One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Sure, Murals Are Legal Now, But The City Is Still Painting Over New Murals
Some murals get taken down for not having the right signatures (Photo by Juliet Bennett Rylah/LAist)
Murals might be legal downtown now, but it doesn't mean we're seeing more of them yet. In reality, L.A. might be covering up as many as they're allowing to be painted. The ban that prevented murals from being painted on privately owned buildings was overturned last fall. In response, artists Shepard Fairey and RISK put up a pair of matching murals entitled “Peace and Justice” on the Rossmore Hotel in Skid Row. The piece was hailed as the first legal mural in L.A., but it's since been covered up. Similarly, Ron English's "Urban Bigfoot" has also been covered up. In both cases, it's been because the murals did not have the proper registration or permits, Downtown News reports.
To put up a mural and have it stay up, there's a $60 fee, then some paperwork. How complicated this is varies. In the case of "Urban Bigfoot," the approval came not from the person who owned the building, but from a tenant. In the case of "Supermodel," which was used for a Foster the People music video, the mural was considered an advertisement because it was the also the cover of the band's new album, and it lacked a signature from the Office of Historic Resources despite being on what is considered a historic building. Backing from Mayor Eric Garcetti didn't do a thing.
Daniel Lahoda, who works with L.A. Freewalls, told Downtown News that he's "a proponent of strong public policy, but I don't think the city is putting forward a good-faith effort to protect works when administering the ordinance." An issue he specifically highlighted was the city sending a non-compliance letter to a building owner without also telling them that the mural on their building could stay because it was grandfathered.
There are some murals that seemed poised to stay however, including the recently competed 'Skid Row' map. City officials maintain that if all necessary steps are taken, you can indeed put up a lasting mural downtown.
Councilman Jose Huizar says there are murals coming through the registration process and that he expects more to pop up—and stay up—downtown in the next few months.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
