Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) joined city crews for a highly publicized pothole repair effort on Friday, touting recent progress by announcing that crews had paved 60 miles of streets and filled over 10,000 potholes since devastating storms had battered the region.
She was even spotted filling a pothole with asphalt herself at one point. Because nothing says 'strong leadership' like personally filling one pothole while the city crumbles.
But the photo-op moment didn't quite go exactly according to plan when KTLA reporter Eric Spillman happened upon the scene, pelting her with repeated questions about what she planned to do about the poor condition of the roads in the City of Angels.
Spillman, in a report prior to Bass's arrival, noted that "you don’t have to be a detective to find the potholes, they’re everywhere."
Watch: LA Mayor Bass' Complicity in the Abuse, Trafficking and Death of Dogs on Skid Row Exposed
Spillman interviewed Bass and immediately began demanding answers: "Potholes are an issue now, especially since it has rained and we've seen so many of them, uh, what are you going to do about it?"
The mayor attempted to brag about the work that's been done so far, only for the reporter to point out that the city has thus far fixed a mere fraction of the issue.
"Let me just tell you, we are fixing them," Bass replied, "and in the last three months we've fixed over 10,000 potholes, and in the last couple of weeks, we fixed almost 300."
"So we are gonna continue doing that until all the potholes are fixed."
Spillman pointed out that that means they've got a long, long way to go. And while Bass encouraged Angelinos to call 311 to report potholes, he said he's spoken to people who have done so with absolutely no response from the city.
"Now, we saw you fill a pothole with asphalt here just a few minutes ago, and you're encouraging people to call 311, but guess what? We know people—I work with people—who called 311, nothing happened, the pothole was never repaired," he charged. "They called several times over a couple of months."
That's when Bass began to squirm and clearly get a little testy, reiterating her 10,000 pothole claim and saying roads being in a state of disrepair is a result of a lack of infrastructure funding.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass gets absolutely obliterated on live TV during a pothole filling photo op.
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) February 20, 2026
She attempts to brag about paving 60 miles of Los Angeles streets, when the reporter informs her there are 22,000 miles to pave in Los Angeles.
For those keeping track at home… pic.twitter.com/lVhXIaUL5f
Former Presidents Obama and Biden both sent out ungodly amounts for infrastructure during their terms, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a road in America that isn't falling apart, especially in blue cities like LA. Where did all that money go?
The KTLA reporter then called out Keith Mozee, the StreetsLA General Manager, who had accompanied Bass for her big moment on the street. Mozee apparently bragged that 60 miles of roads would be paved in Los Angeles.
Spillman alleged that not one city street had been paved since last summer.
"I think it was you who was saying or somebody that they're going to pave 60 lane miles of city streets this year," he said, pointing to Mozee. "Well, there's 22,000 lane miles in the city of Los Angeles. So it's a tiny fraction."
Bass responded that the 60 miles (0.27 percent) would be "an accomplishment" and continued to blame others for not investing in infrastructure.
"You're running for reelection, and you've got a challenger," Spillman fired back. "And, you know, they're going to judge you based on what you have done."
It doesn't seem like she's done much. Filling potholes is such an easy thing for a mayor to address to build goodwill with residents, and yet, as KTLA reports, drivers "have not noticed significant improvements despite the city’s repair efforts."
To be fair, Mayor Bass has been very busy this year altering after-action reports on the Palisades fire to make her and the city appear slightly less incompetent in handling that disaster.
The Los Angeles Times confirms what we all suspected from the beginning:
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) February 4, 2026
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass directed the watering down of Palisades fire after-action reports.
She should be headed to prison, not reelection. pic.twitter.com/FofTYpNS4J
Bass faces a steep uphill battle for reelection in 2026 amid persistently low approval ratings hovering in the low-to-mid 30s, with disapproval often exceeding 60 percent. Those numbers are compounded by sharp criticism over her handling of the devastating 2025 wildfires, persistent homelessness, the aforementioned potholes, and a massive city budget shortfall requiring deep cuts.
Aside from that, she's doing a great job.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member