To tackle the blight of graffiti, the Los Angeles City Council has greenlit a hefty $3.8 million budget for the cleanup and fortification of the Oceanwide Plaza, a cluster of downtown high-rises abandoned mid-construction. The Chinese-owned property, left untouched since 2019, has been an eyesore and a canvas for taggers, attracting lawbreakers and adrenaline junkies alike.

Amid increasing incidents of trespassing and base-jumping daredevils, officials are pressing to cleanse the towers of their unsolicited artwork. According to KTLA, there have been several arrests in recent weeks due to the vandalism. The cost of cleaning up and securing the site will come from city coffers, but efforts to reimburse these expenses from Oceanwide Holdings will ensue.

Councilmember Kevin de León spearheaded the financial motion, expressing skepticism about the property owner’s initiative to rectify the issue. "I’m not holding my breath waiting for the developer to clean up their property," De León told the Los Angeles Times. "The purpose of my motion is clear: to prepare our city to take decisive action if the Oceanwide Plaza developer ignores their responsibility and to put them on the hook for costs incurred by the city."

The cleanup plan will address the pervasive graffiti problem and ensure the public right of way, currently stifled by the sprawling network of scaffolding, plastic barriers, and construction debris. A legal strategy is being crafted to pin the cleanup bills on Oceanwide Holdings, and a month's deadline has been stipulated for officials to present an actionable plan to the City Council for recoupment of these expenditures.