Street Cleanup Called ‘Cruel’

Regarding David Wharton’s article, “Police Make Clean Sweep,” (Times, Oct. 18), we believe that the victims of this street sweep did not willingly ignore signs, as stated by city officials, but that the signs (where posted) were not at all adequate in that they did not state the date, hours of enforcement, or the reason. Parking enforcement manager Chuck Devereaux is quoted as saying “these cleanups are common in various districts.” But on a Saturday and a Sunday? At 6:30 a.m.? A Mr. Lui of the Street Maintenance Bureau stated to us that he had “never heard of a street-sweeping on a Sunday morning in 30 years of working for the city”.

An increased effort to clean our streets would be welcomed by area residents, but it could have been done with the tow-away power on days and times people are accustomed to.

Instead, Hollywood-area Councilman Michael Woo chose weekend days and hours when parking demand is at its peak and when people would not be leaving for work. The signs posted, when posted, were not adequate to inform everyone of this unusual event; it resulted in the removal of hundreds of cars with no other place to park. What was the logic behind prohibiting parking on both sides of the street? Saturday, Sunday and the following holiday Monday, the banks were closed, making it impossible for residents to pay cash, which is all Hollywood Tow Inc. accepts, charging an additional $8 per day per vehicle, to pick up impounded cars.

This “event” was a cruel, arrogant act of council office power. It was an extreme financial hardship on the lower-income and senior residents. Some people in our neighborhood have to work three days to pay for this unnecessary debacle. Councilman Woo, whose Friends of Michael Woo fund-raising committee has accepted substantial monetary contributions from Hollywood Tow Inc., appears more interested in having ‘cleanup news conferences and repaying contributors for their favors than in cleaning the streets on the regularly posted days and doing it at the expense of the less affluent and less politically connected.

The streets in our neighborhood haven’t been cleaned since.

NORTON HALPER

Hollywood