While City Looks to Figure Out Landscaping Budget, Neighbors Pull Weeds at LAPD
Eric Richardson / blogdowntown
Weeds grow among the plants on the City Hall side of the Police Administration Building, which opened to fanfare in 2009.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — On Saturday morning, volunteers from the Downtown L.A. Neighborhood Council will gather across from City Hall at the Police Administration Building to pull weeds and prune the plants that surround the $437-million structure.
Nowhere in that budget, it turns out, were there funds for maintenance of the two-year-old structure's highly-touted grounds.
Saturday morning's cleanup will be the neighborhood council's eighth since December.
Last month, Thom Brennan of LAPD's Facilities Management Division told a city council committee that a similar situation exists in other new police facilities. "All of those facilities that were added, none of them were budgeted for landscape services."
While General Services has maintained the buildings "hardscape" surfaces via sweeping and emptying trash cans, the department does nothing for the plants that surround the structure.
"The Department of General Services has never been budgeted, nor have we had the tools, the vehicles or the proper classifications to maintain landscaping," Assistant General Manager David Pascal told the committee.
A motion by Councilwoman Jan Perry—CF 11-1104—asks the City Administrator's Office to figure out how maintenance will take place going forward.
In the meantime, though, the DLANC volunteers will keep at their work. In February, landscape architecture firm Melendrez put together a guide for neighbors to follow while working with the drought-tolerant plants around the police headquarters.
Those interested in participating in Saturday's cleanup should show to the corner of 2nd and Spring at 9am. The DLANC invitation encourages attendees to bring water, hats, heavy-duty work gloves, small shovels, hand-pruners, and weeding tools. Those interested in more information cancontact cherylmcdonald48@gmail.com or valerie.watson@dlanc.com.
Mario Teran on August 05, 2011, at 07:59AM – #1
How about getting thr "mayor" to help, or will he be on another one of his out of town seminars on our dime?
downtown vibe on August 05, 2011, at 09:27AM – #2
If you want to see where $20 million dollars disappeared during the construction of this building, I highly recommend this LA Times Article from 2006.
http://articles.latimes.com/2006/nov/14/local/me-council14
Valerie Watson on August 05, 2011, at 10:08AM – #3
For more information on clean-up logistics for tomorrow morning, visit: http://dlanc.com/node/313
RAFFLE PRIZE! Tomorrow's participants who so desire will be entered in a raffle drawing to win a pair of highly-coveted reserved seat tickets to upcoming Grand Performances! YES! Two pairs of tickets are up for grabs!
BIG THANKS to all the dedicated volunteers who have been giving their time since November 2010. We're making great progress!
To get involved with the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC), visit www.dlanc.com and sign up for our email lists to keep up to speed at www.dlanc.com/mailinglists
Robert A on August 05, 2011, at 10:56AM – #4
It is really unbelievable that the second largest city in the country can spend a half a billion on a beautiful new HQ for the LAPD and they forgot to budget money for the maintainance. Where does the blame lie?
Take a look at City Hall. The grass is all green weeds surrounding the building and they maintain a few geraniums...that is it. Los Angeles is blessed with some beautiful city buildings. Los Angeles is blessed with the best weather in the world. Any other city would be proud to plant beautiful gardens to compliment them. The Mayor needs to address this. Where are the support groups like they have in NY to fund these projects?
Thank God for these volunteers who do a great job...but more needs to be done by the city on a daily basis to maintain these gardens.
Simon Ha on August 05, 2011, at 11:40AM – #5
Maybe we can bring the goats here since they are in the neighborhood.
downtown vibe on August 05, 2011, at 01:04PM – #6
You know in many smaller cities outside LA, the property owner would be targeted by code enforcement for not maintaining a yard.
I'm talking about cities where you could buy three or four entire homes for what this City paid for just the animal sculptures along the Spring Street side of the building.
Something is seriously wrong here.
Nomad on August 05, 2011, at 05:55PM – #7
I admire the volunteers effort in this, but there is something seriously wrong with this situation. I almost think it would be better to just leave it for the city to deal with (even if they don't). Because I have a feeling for them once the weeds are gone its out of sight, out of mind.
Tony Hoover on August 06, 2011, at 08:01PM – #8
Absolutely unbelievable! I agree with @Robert A. Do the people running this city have no civic pride at all?! Will the people of downtown also have to take up responsibility to maintain the $50 million civic center park when its completed? That a serious question!
Tony Hoover on August 06, 2011, at 08:12PM – #9
You should also look at the 101 freeway running through the civic center. The weeds are about 6 feet high lining the freeway.
Its embarrasing to see this and leaves me wondering what visitors to LA must think about our own civic pride. Any other major city in the nation (or the world for that matter) actually spruces up thier cities in preparation for the tourist season.
Robert A on August 07, 2011, at 07:39AM – #10
Tony, I agree with you. I got into an heated discussion with a Caltrans employee over the lack of landscaping and trash clean up on our freeways. Look at the 110 when you enter Downtown. Disgusting filthy. It is not like that in other areas of Calif. I honestly think the freeways around Downtown are the filthiest in the country. Caltrans seems to have a much better Adopt-a-Highway program in other areas of California. Do you think we can continue to attract tourists back if they see grime and filth? Where are the politicians?
If you are not going fund maintenance, get out and clean up our public spaces yourself. If the prisons are overcrowded, get them out in our parks and freeways and let them pick up trash and remove weeds. It is not hard for the LAPD to find prisoners, is it? We deserve better.
Chas Gomery on August 07, 2011, at 02:47PM – #11
i actually found a book on this topic, citizens volunteering to wrestle with weeds when officials were unable to, called weeds the history of metropolitan america
Thomas K Nagano on August 09, 2011, at 12:00PM – #12
At the last Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council the following motions were passed.
Motion: To approve the purchase of 15 Tactical Lights for 870 Shotgun for the LAPD Central Area Division These cost approximately $3,500
Motion: To approve the purchase of 1 Scanner for the LAPD Central Area Division.
Motion: To approve the purchase of 4 Command Boards for the LAPD Central Area Division.
Motion: To the purchase of 1 Camcorder for the LAPD Central Area Division.
The City of Los Angeles didn't budget these items so it came out the Downtown LA Neighborhood Councils budget. [The City is trying to cut the budget of all Neighborhood Councils.]
Next DLANC Board Meeting tonight (Aug 9) 6:30 PM Los Angeles Theater. Everyone Welcomed.
Valerie Watson on August 10, 2011, at 07:47AM – #13
Thomas K - the meeting minutes were incorrect - the first item was not approved last month. Since then, the LAPD decided not to accept the funding for the latter two items after all.