Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
NPR News

Tired of waiting, Arnold Schwarzenegger fills a pothole in his LA neighborhood

This video still image provided by Arnold Schwarzenegger's office, shows the former California governor (center back) repairing a pothole on a street in his Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday.
This video still image provided by Arnold Schwarzenegger's office, shows the former California governor (center back) repairing a pothole on a street in his Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday.
(
The Office of Arnold Schwarzenegger via AP
)

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

LOS ANGELES — Fed up by an enormous pothole in his Los Angeles neighborhood, Arnold Schwarzenegger picked up a shovel and filled it himself.

The actor and former California governor tweeted a video Tuesday of him and a helper using packaged concrete to repair the road in the Brentwood area.

"Today, after the whole neighborhood has been upset about this giant pothole that's been screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks, I went out with my team and fixed it," he wrote on Twitter. "I always say, let's not complain, let's do something about it. Here you go."

A neighbor rolled down her car window and shouted her thanks at the action movie star.

"You're welcome," said Schwarzenegger, decked out in work boots, a leather jacket and shades reminiscent of his role in "Terminator."

"You have to do it yourself. This is crazy. For three weeks I've been waiting for this hole to be closed," he said.

Daniel Ketchell, a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger, said Brentwood residents made repeated requests for repairs since winter storms opened up potholes and cracks on local roads.

Sponsored message

Mayor Karen Bass last week announced a plan to address what she called an unprecedented number of damaged streets across the city. Since Dec. 30, Los Angeles has received 19,692 service requests for repairs, and as of April 6, crews had filled at least 17,549 potholes, officials said.

The Department of Public Works did not immediately respond to an email asking whether the pothole Schwarzenegger filled had been scheduled to be repaired.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right