KTLA

City to pay nearly $4M for Oceanwide graffiti removal

The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved a plan to clean the graffiti off the Oceanwide Plaza towers in downtown Los Angeles.

The property’s owners, China-based Oceanwide Holdings, stopped construction in 2019 when the firm ran out of money, creating what some local artists have taken for a blank canvas.


The high-profile vandalism has prompted outcry from city officials, and on Friday, the council agreed to allot $3.8 million to clean up and secure the site, which has seen numerous arrests in the weeks since the tagging began.

In addition to trespassers, the vacant towers have also drawn attention from thrill seekers like BASE jumpers.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the city will seek repayment for the cleanup and security costs.

City officials are expected to return back to the City Council within a month “with a legal strategy to recoup all of the city’s related expenses from the property owners,” the Times added.