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Council renews Hollywood Business Improvement District amid mixed public comments
Summary
The City Council voted to renew the Hollywood Entertainment Business Improvement District after a public hearing featuring multiple property owners and small-business operators who described improvements and a few who said services were uneven on side streets.
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to renew the Hollywood Entertainment Business Improvement District (BID) on Aug. 15 after a public hearing in which property owners and local business representatives largely endorsed renewal while several side-street proprietors said they had not received promised services.
Why it matters: The BID provides supplemental street cleaning, graffiti removal and safety services in a business corridor of Hollywood Boulevard and adjacent streets. Property owners and business representatives told the council the district's activities helped attract visitors and improve economic conditions; a handful of small-property owners on side streets said they paid assessments but had not received comparable services.
Public comment: More than a dozen speakers representing major property owners, museums and restaurateurs said the BID was crucial to Hollywood's revival and urged support. Several long-time property owners and BID steering-committee representatives said more than 64 percent of assessed properties had voted in favor of continuing the program. Other speakers, including small-business owners on side streets such as Yuca and Gower, asked to be removed from the assessment roll or said graffiti removal and other services had been slow or uneven.
Council response and vote: Councilmembers said they supported renewal while urging staff and BID leadership to address complaints from side-street property owners and to improve communication. Eric Garcetti, as committee chair overseeing economic development matters, said his office would follow up on concerns and work with the BID to streamline communication. The council then took a roll-call and approved the renewal by a recorded vote of 14 ayes.
Implementation and next steps: Councilmembers asked the city clerk and BID management to ensure assessment boundaries and service delivery are matched, to improve outreach to small property owners and to report back on any unresolved service gaps. The economic development committee will review recommendations for improved BID-city communications.
Ending: The renewal won broad support from large property owners and BID backers, but councilmembers told staff to track complaints from side streets and ensure services match assessed areas.
