Pothole Repairs Finished, Mayor Says

The huge city trucks resurfacing Valley Vista Boulevard were grinding away early Monday morning, making lots of noise while they were flattening out a part of the street that was full of potholes.

"I apologize to residents here for the disturbance," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to a crowd that included reporters, residents and officials from Sherman Oaks neighborhood groups.

"We have now completed all 57 miles of resurfacing in the San Fernando Valley that we pledged to complete," Villaraigosa said. "We're taking care of the streets that people here depend on every single day."

City Councilman Paul Koretz, who was at the news conference, said, "Valley Vista is one of the most heavily traveled streets in Sherman Oaks. It was desperately in need of repair."

Villaraigosa told the crowd that money to pay for the resurfacing came from economic stimulus funds approved by President Barack Obama.

Pointing to the group of workers, who had stopped to listen to the mayor and were standing next to their trucks, Villaraigosa said, "Look at these folks. Stimulus funding clearly works to create jobs. We need to do more of this, especially now that the recession is beginning to look like a depression in some places."

Dr. Robert Cohen, president of the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce, said the resurfacing was important for the local economy.

"I'd like to thank the mayor for his tireless effort in going to Sacramento and Washington to get financial help for this badly needed resurfacing," Cohen said.

Villaraigosa also acknowledged Jules Feir, the man who is known as the "unofficial mayor of Sherman Oaks." Feir has been involved in community projects to plant trees on Ventura Boulevard and clean up city streets.

"We have an awful lot of happy people here today," Feir said. Some of these people have been dealing with these potholes for 30 years."

In fact, Sherman Oaks residents had identified potholes and buckled sidewalks as the No. 1 problem in town. The Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council had vowed to get the worst potholes fixed.

Many still unrepaired potholes are on smaller streets that were not on the city's list for resurfacing.

The worst pothole in the neighborhood, according to local officials, is in the 15100 block of Raynetta Drive in the Sherman Oaks hills. It has not been repaired, nor have 10 others on streets that were identified by residents as needing attention.

"I'm still waiting," said Elsie Cedar, who lives on Raynetta. "It's hard to walk down the hill because the street is so dangerous."