The Los Angeles City Controller's Office said no tree trimming permits were issued for the ficus trees cut outside Universal Studios for the last three years.
“Also, the City did not issue any tree trimming permits for the latest tree trimmings,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia tweeted.
Mejia said on Tuesday that his office would investigate the pruned trees, which are located outside Universal’s Gate 8 on Barham Boulevard and provide shade to those striking in that area.
On Monday, Twitter user ChrisStephensMD shared a photo of the pruned tree on the social media platform, writing, “Quick shoutout to the good people at @UniversalPics for trimming the trees that gave our picket line shade right before a 90+ degree week.”
The tweet quickly went viral, with the Writers Guild Foundation writing, “As you may have seen...LA's HOTTEST picket line is NBCU Barham. Needless to say this gate has everything: sunscreen, sweaty people, trees that look like Medusa. Don't look for shade because there isn't any (unless you want to throw some at the AMPTP).”
On Wednesday, the Writers Guild Foundation shared a photo of two tents in the area, adding that they came from NBC Universal.
In a statement to Deadline, NBC Universal said, “We understand that the safety tree trimming of the Ficus trees we did on Barham Blvd. has created unintended challenges for demonstrators, that was not our intention. In partnership with licensed arborists, we have pruned these trees annually at this time of year to ensure that the canopies are light ahead of the high wind season. We support the WGA and SAG’s right to demonstrate, and are working to provide some shade coverage. We continue to openly communicate with the labor leaders on-site to work together during this time.”
SAG-AFTRA and the WGA filed complaints with National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday, accusing the studio of “interfering with lawful picketing activity by designating as picketing locations areas where the public sidewalks have been covered up with construction, fencing, forcing picketers to patrol in busy streets with significant car traffic where two picketers have already been struck by a car and by refusing to provide K-rail barriers to establish pedestrian walkways for picketers to use after Los Angeles Police Department advised the employer weeks ago in the interest of public safety to do so.”
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