Security Guards May Remain Force of a Different Color

For a year now, the security guards of the Downtown Center Business Improvement District have worn purple, little suspecting that the fashion police were closing in.

Last month, a shadow fell across the lavender-flecked streets of downtown. The Los Angeles Police Commission took a hard line against the boldly colored polo shirts worn by the 32 guards, warning that they violated a city law requiring slate-gray uniforms for private patrols.

The color theme was designed to trumpet the new district. Mayor Richard Riordan even rode a purple street sweeper to a news conference launching it last year.

But even more may be at stake. Guards wear yellow in the nearby Fashion district, and officials in the fledgling Tarzana district are considering a bright green theme--in keeping with the jungle motif of Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of both Tarzan and Tarzana.

“This is not a very friendly thing to do,” Councilwoman Laura Chick said of the Police Commission crackdown.

“The mayor and the council have been proactively encouraging the creation of business improvement districts,” said Chick, chairwoman of the council’s Public Safety Committee. “We want to make sure the LAPD and the commission and the city are in sync on these things.”

So this week, the City Council had a message for the Police Commission: Back off.

A motion asked the commission to find ways to modify the rules “to better coincide” with the mayor and council’s push to improve districts citywide.

The fashion police quickly backpedaled Wednesday. Police Commission Executive Director Joe Gunn said he was “pretty confident” the commission would grant a variance on the guard uniforms.

“My gut reaction is, you can keep your purple shirts,” Gunn said.

The purple outfits and enhanced security are part of the 65-block area’s effort to spruce itself up, with about $3.5 million assessed annually from property owners there.

The idea has spread to 17 neighborhoods across Los Angeles. Thirty more areas have proposed districts in the works.

The districts are established by a vote of the affected property owners, who agree to pay fees to a communal kitty to fund extra security, sanitation and other services City Hall may be too strapped to provide.

The Downtown Center district is the state’s largest. But why purple?

“We wanted a color that stood out,” said Randall Ely, the operating director. “Purple isn’t a color you see commonly on the street. It’s easy to recognize.”

On the other hand, said Carol Schatz, the district’s president, drab gray uniforms would “clearly run counter to making it look like a fun kind of crew.”

Fashion has not been the only concern. The commission also ordered the district to pay a $91 permit fee for each guard, to the chagrin of district officials.

The fee is for the first year, covering fingerprinting costs and a background check. It will be $26 annually thereafter, said Police Commission spokesman Ken Ferber.

“To tax us yet again doesn’t support the city’s interest in having the [districts] thrive,” Schatz said.

Gunn said the commission wanted to maintain public safety without unduly burdening the business districts.