Couple goes extra mile to help drivers in Compton by filling potholes themselves
The couple filled their first pothole a few days ago and have since filled nearly a dozen.
COMPTON, Calif. (KABC) -- A couple in Compton is going the extra mile to help residents by fixing potholes across the city, all on their own.
Alex and Daisy De La Rosa live and work as couriers in the city - Daisy drives and Alex makes the deliveries. After several flat tires, suspension problems, and a few arguments, the couple decided to do something about all the pesky potholes.
"He first started off within our block in front of our home and we've seen that it got better," said Daisy. "So he's all like, 'Let's do it.' I'm like, 'But we don't have that much money.' He's like 'It doesn't matter. One pothole at a time.'"
The couple filled their first pothole a few days ago and has since filled nearly a dozen. Their selfless work has been receiving a lot of attention on social media.
Daisy said people have been making requests for the couple to fix potholes on their streets and have even donated about $200 to their cause so far.
"I'm tired," said Alex when asked why he's doing the work. "I already changed two sets of tires. My suspension got broken, so I'm tired."
Some residents have even stepped in to help Alex and Daisy. Gabriel Magallanes said he heard about what they were doing and where they would be next on Facebook and decided to join.
He said it's important to fill the potholes for the protection of his family and his community, saying there have many accidents due to cars swerving around them.
Alex and Daisy said blacktop repair bags cost about $17 each. They said as long as they keep receiving donations, they will be out filling potholes throughout the city.
Meanwhile, the city of Compton issued the following statement:
"The City of Compton is aware of the recent reports regarding residents taking it upon themselves to fill potholes within our community. We understand the frustration felt by our residents and share their concerns regarding the state of our roads.
Although the pothole issue is prominent in our city, we also acknowledge that multiple cities in LA County are facing similar challenges especially in this recent wet season. While we budget for street repairs annually, our Public Works Department is currently critically understaffed and efforts are underway to recruit the vacant positions. Through these staffing shortages, the City's Street Division team is still actively working to infill potholes on a monthly basis.
Rest assured, addressing infrastructure issues remains a top priority for the City of Compton. We stress the importance of safety and urge residents to continue reporting road concerns by downloading the City of Compton's official app to inform the City of the pothole's exact location."
