Compton residents filling in potholes ordered to stop by city

COMPTON, Calif. - A Compton couple who started filling in potholes on their own is now being ordered to stop.

Alex and Daisy De La Rosa were tired of all the damage these road hazards have caused their vehicles, and decided to take matters into their own hands after they said the city didn't respond to their multiple requests. But now, the city has served the De La Rosas with a cease and desist notice, asking them to stop.

"We were expecting more of a ‘thank you,’" said Daisy De La Rosa. 

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The city has told FOX 11 that the recent rains combined with post-COVID staffing shortages have made it difficult to fill potholes. But in their letter to the De La Rosas, the city said the couple's actions, "pose a threat to public safety and the integrity of our city's infrastructure."

The couple had been raising money to fund the endeavor. A GoFundMe campaign raised more than $1,100, with other Compton residents saying the potholes are a persistent issue.

"They've been around," one resident told FOX 11. "All they do is they have a crew that comes around and [patches] a couple up, but it's constant they still come right back."

Another resident called the cease and desist the De La Rosas received "horrible, because they're actually doing something for the community. They're not doing anything bad."

While the city's letter threatens legal action if the De La Rosas continue filling in the potholes, Alex De La Rosa says he thinks the couple will continue.

"If you don't have the money to pay for workers, they could have just said that, and the community could have come together," said Daisy De La Rosa. "There's beautification days, why not a fill in potholes day? But instead they decided to try to stop us and keep us quiet."