Planters used to deter homeless encampment removed outside of Hollywood businesses

Hollywood city officials on Monday ordered the removal of a series of planters that had previously been installed to deter homeless encampments from springing up outside of a number of businesses. 

Cleanup crews could be seen early in the day as they removed the planters near Sunset Boulevard by McCadden Place. Despite earlier reports that the planters were being removed outside of Sunset Sound, a spokesperson with Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez's office clarified where the cleanup took place. 

The cleanup comes just days after Hollywood officials ordered the business owners to take the planters down by 6 a.m. They say that the planters were an obstruction to the public and that they were not permitted.

The Sunset Sound recording studio previously made headlines when they put up about a dozen cactus planters on the sidewalks outside of their studio on Sunset Boulevard and North Cherokee Avenue.

Despite their removal, owners say that they plan to put new planters up soon. 

Andrew Monheim, who owns Monheim Microphones about a block away from Sunset Sound, says that there has been a noticeable decrease in illegal activity since the planters were put up. 

"We've noticed a dramatic decrease in the amount of theft, prostitution, drug sales," he said. "We're right in the school zone, so, we have an inherent kind of responsibility to keep it clean around here for the kids."

City officials say that the owners of Sunset Sound are working to get the planters outside of their business permitted.