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California

City ordered not to remove ficus

By Tiffany Hsu
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The city is temporarily barred from removing 54 ficus trees from downtown after an appellate court Friday halted an $8-million beautification project.

A restraining order from October will remain in effect, protecting the trees along 2nd and 4th streets. The city planned to relocate 31 trees and destroy 23, replacing them with young ginkgo trees.

The environmental activist group Treesavers sued the city last year, more than six months after the City Council passed the streetscape plan in October 2005.

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On Feb. 28, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge dismissed the suit, saying it had been filed too late. Treesavers appealed the dismissal Thursday, contending that city staff had incorrectly told group members that the trees were exempt from environmental regulations. The 2nd District Court of Appeal upheld Treesavers’ request. The city has until March 21 to respond.

“The chances of getting a stay from the Court of Appeal is slim. It’s very rare,” said Treesavers attorney Thomas Nitti.

-- Tiffany Hsu

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California
Tiffany Hsu

Tiffany Hsu is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she wrote about the California economy, fast food, restaurants, retail and alternative energy for the Business section. A Bay Area native, UC Berkeley graduate and eternal Nor-Cal fan, she once worked for the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She also did a stint at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, where she developed a passion for sweet tea. She still has faith that someday she’ll find two economists who agree.

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