A Letter to City Attorney Mike Feuer

Dear Mr. Feuer,

My name is Stephen Padulsky and I am a Los Angeles resident. I am writing to express my extreme disappointment with the unkept roads in this city.

At 10:00am on Monday, February 27th, 2017, I was driving in Hollywood. While merging onto the Hollywood Freeway (101 North) on Cahuenga Blvd East I came across two very large adjacent potholes in the far left lane. Both the traffic and size of the potholes prevented me from rerouting my course and I, like many other cars, had to drive over them. Unfortunately, the impact immediately ruptured my front right tire. At that point I had already merged onto the freeway where I quickly pulled over to the shoulder to prevent further damaging my the axle (please see below image with reference to the location of where I pulled over; before exit 11A Barham Blvd).



Also, as you can see from the below picture, the tire is completely flat.


Fortunately, I have AAA which came within thirty minutes. However, I am now left inconvenienced by having to replace the tire. This is both a financial burden and waste of my time. The initial estimate for the repair is over $200 not including the service. Before moving forward I need to be reassured that I will be fully reimbursed for an easily preventable incident. There are so many potholes throughout this city that continue to cause wear and tear to my tires, fortunately, this is the first time it has caused irreparable damage. However, I would like to know that these potholes will be repaired in a timely manner. They are located in a high traffic area that I’m sure many drivers have experienced similarly scary encounters.As a tax-paying resident, the city has a responsibility to ensure my safety. I trust you as my councilman and therefore, in turn, you should demonstrate that my trust is valid and supported by your commitment to alleviating the burden this incident has caused me. I request that you provide an appropriate form of goodwill gesture to me in the form of full reimbursement for the repair. Many thanks, in advance, for your attention to this matter. I look forward to hearing from you and receiving compensation. I hope this can be resolved as quickly as possible for my sake and to prevent endangering the lives of other unsuspecting drivers.Attached please find an image with my best estimation of the location of the potholes (see purple pin). Unfortunately, I do not have an exact picture as I was unable to pull safely over in that area. But I recall them both being after the light at the Pilgrimage Bridge, approximately 100ft.



I contacted the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services to confirm if this has already been reported, but I haven’t heard back yet. However, according to Twitter, a driver reported a pothole on 2/26 in the same location, which BSS confirmed the location had been reported. I wanted to bring this to your attention as others have been affected.



Please let me know if you need any additional information. I would like to be reimbursed as soon as possible.Sincerely,

Stephen Padulsky
781.439.8236
stephen.padulsky@gmail.com