Elimination of Quake ‘Ghost Towns’ OKd
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The Los Angeles City Council gave official approval Wednesday to a multi-pronged plan to eliminate the clusters of vacant, quake-damaged, crime-infested buildings known as “ghost towns.”
At the request of Councilman Richard Alarcon, the council unanimously approved the plan and instructed city workers to hasten the efforts already undertaken on the 12 ghost towns in the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood and Mid-City areas.
Alarcon said the ordinance gives workers the city’s official backing to take such actions as boarding up and fencing abandoned buildings, painting over graffiti on private property and clearing out debris in vacant structures.
The ordinance also instructs city workers to drain abandoned pools that may pose a drowning hazard or may be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
It was at Alarcon’s behest that several city department heads joined together in July to form the Earthquake Ghost Town Task Force.
The task force has already boarded up and fenced many properties and hired security guards to keep trespassers out of the buildings.
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