LA residents file public nuisance complaint over visitors gathering at Hollywood sign

A group of Los Angeles residents have filed a public nuisance complaint over visitors gathering at the city’s iconic Hollywood sign.​The complaint, filed on Monday and reviewed by The Independent, claims the City of Los Angeles has allowed conditions on the streets surrounding the sign to become a “public nuisance” - to the point of putting residents’ safety at risk.Visitors cannot go up to the actual sign since it is in a restricted area, but tourists can get a clear view of the famous structure at various viewing points in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood. However, locals say that the city has allowed streets in the area - known for its steep, narrow roads - to become congested with traffic and street vendors. Residents say that congestion has raised concerns about safety in the event of a wildfire. Locals have also claimed that the area has become a “public toilet” and that urination and defecation “occur regularly on the City’s property.”Residents living in the area surrounding the Hollywood sign have filed a public nuisance complaint against the city (AFP/Getty)Resident Cindy Cobb says the community was rocked by footage of a September 27 brawl that saw e-bike riders fighting a driver near the Hollywood sign.​“There's definitely a frustration level that’s kind of reached its peak,” she told CBS California Investigates.​Much of the concern centers around tourists surging to the century-old sign, clogging the narrow, winding streets connecting neighborhoods in the area - such as Hollywood Knolls, Lake Hollywood Estates and Hollywoodland, which consists of around 1,500 homes.​The filing says that, since the late 2000s, visitors have been able to use GPS technology to navigate those roads. City documents cited in the filing say that social media has also driven motorists to the site.Locals say that residents have flocked to the area, clogging the neighborhood's narrow roads (Los Angeles County Superior Court/Central District)​“As tourism grows and more visitors seek out iconic sights and landmarks to document their trips via Instagram and other social media platforms, the Hollywood Sign will continue to be inundated by hordes of selfie-seeking visitors, using Google Maps or MapQuest to find easy access to the Sign, blocking residential streets and driveways, crossing over private lawns and impacting and [sic] tranquility of local neighborhoods,” the cited document reads.​Residents, though, say that this surge in people arriving in the Hollywood Hills comes with risk.​Included in the filing is an image of a sack of cigarette butts collected by a resident. Despite smoking being banned in the area, a resident picked up over 1,000 cigarette butts from the Lake Hollywood Park area.One resident collected cigarette butts left in Lake Hollywood Park despite smoking being banned in the area (Los Angeles County Superior Court/Central District)​Around 95 percent of wildfire ignitions are caused by human interventions, the document states, with improper cigarette disposal being a leading cause of wildfires.​Should a fire break out, residents say that they are concerned for their safety given that fire lanes are often blocked by parked vehicles and street cart vendors.​Also included in the filing is a picture of a man seemingly urinating on a wall, along with discarded toilet paper and what appears to be human waste.​“Defecating in public necessarily also endangers the public health, is indecent, and offends the senses,” the suit claims.Residents also say that they have found used toilet paper in the Lake Hollywood Park and that the area has been turned into a 'public toilet' (Los Angeles County Superior Court/Central District)​Nithya Raman, a member of Los Angeles City Council who represents the area, told CBS California Investigates that a consulting firm has been contacted to meet concerns over public safety and traffic in the area.​“I think, thinking about installing bathrooms in these areas is a good thing,” she added. “One that is in active discussion.”​Residents say that, in addition to legal expenses, they are seeking to have conditions at the Viewing Site at the Hollywood sign, Lake Hollywood Park and the streets in the Hollywood Hills Neighborhood declared as a public nuisance.“We haven’t seen this lawsuit,” a spokesperson for Mayor Karen Bass’s office told The Independent in a statement. “LAPD has dedicated additional units during peak periods of congestion in the Lake Hollywood area to conduct traffic and parking enforcement.” “LAPD also deploys additional traffic officers during peak times, in addition to ongoing regulation of tour buses and more,” the spokesperson added. “LAPD has collaborated with LADOT to implement a traffic plan for the area. The Mayor's office will continue working to address this issue with our public safety partners.”The Independent has contacted Raman’s office for comment.