Public Works panel: pothole repairs now averaging 5–7 business days after staffing cuts
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Summary
Bureau of Street Services told the Public Works Committee that pothole repairs now take about 5–7 business days after staffing and budget cuts doubled prior response times; the bureau said emergency staffing and funds reduced backlogs after recent storms.
The Los Angeles City Public Works Committee heard Tuesday that pothole repairs in the city are taking an average of 5 to 7 business days, up from about three days two fiscal years ago, as the Bureau of Street Services struggles with staffing and budget reductions.
Angelo Logenco of the Bureau of Street Services said small asphalt repairs are driven by MyLA311 service requests and "based on the current resources that we've been provided in this fiscal year, potholes are repaired, between 5 to 7 business days." He and operations manager Eric Gonzalez described an inspection-led process that closes requests as 'pending' and then 'closed' after in-house crews complete repairs.
The change in response time follows what bureau staff described as significant reductions in capacity. Logenco told the committee the bureau's funding and staffing have fallen since fiscal year 2023–24; presentation slides cited a roughly 26% decrease over two years and fewer crews and trucks. Committee members pressed the bureau on metrics and prioritization.
Gonzalez said a three-day target remains a benchmark but that weather, high volumes and logistics affect results. He said supervisor inspections reduce unnecessary truck dispatches and that the bureau currently averages about 13 pothole trucks per day, roughly half historical levels. To address storm-driven surges, the bureau said crews worked seven days a week and used emergency funding to make roughly 4,238 actual repairs during the recent storm surge while receiving 4,178 service requests; as of the presentation the bureau reported about 430 open and 766 pending repairs.
Councilmember Hutt noted a prior motion she introduced to ask the City Administrative Officer, the City Attorney and the bureau to study the feasibility of authorizing city departments to sell goods they produce, including asphalt, and to report on whether proprietary departments could be required to use city-produced asphalt. Bureau staff said the proposal requires coordination with the CAO and City Attorney and that they would follow up.
The committee did not take formal action on Item 1; the discussion will inform budget deliberations at a later meeting.