A very small, very organized, very vocal, and very angry group of homeowners who live near the Hollywood Sign have waged a campaign for years now to keep tourists out of the neighborhood. This week—following victory after anti-tourist victory—they filed a lawsuit against the city, saying it had not done enough to keep tourists out of their Beachwood Canyon neighborhood. (The city worked with mapping companies to get directions to the sign changed, organized a shuttle to an entirely different area, banned public parking on the streets, and closed a popular trailhead for nearly a year.) But the rabid anti-tourist contingent—called Homeowners on Beachwood Drive United—might want to check in with their neighbors, who are more than happy to welcome Hollywood Sign gawkers to the 'hood, so long as they're paying hundreds of dollars a night to rent their houses.
A new video posted to YouTube shows the multitude of Beachwood Canyon houses up for grabs on Airbnb, all screaming about their views and proximity to the Hollywood Sign, and advertising rates as high as $1,200 a night. Awkward. As Alissa Walker writes at Gizmodo, "It would appear that these homeowners and their exceptional marketing skills are doing a great job creating plenty of interest in their famous neighborhood and its most famous asset," no help from the city required. We're guessing Homeowners on Beachwood Drive United will have a little more trouble fighting their neighbors than they have fighting the city, but man is that a battle we'd love to see.
· Hollywood Sign NIMBYs Suing LA to Shut Down All Access [Curbed LA]
· How a Small Group of Neighborhood Activists Have Taken the Hollywood Sign Hostage [Curbed LA]
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