LA Councilman Seeks $3.8 Million to Secure Graffiti-Marred High-Rise Site

Construction stalled in 2019 at the unfinished Oceanwide Plaza in Los Angeles. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

A Los Angeles city councilman is calling for the city to allocate $3.8 million to keep vandals and taggers out of the abandoned Oceanwide Plaza high-rise project in downtown.

Councilman Kevin de Leon, whose district includes the Oceanwide site, introduced a motion requesting the funding during the Los Angeles City Council’s Feb. 13 meeting, CBS News reported.

The money would pay for graffiti removal, fencing and beefed-up security, and city officials hope to bill the property owner, according to the CBS report.

The motion will now be heard later this month by the council’s Planning and Land Use Committee.

The construction site drew widespread attention earlier this month when several floors of one building were heavily tagged just days before the Grammy Awards ceremony at nearby Crypto.com Arena.

According to CBS News, Mr. De Leon expressed regret that instead of focusing on homelessness and housing affordability, the city must deal with people trying to “get their 15 minutes of fame through TikTok.”

City leaders’ distress over the abandoned site rose Monday after video appeared online showing a man paragliding off one of the towers, NBC reported.

“I’m terrified someone’s going to fall or be pushed,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in the report. “I guarantee you tragedy will take place there if that place is not boarded up quickly.”

Ms. Bass indicated that new fences would be installed around the property, which could take a few days, to help prevent more trespassing.

“The owner should reimburse the city for every dime,” she said.

Ms. Bass said the Los Angeles Police Department will surround the site until it is secure.

Last week, councilors approved a motion giving the property owners until Feb. 17 to secure the site.