Shia LaBeouf's Neighbors Can Keep Their Paparazzi Barricade
Actor Shia LaBeouf's neighbors - Joe and Orit Picker - have been granted permission to keep the paparazzi barricade that surrounds their Sherman Oaks home. Erected last year, the 7-foot high and 120-foot long wall blocks the home on the 3900 block of Deervale Drive from the incessant photo snappers stalking the actor 24/7.
L.A. City Council voted in an 11-0 vote on Tuesday to allow the wall to remain intact, having determined that it was "crucial" to the couple's security. Per Councilman Paul Koretz, photographers who crept onto the Pickers' property "could get a great shot of the patio where Shia LaBeouf could be eating breakfast” next door, reports L.A. Now. “It almost seemed like it was required to have one to live in the neighborhood,” Koretz added in regards to the barricade.
The "eyesore," as frustrated neighbors deemed the wall, stands at 6' 6" high and is one foot taller once light fixtures are installed. City regulations limit the height of residential street fences and walls to 3' 6". Aside from the unappealing appearance of the barricade, neighbors also complained that the Pickers' installed the wall sans city permits.
“This wall is totally out of character with what is going on in this street,” said opposing neighbor Elke Heitmeyer. LaBeouf, too, erected a wall around his home, but it is a bit easier on the eyes. He put up "a nice tasteful fence,” said wall critic Harriet Diamond.
LaBeouf sided with the Pickers, penning a letter in support of their wall that was read during a City Council meeting on October 25.
The barricade must be reviewed by the Department of Building and Safety and the Board of Public Works.
