Open Letter to Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian Concerning Grafitti on Ventura Blvd.

May 12, 2017

To: Los Angeles Councilman Paul Krekorian

RE: Unacceptable and Illegal Condition of Commercial Building on Ventura Blvd. Infested with Gang Graffiti in Studio City-Owners of Building Defiant Please Help

Dear Councilman Krekorian,

Many of us are residents and property owners in Studio City. We are proud of our time and efforts in keeping this town clean, within code and maintaining it’s value for our future generations. So when a situation arises that adversely effects our efforts and the town of Studio City, which is in your District, we must react.

Last year fellow members of the Studio City Residents Association and other concerned residents learned that the LA City 311 service will no longer remove graffiti from commercial property that is abandoned or not open for business. Within the last year and months, the new policy for graffiti removal requires that the actual owners of the property violating city ordinances by leaving up gang related graffiti, must sign a liability waiver/permission for painters to enter the property to remove the offending graffiti from the building walls or fencing and retaining walls. The problem with this new City requirement? --it allows offending and ugly graffiti to remain on the wall indefinitely if the owners of the property do not sign a waiver.

For example, the unknown owners of the abandoned Marrakesh Restaurant property located at 13003 Ventura Blvd. Studio City, refuse to remove gang related graffiti from their retaining walls on their parking lot and main building which is in full view of the thousands of cars and sidewalk shoppers traveling on Ventura Blvd. After 11 months of requests to the owners of this property through letters to the location (returned), and posting of letters and requests on the doors and fences, and notifying LADBS for code infractions, the violators still do nothing. To make matters worse, this offending graffiti is forced upon residents that live across the street on Ventura Blvd. who have a direct view of the graffiti laden walls. This stretch of Ventura is the only part of the 16 mile long famous boulevard with single family homes. Eight years ago this stretch was given a beautiful landscaped walkway from Fulton to Coldwater Canyon. Now the view ion that walk is tainted by the graffiti. Letters to County Board of Supervisors and LA Department of Building and Safely seem dead in the water. If the 311 Graffiti removal system had remained in place, this horrible stain on our community would of been gone months ago. The photos included shows that the word is out to taggers that the owners won't remove the graffiti.

Councilman Krekorian, please order the city to clean the walls of the parking lot and the building. Gang drug deals are going on here because of the tags. You could override the new rule and get this cleaned. Please fine the owners of the property for their blatant and defiant behavior victimizing us Studio City residents. This is your district. Don’t let this pleasant stretch of our neighborhood remain in this filth in your District for all to see. The offending graffiti has been there and growing larger every month. Please see recent photos below. Graffiti has doubled since these pics of 5 weeks ago. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Edward Lozzi, Studio City Resident

Edward Lozzi & Associates PR

9454 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 600

Beverly Hills, CA 90212

www.lozzipr.com

310-922-1200