Hollywood sign temporarily covered with ‘Save the peak’

In a Thursday afternoon ceremony, Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge and officials from the Trust for Public Land temporarily covered the Hollywood sign with the words “Save the peak” emblazoned in red lettering.

The group left from Beachwood Market in the Hollywood Hills at 2 p.m., caravaning up to the sign. Over the course of the afternoon, a white fabric cover was chopped into letter-sized pieces that were placed, one by one, over each portion of the sign.

The event was to publicize efforts to raise money to acquire Cahuenga Peak, the 138-acre parcel just to the west of the sign, and add the land to Griffith Park.

“We want to raise the visibility of it, so that people will support our campaign to save the peak, to save the land,” said trust spokesman Tim Ahern.

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FOR THE RECORD:
Hollywood sign: An article in Friday’s LATExtra section about a project to cover the Hollywood sign with the words “Save the peak” to publicize efforts to acquire Cahuenga Peak said that the sign had been covered up Thursday afternoon. As of Friday, only a portion of the project had been completed. —

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LaBonge called the trust when reports surfaced that the property owners were looking to put luxury housing on the land. Until recently, LaBonge said, he had not realized that the land was not already public property.

The San Francisco-based Trust for Public Land has an agreement to purchase the parcel for $11.7 million, Ahern said.

In total, the trust will need $12.5 million to cover costs, he added.

The site’s owners, Fox River Financial Resources Inc., paid nearly $1.7 million for the land eight years ago.

Officials with the trust said they had raised about half the amount needed but must have the total by April 14.

They plan to keep the sign up until Tuesday.

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Times staff writer Bob Pool contributed to this report.