LA residents sue city over Hollywood sign crowds: "Reached its peak"

A group of residents who live near the world-famous Hollywood Sign, which attracts millions of visitors from around the world every year, have filed public nuisance lawsuits against the city of Los Angeles, asking officials to do more.

The lawsuits aren't looking for money.  Instead, they seek a court order that would force the city to maintain the area so it's "free of obstructions, health hazards, fire risks and other public nuisances."

On Sept. 27, people watched in horror as a fight broke out between a group of e-bike riders and the driver of a car underneath the Hollywood sign. The brawl was captured on cellphone video and shared among neighbors.

Cindy Cobb, who has lived in the neighborhood for eight years, says "there's definitely a frustration level… that's kind of reached its peak."

In a statement to CBS California Investigates, Mayor Karen Bass' Office said they have not seen the lawsuit but "LAPD has dedicated additional units during peak periods of congestion" for traffic and parking enforcement.

"LAPD also deploys additional traffic officers during peak times, in addition to ongoing regulation of tour buses and more. LAPD has collaborated with LADOT to implement a traffic plan for the area," Bass' office wrote in a statement. "The Mayor's office will continue working to address this issue with our public safety partners." 

LA Councilmember Nithya Raman's Office, who represents the area, said in a statement that residents should not have to "absorb the gridlock and safety risks that come with that on narrow hillside streets," and that her office has been working to address the issue since she took office. Her staff said they have funded additional presence from LAPD and the LA Department of Transportation.

Since May, deployments during the weekends have led to increased ticketing and towing in the area. Raman's Office said they used her discretionary funds and that this "is the largest investment" they have made to date.

"Building on those deployments, we have also identified funding for a pilot Hollywood Sign Traffic Management Plan that will test a new approach to staffing and traffic control on peak visitor days and holidays, along with a study of longer-term solutions for access and congestion in the area," Raman's office wrote in a statement. "We're moving forward with that work now, so a plan is in place ahead of the 2028 Olympics."

It's not just neighbors but city leaders who say social media and mapping apps have been drawing large crowds to the iconic landmark. According to the lawsuit, they cause traffic jams that could make evacuating in a fire difficult, if not impossible. In addition, discarded cigarette butts are easy to find even though smoking is prohibited in the area. 

The group of neighbors who have filed the lawsuit say they decided to sue after years of complaints to the city had little impact. They have joined forces with attorney Ilan Wurman, who's filed public nuisance lawsuits against cities like Phoenix. His firm won a judgment to clear out an encampment in 2022, and he believes the same legal argument applies to the Hollywood Hills.

"Cities have an obligation to maintain their lands, their public rights of way, their streets and sidewalks, their parks free of nuisances and nuisance-creating injuries the same way that a private landowner is obligated," Wurman said.

In mid-May, the city put in new signs to restrict parking on the weekends and holidays. But Cobb says, "Attempts by the city and the council district have not really done anything to mitigate the situation because it's just too many people in too small of a space."

Earlier this year, CBS California Investigates captured a Los Angeles Fire Department engine, weaving through congestion to get to a nearby fire. Max Martens has documented a similar incident when a fire engine was stuck on the narrow road in front of his home filled with cars.

He also captured tempers flaring during a standoff between people in a car and others in a white pickup that was going downhill on the wrong side.

"I have witnessed police, ambulance, fire vehicles get caught in traffic snarls and be delayed… if there had been an urgent emergency or evacuation, we would all be in trouble," Martens said.

Data collected by the city's traffic cameras show the problem is getting worse. 

During a 13-day period in July 2025, 42,000 vehicles traveled through the neighborhood.  This summer, the number shot up to more than 48,200 vehicles, which is a 15% jump during the same period.

Neighbors also have concerns over public health as the crowds draw food vendors who are often unlicensed and leave behind plastic gloves, sanitary wipes and used toilet paper.

In May, CBS California Investigates spoke with Councilmember Nithya Raman, who is currently running for LA mayor, about residents' concerns.

"I think, thinking about installing bathrooms in these areas is a good thing. One that is in active discussion," Raman said.

She said a consulting firm had been brought in to address community complaints over traffic and public safety. She added that ticketing and towing would increase.

Mayor Karen Bass, who is running for re-election, said she supported the idea.

"I think that we need to step up enforcement and I'm going to make sure that happens," Bass said in May 2026.

But neighbors say the crowds are still coming, which is why they're taking the city to court. 

 "If our pleas to the city for help are unheeded, then if the care, it's basically the care it's not working, we need to utilize the stick," Martens said.