Why Did Universal Prune Shady Trees Near a Hollywood Picketing Hot Spot? - Vanity Fair

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The city of Los Angeles is currently investigating what some striking writers and actors believe was “a deliberate move” to deter demonstrations.

By Savannah Walsh

July 19, 2023

Why Did Universal Prune Shady Trees Near a Hollywood Picketing Hot Spot

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As writers and actors unite to strike for fair deals with the Hollywood studios, they may also have to fight for a safe spot at which to picket. On Monday, amidst sweltering conditions in Los Angeles, an important source of shade was stripped from the sidewalk on Barham Boulevard, an area just outside the Universal Studios Lot where those striking have regularly picketed.

Gone were the leafy branches that had previously shielded those striking from the summer heat, a fact comedian and TV writer Chris Stephens pointed out in a now viral tweet. “It seemed like a deliberate move,” he told The Washington Post. “To make things a little more uncomfortable for everybody, right when the pressure got turned up.”

WGA Board of Directors member Eric Haywood, who was picketing at the same site on Monday, told the Post that he believes the pruning was meant to deter demonstrations. “You don’t trim or prune trees in mid-July in the middle of a heat wave,” Haywood said. “Those trees were butchered.”

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In a series of tweets posted on Tuesday, LA city controller Kenneth Mejia said his office was investigating the trimmings, which should be completed every five years. Prunings are managed by the city itself, but businesses can obtain permits to trim trees from the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services, according to Mejia.

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As reported by the LA Times, both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing NBCUniversal of impeding protests by building construction fencing in designated picketing areas, “forcing picketers to patrol in busy streets with significant car traffic.” (Regarding the filings, NBCUniversal told The Hollywood Reporter: “We are aware of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA complaints. We strongly believe that the company has fulfilled our legal obligations under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and we will cooperate with respect to any inquiries by the National Labor Relations Board on this issue. While we understand the timing of our multi-year construction project has created challenges for demonstrators, we continue to work with public agencies to increase access. We support the unions’ rights to demonstrate safely.”)

An NBCUniversal spokesperson declined to comment on the city controller’s remarks, per the Post, but denied any malicious intent behind the tree pruning in a statement to Deadline and several other outlets. While the trimming “has created unintended challenges for demonstrators, that was not our intention,” the spokesperson said. “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.” (Vanity Fair has reached out to NBCUniversal for comment as well.)

Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman tweeted early this morning that “after looking into the matter with the Urban Forestry Division (UFD), we found that no permit was issued” for any tree trimming in the area. Further investigation into whether a citation can be issued is underway.