LOS ANGELES — The Terminator has become the Tar-minator.
Arnold Schwarzenegger took matters into his own hands on Tuesday, helping to fix a pothole in his Los Angeles neighborhood, KABC-TV reported. The streets in Brentwood had become damaged from the unseasonably torrential rains that pelted Southern California, leaving crews far behind in their efforts to patch up the roads.
The actor and former governor of California grabbed a shovel to fill in the hole and shared a video on social media showing his crew using their equipment and supplies to repair the mottled highway.
“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,” Schwarzenegger tweeted. “I always say, let’s not complain, let’s do something about it. Here you go.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said last week that the city will attempt to identify and patch up more than 19,000 potholes across the city, KTTV reported.
“City staff are pulling out all the stops, but not just to prepare every pothole that’s reported, but also to be proactive,” Bass said last week, according to the television station. “That means driving across the city throughout this district and all others to assess the conditions of our streets, identify and repair damage right away.”
That was last week. When the road in Schwarzenegger’s neighborhood still was not fixed, he took the initiative.
“You’re welcome,” he said to a woman driving by in a vehicle who thanked him. “You have to do it yourself. I mean, this is crazy. For three weeks I’ve been waiting for this hole to be closed.”
Daniel Ketchell, a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger, told The Associated Press that residents had made repeated requests for repairs.
Since Dec. 30, Los Angeles has received 19,692 service requests for repairs, according to the news organization. As of Thursday, crews had filled at least 17,549 potholes.
Schwarzenegger and his crew filled one. And if another one should form, it is a good bet that Schwarzenegger will be back.