We've previously reported about the lack of serious pavement rehabilitation work by the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services, at the same time a proposal is floating around City Hall to sell asphalt from city-owned plants on the commercial market.

The "why" behind the lack of pavement work was revealed with exceptional clarity in a deep-dive City Journal report, "Why Los Angeles Quietly Stopped Repaving," which can be accessed HERE. The report is in alignment with an investigative report that appeared back in 2014 in CalAPA's "California Asphalt" magazine about how lawyers are rolling over engineers when it comes to pavement preservation. That cover story is HERE.

The timing couldn't be worse for besieged Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who has been stung by city budget woes and much-criticized glacial response to wildfires that rampaged through the city. Now comes news that one of Bass's longtime supporters, Councilwoman Nithya Raman, has announced she will challenge Bass for re-election as Los Angeles Mayor, joining dozens of other candidates that could make the race a real scrum.

A columnist for the Los Angeles Times, Steve Lopez, recently described the City of Angeles as a city of "high hopes and low expectations." Voters ultimately will have the final say on how their city is run, who runs it, and if the city can deliver on basic services like fixing its roads.

A previous Asphalt Insider article on the City of Los Angeles and asphalt is HERE.

Stop us if you've heard this one before: Congress passed, and the president signed, a law to keep the government paying its bills temporarily while Beltway factions regroup for more battles in the weeks and months ahead.

The action last week, which has been repeated too many times to count over the past several years, may portend trouble for the heavy lift looming later this year: reauthorizaiton of the multi-year surface transportation act that pays for road and bridge construction and rehabilitation.

Several factors may be complicating matters. First, Congress is practically divided 50-50, which gives the majority Republicans zero margin for error if they attempt to move a major spending package through Congress. Also of concern: This is an election year, and all members of the House of Representatives who have not already announced their intention to leave Congress will face voters. In midterm elections the races should be hotly contested and ultimately determine which party will control Congress in 2027.

The question is pretty obvious: If Congress can't conduct routine business, like paying the government's bills, how can it move a complex transportation bill that will have implications for decades?

For the asphalt pavement industry, paying close attention to all of the above will be paramount in 2026 to protect the long-term health and prosperity of the industry.

The California Asphalt Conference & Expo, set to take place March 10-11 in Pomona, will feature a presentation by Mitch Baldwin, Director of Government Affairs for the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), a CalAPA partner, to break down the latest developments on the federal transportation funding front and other issues of interest to the industry. CalAPA and other state asphalt pavement associations pay into pooled funds that help support Washington lobbying efforts, and CalAPA members have generously supported the federal NAPA Political Action Committee fund, which recorded a record haul this past year in gearing up for this important election cycle.

To learn more about the California Asphalt Conference & Expo, click HERE. To learn more about CalAPA's advocacy program, click HERE. To support the federal NAPA Political Action Committee click HERE.

The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) has released the full list of its Operational Excellence awards, which were handed out earlier this month at the NAPA Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, AZ. The list is HERE.

In addition to the recognition achieved by CalAPA member Reed Family Companies, which was reported in last week's Asphalt Insider HERE, other CalAPA member companies were recognized, including Sully-Miller/Blue Diamond Materials and a CRH company.

“NAPA members redefine excellence far beyond crafting superior asphalt pavements,” said 2025 NAPA Chairman Pat Nelson in a press release. “The Operational Excellence Awards celebrate a company’s resolute commitment to transformative practices that position them as exemplary contractors, influential industry leaders, and vital community partners.”

Additional information about the NAPA awards program can be found HERE.

What does asphalt have to do with the Winter Olympics this year? We'll get to that in a moment, but first some background.

One of the brightest stars and compelling storylines of the Winter Olympics going on right now in Italy is that of downhill skier Lindsey Vonn. The celebrated skier and Olympic Gold Medalist came out of retirement to take one more shot at gold for the United States despite recovering from a serious knee injury. While the world watched, Vonn was rocketing down the slope at freeway speeds over the weekend when she clipped a flag, wiped out and needed to be flown by air ambulance to a local hospital. News reports are that she is in stable condition, and was even reportedly cheering on a teammate during the helicopter ride to the hospital. Her teammate, Breezy Johnson, took the gold in the downhill.

Those in the asphalt industry may recall that Vonn was a featured speaker at the National Asphalt Pavement Association Annual Meeting Feb. 6, 2023 in Florida. She spoke of the special kind of grit, mental toughness and courage it takes to compete at such a high level for so long. Those who were there know that she was not boasting, but rather was asked to explain her personal journey and what it takes to ascend to the top of the podium, and stay there. She was humble and yet inspiring with her quiet confidence.

