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Community Corner

Neighborhood Council Votes to Oppose Gated Street

The gate would close Astral Drive at Solar Drive.

The Hollywood United Neighborhood Council voted against the city’s plans to gate Solar Drive at Astral Drive before Runyon Canyon Road.

All members of the Neighborhood Council except for one, the council’s recording secretary Don Paul, voted to oppose the planned closure. The Los Angeles City Council voted in September due to area residents' concerns about security.

Those opposing the gate say it's not legal.

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“The law says you can’t put up gates and give the keys to a certain number of people,” said area resident Richard MacNaughton. “They had people walking down the street and maybe loitering, but there was no criminal activity, so there’s no basis to close it.”

Neighborhood Council President Susan Swan said she wanted to see justification for the security concerns.

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“The first thing that occurred to me was the criminality proof,” Swan said.

She also read from a section of the California Department of Motor Vehicles Vehicle Code saying: “… local authorities may not place gates or other selective devices on any street which deny or restrict the access of certain members of the public to the street, while permitting others unrestricted access to the street.”

MacNaughton said no matter how you slice it, the closure is not warranted.

“The point is, there is no criminal activity going on,” he said. “The homeowners just want it closed because it’s inconvenient to have people on the street.”

The gate is designated to be closed for up to 18 months. Swan said the Neighborhood Council will now draft a letter “as soon as possible” stating its opposition to the gate. The letter will be sent to City Council members and the office of Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, she said.  

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