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This is the only place in the world where the pavements consist exclusively of holes with asphalt around them. And they are the most economical in the world, because holes never get out of repair.
- Mark Twain, October 1907

City of Petaluma - Report Pothole Form

Operation 'Good News' in effect
New sign appears on Petaluma highway
      

GAME - Find the Pothole
Online video game courtesy of CalTrans

Report: Highway Conditions and Spending in CA
See page 5 of this report

Pavement Management Systems
A pavement management system (PMS) is a decision making process or system that helps public works personnel make cost-effective decisions concerning the maintenance and rehabilitation of their jurisdiction's pavements for which they are responsible in a systematic way.

Street Fighters Unite!
Petaluma has failed to adequately maintain its city streets for a number of years and this is impacting our daily lives.

Potholes and Politics
How Congress can fix your roads

California Commuters Alliance
This is the gathering place for auto commuters, truckers, delivery drivers, business owners, salespeople, busy parents, public transit commuters and taxpayers of every description who are fed up with congestion and the condition of our roads and highways.

How Potholes are Repaired

CountyWide Transportation
As a collaborative agency of the cities and County of Sonoma, we work together to maintain and improve our transportation network.

City of Petaluma
Petaluma Chamber of Commerce

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Press Democrat
CHIP MCAULEY
7/3/2002
An activist aircraft hauling a banner with the slogan "Petaluma, Pothole Capital of California," has accentuated Petaluma's decomposing streets and rankled at least one city councilmember. The flight began in Oakland and took place from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday morning.

Pierre Miremont, owner of Architectural Plastics and a one time candidate for City Council, was identified by City Councilmember Matt Maguire as the person responsible for the activist escapade.

Miremont said he staged the fly-by because the City Council is not addressing the basic infrastructure needs of the city and that he has been getting an overwhelmingly positive response.

"They're not paying any attention to getting the job done," he said. "They're avoiding the issue." The streets are falling apart, said Miremont, a firm commitment from the council is needed, he said, to immediately fund street repair.

"This is not rocket science," he said.

Miremont said he sees the fly-over as a First Amendment issue.

While Miremont bemoans the state of city streets, Councilmember Matt Maguire has called him on the carpet for disturbing the peace. Maguire called the demonstration an "infantile manner to address the potholes." He suggested that Miremont could have instead put the $500 to $1,000 he paid for the plane flight into filling a pothole or two.

An angered Maguire said that the plane flight repeatedly disrupted conversations and that he was on the verge of having the pilot arrested. He did, in fact, call the police department and the Petaluma Municipal Airport and American AirLytes in Oakland before eventually getting to the bottom of the situation. Eventually, he had a conversation with Miremont.

Maguire asserts that the council is paying attention to a 50-year road problem that will not be resolved overnight.

"He's trying to make a First Amendment issue out of this. It's not," said Maguire, a long-time member of the American Civil Liberties Union. "If his banner said Maguire is a god, I would still have gone after his pilot for disturbing the peace."

Miremont remained defiant.

"I won't be shut down," he said. Miremont has also been attempting to rent space to have a political cartoon put on the back on some city buses since April to no avail.

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