Affluent LA residents living by the iconic Hollywood sign are fed up with tourists. Now they’re suing
It’s lights, camera, frustration for Los Angeles residents living near the iconic Hollywood sign who say selfie-taking tourists have taken over their neighborhood.
About 100 homeowners are suing the city, claiming officials have failed to stop tourists from clogging narrow roads, trespassing and leaving trash, including cigarette butts that could spark wildfires.
Filed October 26, the lawsuit does not seek monetary damages. Instead, residents want a court order forcing the city to address crowds that block driveways, create safety hazards and disrupt their neighborhood. The suit also names LA Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Rama as defendants.
Traffic camera data showed more than 48,200 vehicles passed through the area over 13 days this summer, up 15 percent from the same period in 2025, according to CBS News.
Emergency vehicles have also struggled to navigate the narrow roads, CBS News reported, with residents citing delays for police, ambulances and fire engines.
“It’s like there’s a festival every day, especially in the summer,” Rose Ware, a 74-year-old estate agent who has lived in her home for 32 years, told The Times Friday. “Bumper-to-bumper traffic. Emergency vehicles can’t get through. Lots of tourists smoke cigarettes and they get very belligerent when you ask them to stop.”
Residents blame a viewing platform built about 15 years ago, along with social media and mapping apps, for drawing more tourists to the area.
Visitors now crowd the winding roads day and night, leaving behind trash, discarded cigarettes and even bottles of urine and soiled diapers, residents said.
Ware said she understands the sign’s appeal but believes the city has failed to accommodate the crowds.
“But it’s not the tourists’ fault. They come here expecting a world-class site to experience the sign, but it’s not here. The parking’s terrible,” she told the newspaper.
The Independent has contacted an attorney representing the homeowners and representatives for the City of Los Angeles for comment.
The sign was originally built in 1923 to promote a real estate development called Hollywoodland. The final four letters were later removed, turning it into one of the world’s most recognizable symbols of the entertainment industry.
Millions of visitors flock to the landmark each year for photos. Fences, security cameras and motion sensors surround it to prevent trespassing and vandalism, but residents say tourists still wander onto their lawns and try to park in their driveways.
“It’s like a pilgrimage for them,” Ware said. “They take a million pictures, trampling on people’s lawns and yards for the best shot.”
