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Upland council endorses staff response to county grand jury pothole report; council members criticize report's tone
Summary
The council authorized the city manager to sign a written response to the 2024 county grand jury report 'When is a Pothole a Pothole?' after staff said many recommendations had already been addressed and council members argued the report mischaracterized local practices.
The Upland City Council voted to approve the city's response to the 2024 county grand jury report titled "When is a Pothole a Pothole?" and authorized the city manager to sign the reply.
Assistant City Attorney Thomas Rice told the council the grand jury issued the report on Dec. 13, 2024, and the city has 90 days to respond. Rice said the city had already taken several steps the report recommended by increasing its contract with a third‑party vendor that can perform hot‑mix repairs and by refining staffing for pothole remediation.
"By the time a report was issued, the city had already changed how it approached potholes," Rice said, adding staff would review the city's Noble reporting system to determine whether user error or process issues were limiting accurate location tagging and photo attachments on citizen reports.
Council Member Reitling strongly criticized the grand jury's findings. "There were many flaws in the grand jury report, and a lot of the tone of it seemed to undermine the diligent work that we do here in Upland," Reitling said. Reitling disputed characterization of response times and training methods, arguing that field‑based, hands‑on training and use of cold mix for emergency repairs are standard municipal practices.
Other council members also defended public works staff. The mayor and Council Member Rudy cited resident reports that potholes had often been addressed within hours in specific instances, and noted public works' expanded contractual capacity and tree‑storm response as examples of proactive service.
Rice said public works will continue to use cold mix in emergency situations but noted the third‑party contract enables more use of hot mix and standardized training protocols. Staff recommended the council sign the proposed written response documenting actions taken and planned follow-up.
Mayor Pro Tem moved to approve the response letter and authorize the city manager to sign; the motion was seconded by Council Member Garcia and passed on a council vote.
