City of Whittier is removing more than 80 Ficus trees along uptown area

On Wednesday afternoon, Anthony Manzo and Kevin Green enjoyed a good conversation under the shade of a ficus tree along Greenleaf Avenue in Whittier. Unbeknownst to the friends in wheelchairs, a vote was cast the night before by the Whittier City Council approving the removal of more than 80 trees in the Uptown area, including the one providing them shade.

In December 2023, the council approved the Greenleaf Promenade project, which intends to revitalize three blocks on Greenleaf Avenue between Wardman and Hadley Streets. The project upgrade includes pedestrian-friendly walkability, lighting, new landscaping, park space, flexible outdoor dining and modular gathering space. However, more than 80 ficus trees must be removed from the Uptown area to continue with the plan. 

This has caused concern and questions among residents and business owners who don't seem bothered by the trees along the corridor. 

"We don't see any issue on the streets. We just went up and down the street enjoying the shade and fresh air," said Green, a visitor from Altadena.

Whittier resident Manzo said they often exercise in that area. They have encountered a few broken sidewalks, but the issue is minimal.

"I wouldn't say take the trees down. I would rather have those specific areas fixed," said Manzo.

Nearby an elderly couple enjoyed the shade of the trees sitting on a bench. Initially, both hesitated to comment, stating that they don't like to get involved in politics because the council doesn't listen to residents' opinions. The couple, Salvador and Eva, have lived in a nearby home for 40 years and said it would be very sad to see the trees gone. They were upset to learn the city plans to spend over $20 million to remove and replace the trees when they think there are more significant issues to deal with. 

"The sidewalks are broken, many streets need fixing and the city never fixes them. I have seen it through the years," said Salvador. "It used to be a good city. Now you see a lot of marijuana shops instead. Before, there was a lot of police presence on bikes. Now we don't see any of that."

According to the City Council, one of many reasons the ficus trees will be removed is that the roots are affecting the plumbing of the businesses along the corridor. Several business owners, however, have indicated it's not their case. 

Stephanie Benavides, owner of Pour le Bain, said her business has been in the same location for the past 20 years and she has never had any plumbing or other issues related to the trees.

"I'm upset about this decision to remove them," she indicated once she learned a vote had been made. She said she heard the city wants to turn the corridor into a promenade like Santa Monica, but once it happens, she thinks it will leave many businesses out.  

Residents and businesses oppose

The decision to remove the trees was approved during last Tuesday's monthly Whittier Council meeting. While many residents and business owners spoke against removing the trees, the council voted 3-1 in favor of it. Joe Vinatieri, the mayor of Whittier, was absent during the vote. 

For the past few months, husband and wife Javier and Veronica Garcia have been advocating to stop the removal of the trees. They said they own a house a few blocks away from Greenleaf Avenue, and they feel residents were not taken into consideration in such a big change. 

"We gathered about 4,000 signatures opposing the project. We packed the council meeting, and our voices were still ignored," said Veronica, who said that the council keeps claiming the trees must come down for safety reasons, including disease and root problems.

"They are having their own agenda to hire their own people so they can keep them in office," said Veronica.  

Javier worries that the Greenleaf Promenade plan will only gentrify the area by creating an investment that will drive mainly mom-and-pop shops out of business or force them to relocate. 

The city said in a statement that after receiving public input, including over 50 questions about the trees, the street, and the project in general, reports from environmental and arborist consultants reinforced their decision to move forward with the Greenleaf Promenade project. The project will include additional amendments like adding “larger replacement trees, shade structures within the three-block stretch of Greenleaf Avenue, and further consideration of phased implementation of the project.”

“The decision underscores the City's commitment to advancing a nearly 20-year plan for revitalization of Uptown Whittier, which began with extensive community involvement in 2006 as part of the Uptown Whittier Specific Plan process and was further refined in the 2019 Uptown Streetscape Beautification Plan,” indicates the statement sent by Whittier Public Information Officer .Kathleen Galvin-Surbatovic.

The fight continues

The Garcias and other supporters continue working on their advocacy to save the trees. They said they have contacted the FBI, stating that this project goes beyond a change for Whittier. They said some council members have been in office for nearly 20 years, and because the city has no term limits, they are doing what they want with little opposition from the rest of the members. 

They are also in the process of contacting environmental activists to advocate for the trees and an environmental lawyer who can step in and hold the project until they figure out how to prevent the removal of dozens of trees.

They have created a GoFundMe page to fundraise for their advocacy and a petition to gather more signatures to prevent the removal of the trees. Both can be found on their Instagram page Whittierparents