‘I kind of cringed’: Sandbag-filled pothole in La Jolla Shores causes confusion
Someone used sandbags to fill a deep hole on La Jolla Shores Drive, but who? The city of San Diego denies involvement.
A “repair” on La Jolla Shores Drive following a Get It Done report has some people scratching their heads, including representatives of the city of San Diego.
Earlier this month, a deep pothole on the north side of La Jolla Shores Drive near Downwind Way was filled with sandbags after resident Dan Goese reported it May 18 on the city’s app for submitting repair needs. Goese then received an email from the Get It Done program indicating that city crews had resolved the issue.
The city is denying involvement with the sandbags.
When Goese saw the sandbag-filled pothole, “I kind of cringed a bit, honestly,” he said. “It was ridiculous.”
Goese reported the hole after seeing drivers struggle to park their cars over it. One woman in particular seemed distressed, and Goese went to help her.
“I saw the rut and couldn’t believe the city hadn’t done anything,” he said. “I reported it because I have used the Get It Done app before and have been happy with it. It would be anywhere from weeks to months before I would see anything, but most of the reports I filed led to something getting done. I appreciate that.”
In addition to his concern for the cars, he said someone getting out of a car or crossing the street could step in the deep hole and “break an ankle or worse.”
The city of San Diego plans a 12- to 15-month water main replacement on the street beginning next spring, following SDG&E’s work to place power lines underground. The street is to be completely repaved after the city project is completed.
Almost a month went by after he reported it, and on June 12, Goese received a Get It Done notification stating that “city crews recently resolved the issue or conducted the necessary repairs as reported in your inquiry.”
He said the response seemed “a little faster than usual,” and he understood why when he went to the site.
“It doesn’t take long to put two bags of sand on the side of the street,” he said. “I wondered who would do that. I do some pretty crazy fixes around the house … so I’m OK with a lot of patchwork fixes. But this one is embarrassing.”
He reported the “fix” to the city via email.
One city representative said the sandbags were not the city’s doing but rather “some well-meaning person … attempting to help the situation.” The representative also committed to having the city’s Street Division make repairs as soon as possible.
Whether the new succulents can stay is still to be determined, a city of San Diego spokesman says.
City spokesman Anthony Santacroce also said the work was not done by the city. “We did not place sandbags in that pothole,” he said.
Santacroce said city staff would be there June 23 “for inspection and patching of that pothole.”
However, Goese contended that “if Get It Done is making a regular practice of closing cases and sending ‘resolved’ emails before the work is done, I think it is fair to say they are causing unnecessary confusion and work for everyone involved.”
City representatives did not respond to that comment or explain why Goese received the email saying the issue was resolved.
A city website associated with the Get It Done app has a “How long do problems take to be resolved?” timeline on its Frequently Asked Questions page. It indicates potholes typically take about 19 days to be fixed. Learn more at getitdone.sandiego.gov. ◆
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