City to Discuss Mural Ordinance in Eagle Rock Thursday

When Tanner Blackman, a city planner in the Department of City Planning’s code studies section, appeared before the Los Angeles City Council on October 19 to announce his efforts to craft an ordinance more favorable to murals on private property, he faced a surprising backlash from the arts community. 

Although Blackman was seeking permission from the council to allow murals on Los Angeles' private buildings for the first time since 2002—a practice fiercely opposed by the advertising and billboards industry—several artists told the City Council they were frustrated by their lack of input in creating the new regulations.

Elizabeth Espinoza, a community art historian from the United Painters of Public Art, said she could not support the motion because muralists from across the city were not involved in the mural working group.

"They have not been invited to cultural affairs meetings,” Espinoza said. “This item deletes the voice of the community muralist and we don't appreciate that."

Click here to see Patch's previous story on the mural ordinance.

Blackman, who spoke to Patch at the recent unveiling of , said that there may have been some misunderstanding in the arts community about the process through which the mural ordinance would be crafted.

There would be plenty of opportunities for the community to weigh in before the ordinance was approved, Blackman said.

One of those opportunities will come today, Thursday, at . 

According to a flyer distributed about the meeting, Blackman will make a presentation on “recent actions by the city council to end the current ban on murals and seek input from muralists, artists and community members on how to shape the new ordinance."

The public meeting—open to all—will be held from 6-7 p.m. at Cactus Gallery on 4534 Eagle Rock Blvd.