Matthew Futterman, an author and senior reporter for The New York Times sports publication "The Athletic" had perhaps the best coverage of Vonn's inspiring Olympic run this year, and the gut-wrenching ending, when he wrote:

"For more than two decades, no one skied harder, more aggressively or more fearlessly than Vonn. It was her superpower. It turned her into the greatest speed skier in the sport’s history, but it also led to a series of jarring crashes that ultimately ended her career six years ago.

"Even making it to the starting gate was an astounding result given that it came a little over a week after Vonn ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee in one of her final races before the Olympics. The injury appeared to dash Vonn’s hopes of becoming the oldest person to win an Olympic medal in Alpine before reaching Cortina.

"But with a combination of determination, strength and guts, Vonn manifested enough health and stability for her left knee to try, brushing off an injury that sidelines most athletes for the better part of a year. Vonn is not “most athletes.” At 41, she is an irrepressible force obsessed with speed and skiing who loves nothing more than flying down a steep sheet of ice at 80 mph on the edge of recklessness and sanity, where all great downhill skiers thrive."

When she stepped into the starting gate, there were no doubt many in the asphalt industry rooting for her, which makes the accident even more of a gut-punch. We know everyone will be praying for her and a speedy recovery.

So back to asphalt, namely what does this have to do with our industry? Vonn's harrowing tales of skiing on the knife's edge of excellence and disaster resonated with the asphalt industry, which produces an essential product that must be made and installed to exacting standards or a disastrous result could result.

The other take-away from her appearance is perhaps more subtle, but just as long-lasting. There is no substitute for an in-person experience to glean knowledge, insight and inspiration. Vonn's motivational talk had something for everyone, even if they've never hit the slopes. Determination, mental toughness, a will to win and commitment to excellence are themes that apply to any job.

The Olympics, by the way, will be back in Los Angeles in 2028, and it will be no doubt filled with more examples of inspiration, disappointment and other unforgettable experiences. The millions of people, athletes, trainers, staff, fans and others, who travel to the Games in Los Angeles, just like they did in 1932 and 1984, will travel on asphalt roadways. In 1932 the Asphalt Institute, a CalAPA partner, published asphalt promotional case studies in a publication that was distributed during the Games (pictured). Talk about durability! As the Tao saying goes (this week's featured quote), "The Journey is the reward." We wish Lindsey Vonn a safe journey in her road to recovery and beyond. She inspired us all.

A previous Asphalt Insider article about asphalt and the Los Angeles Olympics can be found HERE. Our walk down memory lane (paved with asphalt) about the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics that appeared in this publication in 2017 is HERE.

Each week we highlight a word, acronym or other term commonly used in the asphalt pavement industry in California.

MEDIUM CURING ASPHALT (MC): Liquid asphalt composed of asphalt cement and a kerosene-type diluent of medium volatility.

Each week we highlight a key point or best practice of interest to asphalt paving crews, inspectors and others working in the field. We welcome suggestions. More tips can be found in our "Asphalt Parking Lot Construction Checklist" HERE. Information on the CalAPA "Quality Paving Certificate" program is HERE.

SITE PREPARATION: If overlaying an existing or milled surface, has the surface been

cleaned/swept and given a full "tack coat" (a bonding agent between the two surfaces)? What is the specified coverage rate for the prime/tack coat? Is the application uniform? Has the material been given enough time to "break" (evaporate the water).

Each week we highlight a term that is specific to climate-change issues related to the asphalt pavement industry. This feature is intended to raise awareness of the asphalt industry's climate-change initiatives and the specialized terminology that goes with them. More information on "The Road Forward" asphalt industry climate initiative can be found HERE. A recent CalAPA magazine story on the topic is HERE.

RECYCLING: The collection and reprocessing of a resource for reuse.

Editor's Note: As a convenience to our readers, Asphalt Insider reports the most current Caltrans "Statewide Crude Oil Price Index" posting. The department posts this monthly on its public website HERE. The index is used to calculate payment adjustments for paving asphalt under special provisions section "Payment Adjustments for Price Index Fluctuations" in those projects containing the section. The department posts the index on or about the first business day of the month using the daily Brent crude oil prices from the previous month as reported by Business Insider. Inquiries about the index should be directed to Caltrans at: Oil.Index@dot.ca.gov .

February 2026: $347.6 ($/ton)

(January, 2026: $331.5)

"The journey is the reward."

– Tao saying

We hope you enjoy CalAPA's Asphalt Insider newsletter. We are committed to providing you with the most up-to-date information on technical issues, regulation, news, analysis, people, events and trends in California that is of interest to the asphalt pavement industry and our various agency partners. Please note: This publication is 100% human-produced with 100% original content, and is only possible due to the generous support of CalAPA members. To subscribe to the newsletter, click HERE. For comments, questions or to suggest a story idea, click HERE. We are committed to promptly notifying our readers of any errors in this publication. Please click on the comment link above to alert the editor of any errors or omissions.

Sincerely,

Russell W. Snyder, CAE

Executive Director

The California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)®