JEFF NGUYEN:
00:00:16
Imagine living underneath one of the most famous landmarks in the world. Rhoda Coleman says the view here comes with anxiety every day. I'm in constant fear of a fire. How many of you worry about being able to escape in case of a fire? Coleman and her neighbors live in a part of the Hollywood Hills they say is overrun with tourists crowding their yards and choking their streets. The sign was never meant to be a tourist attraction. The 45-feet-tall letters went up in 1923 to advertise a real-estate development. The land was sold, and the last four letters on the famous sign came down in 1949. Today it towers over visitors posing with it for social media clout.
REPORTER:
00:00:59
The line of cars goes back up all the way.
JEFF NGUYEN:
00:01:02
The neighbors fear a repeat of the Palisades Fire, when people abandoned their cars, blocking fire trucks. Visitors often light up despite warning signs posted every few feet. We witnessed the danger ourselves during a visit in April as a fire broke out in the canyon. [SIRENS WAILING] The congestion slowed down this fire truck responding to the call. It's the kind of chaos neighbors say is getting worse every year, as social media influencers direct followers to the best views of the sign.
MAN:
00:01:38
You can open it up and go right through.
JEFF NGUYEN:
00:01:40
Public health concerns are growing too, as the crowds draw food vendors who are often unlicensed who leave behind garbage or worse. The city has put up new signs restricting parking, but from these images, they haven't helped much. I think that we need to step up enforcement, and I'm going to make sure that that happens.
JEFF NGUYEN:
00:01:59
Frustrated neighbors say they'll believe it when they see it. What do you say to people who might be watching this and saying, this is just a bunch of elitists who don't want people in their neighborhood? We are happy to share, but there needs to be some sort of accountability from our government. We can't have a free-for-all traffic situation. It just doesn't make any sense. One thing that isn't disputed-- the Hollywood sign was here first, but its famous nine letters now spelling trouble, with no end in sight. Jeff Nguyen, CBS News,Los Angeles.
