Council Votes to Reopen Streets Around Barricaded Civic Center

Easing security measures taken after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to remove concrete barriers blocking the streets around City Hall and the Parker Center police headquarters.

After a lengthy debate, the council voted 12 to 2 to reopen Los Angeles, Main and Judge John Aiso streets between 1st and Temple streets. The concrete barricades on the sidewalks around City Hall will be replaced with strategically placed planters.

City officials said they plan to have the streets reopened by Monday.

“I think if we continue to hide behind those barricades, and keep the streets closed, the people who attacked this nation have won a battle in itself,” Councilman Hal Bernson told his colleagues.

Since Sept. 11, city officials have struggled to find a balance between safety and open government in the Civic Center. Council members said Wednesday that the street closures had robbed residents of access to government.

“I realize that the things that took place on Sept. 11 were so tragic that they will forever change our lives,” said Councilman Tom LaBonge. “But we must look to open the building up.... It is a beacon of democracy.”

Councilman Nate Holden, who cast one of the dissenting votes, urged his colleagues to delay action until the FBI lifts its latest nationwide security alert.

“Think about what you are doing here today,” he said. “You are giving access to terrorists you don’t even know about. There are terrorists in the city of Los Angeles.”

Councilwoman Janice Hahn joined Holden in voting against the changes, saying she would rather err on the side of caution.

She also said Los Angeles Police Department officials would like to leave the barriers in place, at least until March 11, when the latest FBI alert is scheduled to end.

“I don’t believe our comings and goings at City Hall will ever be the same,” she said. “I think the terrorists are waiting for entities like us to put our guard down.”

But other council members argued that the barriers were an expensive facade that provided little protection to City Hall.

“While it looks ominous, it’s really very porous,” Bernson said of the barricades.

Councilman Jack Weiss complained that the city was squandering resources.

“We are not made more safe or more secure by the restrictions that are in place,” he said. “We essentially have a fig leaf for security in the City Hall area.”

In addition to voting to remove the barriers, council members agreed to set up an “express employee entrance” to City Hall for city workers with proper identification.

The lawmakers also voted to spend $1.6 million from the contingency portion of the seismic retrofit bond to repair the elevators in City Hall, many of which have broken down in recent weeks.