STUDIO CITY—Neighbors on Babcock Avenue in Studio City had been asking the city of Los Angeles for years to clean up an abandoned property that had been causing problems for the surrounding community. Residents complained that the property attracted squatters and was covered in trash and overgrown vegetation. In late August of 2026, that vegetation and debris caught fire. Residents said their complaints had been repeatedly ignored for years, and only after local news outlets reported on the fire was the city forced to intervene.
On Monday, September 14, Mayor Karen Bass toured the newly cleaned-up Babcock Avenue property. The cleanup followed weeks of public blame-shifting between Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman over why the nuisance property had been allowed to sit unaddressed for years. During Monday’s visit, Bass said, “When it came to my attention, we acted, and we acted immediately.”
Raman’s office had previously pushed back on that framing, telling KTLA in August, “Our office has repeatedly begged LADBS and the City Attorney’s Office to secure and clean up this site.” Neither has taken responsibility for the years of inaction.
By Milan Manesh