Neighborhood Council Issues— Billboard at End of 110 Fwy & Kobe Bryant Memorial at Angels Gate

Some San Pedro residents are trying to get rid of the billboard at the end of the 110 freeway.

At the Aug. 14 meeting of the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council, the board voted 10-0, asking that representatives of Council District 15 provide a statement in writing that the city will not renew the lease on the billboard. The contract ends on Dec. 22, said Javier Gonzalez-Camarillo, chair of the board’s Planning & Land Use Committee.

“I think this is a great idea,” said board member Regina Lumbruno at the meeting. “Some of that stuff on there is straight-up embarrassing. Especially coming into San Pedro, and that’s the first thing you see.”

Since a new council member will be replacing Councilman Joe Buscaino at the end of the year, Gonzalez-Camarillo said his committee wants to get something in writing before he leaves office. Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council board member Bob Gelfand suggested that Gonzalez-Camarillo should talk to the two candidates currently running to replace Buscaino, and Gonzalez-Camarillo agreed.

“Do it before the next city council, because ugly billboards, like many things, usually mean a lot of money moved towards politicians, new or old, and that’s why we’ve had this eyesore ever since I was just a little boy arriving in Pedro,” said San Pedro resident Bill Roberson.

Roberson said he saw it when he first came to San Pedro in 1968.

Matthew Quiocho, vice president of the board, said he had spoken with CD15 representatives last year, which was when he first heard when the lease was expiring.

“But, as we all know, politicians can be rather fickle,” Quiocho said. “Just because they say that they are going to remove it doesn’t mean they are going to, doesn’t mean they have the money, the work crew, the resources actually lined up.”

Gonzalez-Camarillo said he spoke with CD15 representatives after the meeting, and they are aware of the board’s request.

“They said there’s no intention of extending the contract or renewing,” Gonzalez-Camarillo said.

Representatives from Buscaino did not respond to requests for comment.

Gonzalez-Camarillo said the billboard is on city property, which is why CD15 is in charge of the lease.

John Munn, a representative of San Pedro Real Estate Company, represented the previous owner of the land, who sold it to the city in 2016. However, Regency Outdoor Advertising, the company that has the lease on the billboard, had a contract with a five-year option to renew. The city inherited this contract, which is why the city could not take it down before. Munn said the city receives part of the revenue from the sign, but only a small amount compared to what the Regency receives. No matter how much the profit is from renting the sign, the city merely receives a fee.

CD15 candidates Danielle Sandoval and Tim McOsker also did not respond to requests for comment.

City Proposes Memorial Basketball Court to Kobe and Gianna Bryant

On Aug. 15, Deanna Dedmon of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks gave a presentation at the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council about a proposed Kobe and Gianna Bryant memorial basketball court at Angels Gate Park. Kobe and Gianna died in a helicopter crash in 2020. A nonprofit in their memory, the Mamba Mamacita Sports Foundation, came to the city with the idea of the memorial.

Dedmon said the idea was in its initial stages, and she merely wanted to get board members’ opinions. It will turn the basketball court purple and gold, and put Kobe and Gianna’s numbers, 24 and 2, on both sides of the court. The court’s surface, which is currently concrete, would be changed to a polyurethane plastic. In addition, the department will change the backboards, so that they have the department’s new logo, and the logo for Mamba Mamacita Sports Foundation.

“It’s a wonderful idea,” said San Pedro resident Celia Gonzales. “But that’s already a popular, very popular area with very, very limited parking, and this would of course be very attractive to a lot more people.”

Gonzales asked if the city will add more parking. As the project was in its draft stage, Dedmon did not have an answer.

Board member Richard Watson expressed approval of the project, both the facilities upgrade and the memorial aspect.

“I would encourage Mamba Mamacita and the parks to consider some off-court amenities, perhaps a bench or two, some shade cover,” Watson said. “People out there, playing basketball, in a hot day, would enjoy a chance to rotate in and out and have a little shade. I don’t think there’s any such thing up there now.”

Board member Bob Gelfand expressed concerns with the idea, referring to the sexual assault allegations against Kobe from 2003.

“Not everybody worships at the shrine of Kobe Bryant,” Gelfand said. “There is a pretty serious misconduct argument in his past. There was a pretty salacious trial, as I recall. And I’m wondering if the city wants to become involved in ancestor worship in this particular way.”

He also brought up the serenity of the area, which is right next to the Korean Friendship bell, and asked if the court’s new surface would be quieter or louder. Dedmon said she does not know.

Board member Noel Gould said he would reach out to the Coastal Commission to see if it would allow the logos for the foundation and the department on the backboards, as the commission bans advertising in the coastal zone.

“It’s possible they may have an objection to it,” Gould said. “Or they may be A-OK with it. But because it’s in the coastal zone, it’s going to be important to get their input and take what they say to heart.”