‘The Hills’ are alive with neighborhood chaos

Actions that LaBonge’s office says they have taken include:

• Speaking with MTV and asking them to hire a full-time security guard, which LaBonge’s office says MTV has done.
• Increasing police patrols by a senior lead officer, who is familiar with issues relating to the paparazzi.
• Increasing parking enforcement on their street — particularly with regards to the paparazzi.
• Asking Starline Tours to stop using their microphone when they’re on the street, and to discontinue stopping in front of the street. Starline Tours has told LaBonge’s office that they are complying with this request, and LaBonge’s office says that they have not received complaints since their request of Starline.

LaBonge’s office says that they have recommended to the neighborhood residents that they put together a preferential parking district on their street, which they are currently considering. The office has received a formal legal document complaining about the neighborhood disruption, submitted by a single resident, which was sent on to the city attorney’s office.

The L.A. city attorney’s office confirmed receipt of this document and shared its contents with AccessHollywood.com. The 60-plus page document includes a petition with 27 names, a memorandum that lays out residents’ concerns, as well as declarations from some of the neighbors, and various attachments regarding Lauren Conrad, and “The Hills.”

The LA city attorney’s office confirms that they too have had several meetings with the residents and MTV.

“It’s an ongoing thing where we continue to work with all of the parties involved and we’re continuing to monitor the situation,” Rocky Delgadillo, a press representative from the office of LA city attorney, tells AccessHollywood.com.

Todd Lindgren, Vice President of Communications for Film L.A. Inc. (whose office tries to minimize filming impact in local communities and mitigate disruption between film production and residents, in addition to issuing residential filming permits), concurs with LaBonge’s office that indeed close to a dozen meetings have taken place between several residents, the Councilmember’s office, and MTV’s production staff.

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Lindgren says that MTV and “The Hills” production staff has been very good about keeping filming days to a minimum and shuttling the production crews in by van.

However, he further adds that there is a small group of residents who have lumped in the ancillary challenges posed by the filming of “The Hills” with the production itself.

“There is an endless stream of lookie-loo’s and passer-bys,” Lindgren says. “But they’re not a result of actual filming — not in regards to the way that permits have been coordinated for the filming. I have no doubt that (the residents’) lives are being disrupted by the surrounding activities — by the lookie-loo’s and by party after party. But, we’ve done everything we can to try to minimize disruption as a result of the actual filming.”

According to MTV’s most recent shooting permit, provided to AccessHollywood.com by Film L.A. Inc., the current permit for “The Hills” is valid from June 4 until July 4. Previous permits were granted from April 1-May 1 and from May 2-June 2. Information about permits previous to April 1, 2008 was not available do to a computer program switchover in their department.

Generic conditions for the permit include: “No Cast and Crew parking on areas streets. No Interference with vehicular or pedestrian traffic. Traffic Officers Required. (and, that the production) Must Maintain 5’ Clearance on Sidewalks/Walkways.”

It allows for the presence of a Cast of 8 and a Crew of 15, as well as 1 Retired/Off-Duty LAPD officer. Filming is, “not to exceed 16 days per month, and/or 4 days per week.” Filming before 7 AM and after 10 PM, “must not be visible or audible by the public.”

Lindgren says that his office is also aware of the aforementioned complaint document forwarded by a resident on to the city attorney’s office.

This is not the first time MTV has had problems with productions shooting in residential neighborhoods. “The Real World,” which airs on MTV courtesy of Bunim / Murray Productions, faced protests from Wicker Park residents during their Chicago season in 2002, and also faced a lawsuit from a resident that lived next door to the house where they were shooting during their Key West season in 2005.

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