See more of our coverage in your search results.

Karen Bass’ wannabe viral pothole moment — à la Zohran Mamdani — went bust.

The Los Angeles mayor tried to recreate the viral pothole moment of New York’s socialist mayor after Emmy-nominated journalist and comedy creator Simone Boyce spotted a crater at Melrose and Gardner Street and asked Bass to “Mamdani” it.

Bass eagerly took the bait, “Simone Boyce we got you!” she posted on X.

The setup was almost too perfect for social media. Boyce found the pothole, Bass promised to fix it and LA city crews rolled in — eager to fill the niusance.

Instead, they discovered a parked car sitting squarely on the pothole they came to fix.

California’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

Please provide a valid email.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Never miss a story

“So we couldn’t repair the pothole,” Bass said in a video posted to social media. “So you know what we did? We put up no parking signs so that hopefully there won’t be anybody parked here tomorrow morning.”

LA’s answer to Mamdani’s viral moment was come back tomorrow.

The good news, however, was the pesky car sitting on top of the pothole was eventually moved and the pothole was fixed the next day. Boyce posted a followup video thanking Bass, and stressed the importance of calling things out.

LA’s answer to Mamdani’s viral moment was come back tomorrow.

Mamdani, New York City’s mayor, became a viral sensation after a resident tagged him in a TikTok about local potholes, prompting city crews to make a same-day repair.

Los Angeles drivers frequently complain about road conditions, especially after heavy rain storms.

Severe budget constraints have forced the city’s Bureau of Street Services, known as StreetsLA, to largely abandon full road-repaving projects in favor of temporary “spot-treating” and patching individual potholes.

Under the current approach, a majority of LA’s 22,000 lane miles face structural failure.

Bass has repeatedly ordered emergency resource surges during peak storm seasons.

Public works crews have worked extended seven-day-a-week shifts, patching more than 10,000 potholes during concentrated three-month blitzes.

Officials acknowledge, however, that they are fighting an uphill battle against decades of deferred infrastructure investment.