Los Angeles City Council looks into private security to deter high-rise graffiti

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday, April 2 updated its policy regarding the abatement of nuisance properties to allow the hiring of private security by the city — a move prompted by ongoing efforts to secure an abandoned, graffiti-vandalized downtown L.A. high-rise. In a 13-0 vote, council members approved technical changes to the city’s abatement process related to enforcement of building standards. Specifically, the city wants to hire private security to secure buildings that have become a “present, imminent, extreme, and immediate hazard or danger to life or limb, health and safety,” according to the city documents. The update — which will require property owners to reimburse the city for private security costs — will need a second vote before it can be implemented. Council members Bob Blumenfield and Katy Yaroslavsky were absent during the vote. Several floors at each of the three unfinished buildings in downtown LA’s Oceanwide Plaza development have been tagged by graffiti artists, as seen Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. (Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer) Several floors at each of the three unfinished buildings in downtown LA’s Oceanwide Plaza development have been tagged by graffiti artists, as seen Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. (Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer) Several floors at...