An open letter from a longtime Hollywoodland Resident to Councilman Ryu

Dear Councilman Ryu and neighbors,

With the flames still burning during the worst fire in California history—dozens confirmed dead and thousands still missing–these City actions can no longer be characterized as mere incompetence or negligence. These are wilful actions and should be treated as such.

Reading the accounts of the fire in Paradise, one is struck by the enormous similarities with Hollywoodland—-
-residents and fire officials knew beforehand how dangerous it was, extremely limited infrastructure and substandard narrow streets, inappropriate development for such limited and aged infrastructure, limited evacuation routes which were easily gridlocked, etc etc.

Daily, even during this highly publicized emergency, I see smokers up here. Hollywoodland could easily become the next Paradise with the potential of a fire cutting off ALL of Hollywoodland, a bottleneck into the park, and our entire extremely vulnerable neighborhood being wiped out.

Enough is enough. Even prosecution of officials after such a tragedy will not bring back the dead. The time to act is now before this inevitable catastrophe, and demand of City officials, Ryu and Garcetti, that they shut down this bootlegged, obviously dangerous amusement park that they have brought to our neighborhood.

This is worse than Paradise in that the architects of our demise are the very people who are charged with protecting the public and with putting safety first. (No private entity would be allowed to break the laws and run such a dangerous enterprise). How sad that the residents’ thoughts I hear more and more is that the only explanation for the outrageous actions of the City is that you want our homes to burn down so you can have free reign for Hollywood Sign viewing.

As extreme and irrational as this sounds, the City decisions have been worse. I challenge you to answer these growing accusations with the only sane, moral, and lawful response.

Do you job. Protect the public. Shut this down now.

Sarajane Schwartz