Mar Vista fights to save beloved 'Whimsies' as LADWP looks to take them down over safety concerns
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - The whimsical scrap metal sculptures with positive sayings have been gracing utility poles along Palms Avenue and Marco Place in Mar Vista for years.
But the 29 "Whimsies," as locals call them, could be permanently removed.
LADWP says they are dangerous and would have never been permitted if the artist who put them up, Lori Powers, had applied for a permit. Powers admits she did not apply for a permit.
She says put the first one up 10 years ago, and waited a bit to see if anyone would say anything.
"When they didn't," she explains "I added another one, and then another one."
She eventually put up 29 figurines. Powers, who is well known for her welding artwork, wanted to make people smile and bring a sense of community to the neighborhood with "would-be trash transformed into sweet, wacky colorful sculptures wishing passers by a loving and positive message," as one resident put it.
To the safety concerns, Powers responds explaining the figures are attached securely, under 10 feet so well away from any lines. She adds the utility workers have full access to work the poles, especially since they use trucks and cherry pickers to get up to the lines and have replaced the poles since the art went up, opting to put them in the new poles saying they really liked them.
Neighbors agree, showing up en masse and threatening to chain themselves around the poles when the apologetic-looking DWP workers tried to remove them earlier this month.
It took the intervention of Councilmember Tracy Parks to stop them. She is mediating between DWP and Powers to try to come up with a solution, with a meeting scheduled for Monday.
LADWP issued the following statement:
"LADWP is aware of concerns that have been expressed by some members of the local Mar Vista community about the removal of art installations that were placed on LADWP power poles. We are very supportive of public art, but placement of items like the artwork on power poles is prohibited by the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates utility power poles.
Structures like the ones hung on power poles in Mar Vista pose a threat to the safety of our crews and members of the public. Our crews need access to climb the poles unobstructed in order to conduct maintenance and restore electric service to customers in the event of a power outage. Power poles are required to be clear of all obstructions for these reasons, per General Order 95 of the California Public Utilities Commission. For context, LADWP owns and maintains over 300,000 power poles with wires and conductors carrying thousands of volts of electricity across the over 400 square miles of the City of Los Angeles."