Controversial Valley Village Mural Whitewashed Away

Valley Village resident Barbara Black whitewashed a mural on Wednesday afternoon that she had commissioned high school students to paint on a fence near her home, after the city told her to remove it or face another citation.

She received a citation a couple of months ago for without a permit; the original mural had the word "Like" in it, which made it a sign in the eyes of the city. The text was removed—but that turned the "sign" into a "mural," according to the city, which has banned murals. Black said she asked the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety if she could cover it with a tarp, and they said she had to remove it. The mural was painted on an alley fence in back of her house.

Black's deadline for removing the mural was March 24, with a 15-day grace period to file an appeal. She removed it two days before that period ended, with the help of artists and supporters.

Kurt Miller, a friend of Black's, spelled out "Art = Love" in white paint on one side of the mural. Alexander Garcia, one of the artists who contributed to the mural, painted over a large stretch of the 76-foot-long fence.