WOO TO INTRODUCE MURAL MOTION

In the wake of the recent defacement of three city murals, Councilman Michael Woo said that he will introduce a motion to the City Council today to study the possibility of developing an ordinance to protect murals in the city.

“The time has come for the City of Los Angeles to take bold action to protect the murals that beautify our city . . . and to encourage property owners to put more murals on our walls,” Woo said at a press conference Thursday in Hollywood held in front of a mural by Thomas Suriya.

Woo, whose 13th district includes Hollywood, said he will recommend that the council appoint a task force consisting of various city officials, including representatives from the Cultural Affairs Department, to study the issue and present its recommendations within 90 days. Fred Croton, Cultural Affairs Department general manager, attended the conference.

Woo said he could not predict the details of the proposed ordinance before the task force study is made. “I don’t know what the answers are yet,” he said.

“But the basic issue is money and how to protect or encourage the painting of new murals, while alleviating the fears of property owners” who might be resistant to such an ordinance if it would hamper their ability to resell their property, Woo said.

A joint program with the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission to designate murals as landmarks might be one part of the ordinance, Woo added.

“It’s premature for me to know whether this will be real or not,” said muralist Kent Twitchell, who attended the conference. “But Woo’s interest in this is good.”

(Twitchell’s “Freeway Lady” mural and his mural of character actor Strother Martin were recently painted over. Last November, artist Tom Van Sant filed suit against the owners of the downtown AT&T; Center, alleging the destruction of his 120-foot-long mural there.)

However, Al Nodal, director of a program to protect public artworks in MacArthur Park, said the idea for the proposed ordinance “falls way short” by not including protections for sculpture and other public artworks besides murals. “I hope (the ordinance) gets expanded,” he said.

Woo said he was sure his motion will be accepted by the council, but added that “the real fireworks will come in 90 days when the recommendations of the task force come out.”