Los Angeles making intense effort to fill potholes left behind by stormy winter, Bass says

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Weeks after Los Angeles and the rest of Southern California experienced a historic string of storms, many of the potholes left behind are still here.

On just one street in the Mission Hills neighborhood, crews have repaired at least 14 potholes since January.

Crews in Los Angeles and the surrounding counties have been working as hard as they can to fix the overwhelming problem.

Even with the effort, potholes remain. The L.A. Bureau of Street Services has said they are trying to hire more workers to help repair the city's roadways.

Also, Mayor Karen Bass at a press conference Thursday said the city of Los Angeles is responding to the intense storms with an intense response.

"City workers are pulling out all the stops, but not to just prepare for every pothole that is reported, but also to be proactive," said Bass. "That means driving around the city, throughout this district and all others, to assess the conditions of our streets and identify and repair the damage right away."

The LA Bureau of Street Services is trying to hire more workers as part of what Mayor Bass calls an "intense, proactive" response to potholes.

According to the maintenance division manager at the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services, the unprecedented amount of rain has been the leading cause of potholes all over the city.

"Rain is one of asphalt's worst enemies. So what happens is it just gets into the cracks and it begins breaking down the material, thus forming puddles," said Michael Cox, the maintenance division manager at the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services.

According to Cox, the Bureau of Street Services has received 19,279 requests since December to fix potholes throughout the city. As of this week, they've repaired 17,132.

And, on a larger scale, Caltrans says they have repaired more than 8,000 potholes since the beginning of this year.

If you see a pothole, you can call 311 to make a service request. And if you're one of the unlucky ones with a flat tire or worse, take pictures of the damage and the pothole, then file a claim with the Los Angeles city attorney by calling (213)978-1133.