The Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote on a motion Friday that would force the owners of the Oceanwide Plaza in Downtown LA to clean up the graffiti that is now covering three towers top-to-bottom.
The motion, if passed, would require the developers from China to remove or cover the graffiti, fortify the property with stronger fencing and hire private security, or face a lien being put on the property by the city.
“It says to the developers of this failed property, Oceanwide, you got two weeks, you have 14 days to clean up the mess,” said Kevin De Leon, councilman of the 14th district, who introduced the motion. “All the graffiti that you see and each and every floor has to be cleaned, has to be painted over. You have to set up a strong abatement fence that's fortified, not this flimsy fence that anyone can break through or climb over.”
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The billion-dollar development has sat vacant since 2019, when the Beijing-based developers ran out of money for the project. It was intended to become condos, a shopping mall and a luxury hotel.
In recent weeks, the towers have been vandalized by graffiti artists descending upon Los Angeles from all over the country to leave their mark on the buildings.
At least four people have been arrested and face charges of vandalism and trespassing.
“The LAPD is not an extension of your security force to protect this building,” De Leon said. “Hopefully sometime soon, we can get them to sell that building to someone who has deep pockets, who can buy the building, deal with all the liens against this building, and more importantly, finish this development.”
