Sep 3, 2008 8:03 pm US/Pacific
7 More Ficus Trees Removed In Santa Monica
SANTA MONICA, Calif.
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Activist Jerry Rubin was arrested after chaining himself to two ficus trees, which were among seven removed from a Santa Monica sidewalk.
CBS
An activist trying to save ficus trees along Fourth Street in downtown Santa Monica by chaining himself to two of them didn't faze work crews, who promptly removed them after he was arrested.
"It's worth it to do everything we can to save these trees," activist Jerry Rubin said after he was handcuffed and led to a Santa Monica police cruiser.
Rubin and other activists have been working for months to preserve the seven ficus trees, which are supposed to be replaced with gingko trees. In May, the city cut down 23 ficus trees because officials said the trees were suffering from decay and weakened root systems.
The trees removed Wednesday will be replanted at a nearby park, city officials said.
Kate Vernez of the Santa Monica City Manager's Office said that the trees removed today were becoming a hazard.
"It's the sidewalks, and the canopy of ficus grows really big, so they get hit by buses and trucks," she said. "It's a very busy transit corridor."
Santa Monica TreeSavers, a grassroots group headed by Rubin, filed a lawsuit last year to stop the city's plan to remove 54 ficus trees on Second and Fourth streets.
In February, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ann I. Jones ruled that TreeSavers waited too long to file the suit and granted the city's motion to throw it out.
TreeSavers appealed and a stay was issued, but an appeals court in May lifted the stay.
Santa Monica officials wanted to cut down 23 of the ficus trees and relocate 31 others as part of an $8 million downtown improvement project.
When the project is completed, downtown would still have about 120 ficus trees, plus 139 new gingko trees. The project also includes improvements to lighting, sidewalks and crosswalks, Vernez said.
Downtown Santa Monica merchant Bill Bubar said he was said to see the trees go.
"I think they should stay," Bill Bubar said. "... Our store has been here 63 years and my father was instrumental in helping the city to approve to plant trees, and I think that they provide a lot of benefit."
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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