Los Angeles approves $3.8 million to clean and secure Oceanwide Plaza

The Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to allocate nearly $4 million to remove graffiti and secure an unfinished skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles that has been heavily tagged in recent weeks.

Councilman Kevin de León introduced a motion this week to allocate funds to secure the property and restore the public right-of-way, which is obstructed by plastic barriers, scaffolding and debris.

“I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for the developer to clean up his property,” De León said Wednesday. “The purpose of my motion is clear: prepare our city to take decisive action if the Oceanwide Plaza developer ignores its responsibility and hold them accountable for costs incurred by the city.”

The motion will transfer $1.1 million to a fund for fencing and securing the building's ground floors and place an additional $2.7 million into a fund for security services, fire safety improvements and graffiti abatement.

The motion also calls on the city attorney and the city administrative officer to report to the council within 30 days with a legal strategy to recover all related city expenses from the property owners.

The Oceanwide Plaza project, located across Figueroa Street from the Crypto.com Arena, has become a site for graffiti tagging and even paragliding in recent weeks and has posed a headache for officials and businesses alike. city ​​authorities. Before the Grammy Awards held at Crypto.com Arena, dozens of floors of the skyscraper were painted with colorful spray paint.

The owner, Oceanwide Holdings, is a publicly traded company based in Beijing that halted the project in 2019 when it ran out of money.

At least 18 people have been arrested, including 12 on Sunday, on suspicion of trespassing, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The City Council adopted a motion earlier this month, also introduced by De León, that ordered the property owners to fence and clear the area by Saturday. If they fail to meet the deadline, the city will insure the property and charge the owners the cost, according to the motion.

With just one day left until the deadline, the owners have not indicated whether they will comply with the city's orders.

The increase in activity at the site has also strained the Los Angeles Police Department's resources, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said during the Los Angeles Police Commission meeting on Tuesday.

Officers have spent “more than 3,000 hours” securing the complex, Moore said.

“We have called in some officers overtime, so that we can provide these additional patrols or park them at that site to deter vandals and others from gaining access to it while ensuring that we meet the minimum deployment requirements for the stations.” throughout the city,” Moore said.

During a City Council meeting last week, Councilwoman Imelda Padilla said she was surprised by the attention the skyscraper was receiving and attributed it to its large size.

Padilla mentioned that there are at least four “mini versions” of the unfinished skyscraper in Los Angeles. The buildings include abandoned commercial, manufacturing and family business structures.

Padilla was referring to abandoned buildings on Sepulveda Boulevard and Kester Avenue, as well as a Denny's restaurant on Vineland Avenue and Sunland Boulevard, according to a spokesperson for Padilla's office.

The fourth building, a Roscoe hardware store, is located at Sunland Boulevard and San Fernando Road, according to its spokesperson. Padilla is currently working to demolish it.

“It is worrying that the plague receives more attention when it affects the wealthiest areas of the city,” Padilla said in a statement Thursday. “Yet, working-class neighborhoods like the ones I represent struggle with this issue every day. “The plague is unacceptable regardless of zip code and we deserve to have the same sense of urgency.”

The Oceanwide Plaza development is nestled among shops and restaurants near the LA Live complex.