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The Los Angeles City Controller’s Office is investigating after several trees were trimmed near Universal Studios property on a day when writers, actors and other film industry union workers were set to picket during ongoing labor disputes.

The trees were apparently cut sometime over the weekend ahead of Monday’s renewed picket lines near Universal property, igniting concerns and theories about whether or not the trees were cut intentionally in an attempt to discourage protests during 90-degree heat.

On Tuesday, Kenneth Mejia, the Los Angeles City Controller, announced that his office would investigate the tree trimming.

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The City of Los Angeles is investigating after trees were cut near Universal Studios property on the weekend of July 15, 2023. (Los Angeles City Controller’s Office)

The trees are managed by the city, Mejia said, and are “essential to providing Angelenos with significant environmental and public health benefits, especially during a heatwave.”

The city’s public works bureau, StreetsLA, is responsible for maintaining trees that are within the public right-of-way.

In a statement to Deadline, NBC Universal denies any connection between the tree trimming and the strikes.

“We understand that the safety tree trimming of the ficus trees we did on Barham Blvd has created unintended challenges for demonstrators, that was not our intention,” Universal said. “In partnership with licensed arborists, we have pruned these trees annually at this time of year … We support the WGA and Sag’s right to demonstrate, and are working to provide some shade coverage.”

There are more than 700,000 trees managed by L.A. Public Works, and trimming is determined by the city as part of its regular trimming cycle or by specific instructions from the City Council. The trees must be cut by either a city crew or by a third-party crew hired by a local business with an appropriate permit.

Universal Studios tree investigationUniversal Studios tree investigation

Mejia did not specify whether or not the trees were cut as part of regularly scheduled maintenance or if a permit for tree trimming had been obtained.

“Code enforcement for street trees (including the pruning or removal of trees without a permit) is the responsibility of the StreetsLA Investigation and Enforcement Division. Violations can result in code enforcement citations,” Mejia said on Twitter.