Pothole problem is target of mayor's Neighborhood Blitz plan

SHERMAN OAKS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Drivers complain about them all the time - potholes slowing traffic and damaging vehicles. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti launched a new program on Monday to smooth out streets across the city.

As part of the mayor's Neighborhood Blitz operation, a city pothole repair truck will be dispatched to every neighborhood in the city twice over the next year.

"We've been asking them to do Band-Aid repairs to a body that has been sick. For 70 years, we've neglected our streets," said Garcetti.

As an AAA driver, Farooq Hasan sees a lot of L.A.'s streets and knows a lot about the problems they cause.

"They're putting those iron metals on it, and the iron metals are sticking out. After a period of time, when the cars turn, it's just flat after flat after flat," Hasan described.

Former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had a similar project during his tenure with a goal to fix 15,000 potholes. Garcetti has not attached an exact number to his plan, choosing instead to focus more on specific areas and neighborhoods. He says his plan will be proactive, not reactive.

"One mayor can only do so much. Even 35,000 city employees are limited, but 4 million people out there saying, this needs to be fixed, we won't let one thing go by," said Garcetti.

The issue of potholes is not new. In fact, the problem is so concerning that Los Angeles City Coucilman Joe Buscaino has proposed a $3 billion bond measure to fix the problem, which would be the largest public works project in the country.

Garcetti said he's aiming to get potholes fixed within 48 hours after a complaint is filed. You can report a pothole to your neighborhood representative, or you can download the city's free MyLA 311 app.

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