Councilmember Ed Reyes to Hold Public Meeting About Mural Ordinance

City Councilmember Ed Reyes is holding a community meeting tomorrow evening to get input on a draft of the city's proposed Mural Ordinance. The ordinance would allow murals to be painted on private property (imagine that!).

Tomorrow's meeting comes after long-standing friction between the city's art community and local government. As LA Weekly reported last October, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich went after muralists beginning in 2008 -- although severe restrictions on outdoor murals were put into place in 2002 -- under the guise of reducing the number of illegal billboards. Street artists, who had thrived in Los Angeles up until that point, have been fighting the regulations ever since.

Now, Reyes et al are hoping that the ordinance will allow for L.A.'s outdoor mural scene to thrive once again.

“The community's participation in crafting this mural ordinance demonstrates that the people of Los Angeles want to maintain L.A.’s role as an international center for community art," he said in a statement.

In addition to Reyes, Thursday's meeting will be attended by artists Wayne Healy, Pola Lopez and Fabian Debora. It will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. at Goodwill Industries Metro North, Worksource Center located at 342 N. San Fernando Rd, and is open to the public.