire sufficient staff.
While the average cost to repair a single pothole in Los Angeles is not publicly reported, the Bureau of Street Services repaired 71,865 potholes in fiscal year 2025. If the entire $89.2 million pavement preservation budget were dedicated solely to pothole repairs—which is not the case—the average cost per pothole could exceed $620, even before accounting for operational expenses like salaries and equipment.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Mayor Bass's office for comment on the botched repair and the average cost of pothole fixes in the city.