LA's Taggers' Towers: A scandal as wide as the ocean
Empty luxury towers in a city of homeless are an indictment in themselves.
In a city known as much for its opulence as its poverty, the abandoned Oceanwide Plaza is a momentous display of how Los Angeles prioritizes developers and wealth over the needs of working class Angelenos.
The trio of towers that peak at 53 stories now stand out in the downtown skyline, as the colorful graffiti creates a Gotham-esque allure. Adjacent to Downtown’s LA Live— a ghostly city center where restaurants, hotels, and stadiums stay mostly empty until a sports game or concert happens—Oceanwide would have been a leap in the Manhattanfication of downtown. The property would have included a luxury hotel, condominiums, and fine retail establishments such as a celebrity chef restaurant. In a press statement, Oceanwide Plaza’s CEO said that the project would “further define L.A. as a premier destination for all who seek a transformative new entertainment experience.”
It’s easy to snicker at those words now, especially because of the corruption that later came to light. A 2018 warrant arising from an FBI probe into city council members and City Hall employees requested “all records” related to Oceanwide as well as other foreign investors developing in the Downtown area. No one from Oceanwide Holdings was ever charged, but the investigation revealed the cozy relationships between developers and the local government that has created much of downtown's recent skyline.
Construction ended for the project in 2019 when Oceanwide claimed to run out of money. Since then it’s remained an eyesore, and an inconvenience for pedestrians unable to use the sidewalk obstructed by scaffolding and faded signage inviting passersby to join Oceanwide’s “VIP Line.”
The towers became a phenomenon after the initial tagging in late January. What would have been a forgotten, failed project is now a national news story. Transformative, indeed. They have also sparked new questions: How did we get to this point? Why are these gigantic empty buildings going unused when there are tens of thousands living on the streets? In an effort to cut the legs off of the story, the council allocated $3.8 million city funds for graffiti removal and security services to prevent further trespassing. This is in addition to police that have already been stationed outside the building most hours of the day and helicopters to monitor and protect the abandoned property.
While it’s not publicly known exactly what role the Oceanwide development had in the feds’ sweep of city officials, for many they symbolize the towering heights of the city’s deep-seated corruption. Three council members have been charged in pay-to-play schemes: José Huizar was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison in January, while Mitch Englander was sentenced to 14 months in 2021—he has since been released. Price, who is still on the council, was charged last year with conflicts of interests related to downtown developments he pushed through. Another current council member, John Lee, has not been charged but was accused by the city’s Ethics Commission of taking bribes from a developer.
LA is in desperate need of intervention to stop billionaires and the politicians beholden to them from completely turning it into a playground for the rich. The neighborhoods surrounding downtown are some of the last “affordable” places to live in LA. The number one cause of homelessness in LA is not drugs, it’s the government's failure to ensure safe housing for all. The city ended a pandemic-era moratorium on evictions and a restriction on rent increases. Rescinding both measures allowed landlords to increase rents, contributing to a spike in evictions. They have continued to greenlight luxury apartment projects that are unaffordable for the working class.
There is a failure of response overall from all levels of government to address the growing needs of the poor, and this is especially true in Los Angeles. There’s something obviously flawed about a system where the people we “elect” are completely out of touch with the needs of the majority. We should have a say over what our communities look like and have the power to shape them.
The art on the skyscrapers have marked a reclamation of the buildings. Despite the police presence, people somehow continue to make their way in. Either to spray paint more art, paraglide, take in the view, or just find a place to crash. The buildings mean so much more now than if the city and developers had realized their dream of making it a cheesy tourist trap.
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LA has an opportunity to take ownership of the site and make it useful to the people who live here. What would it look like if instead of selling the plaza off to other shady developers to finish the job, it was turned into another kind of mixed use housing? If instead of another tower for the rich, it was re-fashioned for the poor, and featured health clinics, libraries, community gardens, and low priced grocery stores? Would that not be a better use of space and city funds?
A story in the Financial Times about the towers quoted an historian who criticized such an idea. “No one wants to have the largest public housing project in the state of California next to the Crypto.com Arena, where the Lakers, LA Clippers and Los Angeles Kings ice hockey club play,” Richard Schave said. But anyone who is familiar with the area knows that many homeless people are already living nearby. LA Live is surrounded by homeless encampments: In the freeway underpasses near the complex, people live in homes built with cardboard boxes, scraps of wood and whatever else they can find.
But perhaps a center that would actually benefit the community doesn’t fit into the end goal of Downtown LA, because poor people aren’t supposed to be there. Current city leadership thinks they can fix it with street sweeps where police and sanitation workers throw away tents and force people to move. But this has never worked. People come back and rebuild their homes. Just like the fences the city is putting up to surround the towers won’t be enough to keep people from continuing to make use of the site.
Let’s choose towers of sanctuary over towers of luxury. If the city really wants to turn DTLA into New York, then let the Taggers’ Towers be our Statue of Liberty. Give us your tired, your poor, but also give us your taggers, and together we can take all of their luxury buildings and make them ours.