2 Council Members Push to Keep Sign

Two City Council members pushed Monday to have the Hollywood sign and the land around the Hollywood Reservoir remain in Los Angeles under any Hollywood secession plan.

Council members Tom LaBonge and Cindy Miscikowski introduced a motion asking that the Local Agency Formation Commission exclude the properties from the boundaries of a proposed Hollywood city. The full council is expected to vote on the motion today.

LAFCO’s executive director, Larry Calemine, has tentatively recommended that the Hollywood sign, about 500 acres around it and another 500 acres surrounding the reservoir be shifted to the new city if secession occurs.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power would retain ownership of the reservoir itself.

Calemine has yet to draft his final report on Hollywood secession, however. LAFCO is set to vote in the next few weeks on whether to place secession plans for Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley and the harbor area on the November ballot.

LaBonge, who represents Hollywood, held a news conference Monday at the foot of the sign to make his appeal to the council. The acreage that he and Miscikowski want to keep in Los Angeles includes a girls camp called Camp Hollywoodland, a wildlife corridor and a water station and landing pad for Fire Department helicopters.

The area is mostly west of Fern Dell Drive.

“Splitting the land between two jurisdictions makes no sense, practical, historical or otherwise,” LaBonge said.

“Los Angeles will always keep this area as open space. There are no guarantees if this land falls to another city.”

Gene La Pietra, a founder of the secession group Hollywood VOTE, argued against LaBonge’s proposal.

“The sign says Hollywood. It’s in Hollywood, and it’s not going anywhere,” La Pietra said.