To the editor: It will be unfair to check a palm tree’s shading capabilities to an Indian laurel fig or a Coast reside oak (“L.A. desperately wants extra shade. So why have been 77 palm bushes planted close to LACMA?,” Sept. 4). It’s a false paradigm, like asking what number of landing passes Clayton Kershaw has thrown or what number of house runs Shaquille O’Neal has hit.
Palm bushes are cherished for his or her sculptural and evocative panorama qualities. Additionally they present good habitats for some birds and mammals. Give LACMA, Metro and town’s Bureau of Road Companies credit score for recognizing that the aim of panorama isn’t simply to offer shade but additionally to reinforce the streetscape and harmonize with the structure.
James Manifold, Claremont
This author is a member of the California Botanic Backyard’s board of trustees.
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To the editor: So, like all the things within the U.S. currently, environmental considerations are taking a again seat, this time because of the Metropolis Council and LACMA. With rising world temperatures and decreased rainfall in California, I’d suppose that these policymakers would take into consideration what’s greatest for almost all of individuals and never simply the privileged few who’ve the cash and clout to name the photographs.
Vicki Rupasinghe, Ojai
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To the editor: LACMA Director Michael Govan’s reasoning to plant Mexican fan palms as a remembrance to town’s historical past falls flat. Earlier than the demolishing of the earlier LACMA campus, together with the lamented Bing Theater, I’d attend live shows and flicks on the Bing within the evenings. Within the late summer time, the perfume from the sycamore bushes east of the LACMA buildings would waft towards the theater and campus. It was pleasant and engaging. Mexican fan palms don’t delight with a perfume.
The drained cliché of palm bushes doesn’t honor the historical past of town, and notably of LACMA. As an alternative, it’s the dignity, energy, measurement and fantastic thing about the sycamore bushes that do.
Matthew Hetz, Los Angeles
