Tree dangles, City Hall dawdles?

When a tree falls in downtown Los Angeles, does anyone notice?

Plenty of drivers and pedestrians noticed Monday when a large part of a tree hung precariously over Broadway near the criminal courthouse.

But the reaction from City Hall was decidedly more muted.

The area on Broadway between 1st  and Temple streets was cordoned off on Monday, forcing drivers travelling north to merge out of the right lane. By Tuesday afternoon, the tree was still dangling.

Richard Lee, a spokesman for the city's Street Services Bureau, said he was unaware of the issue but would check with the staff's Urban Forestry Division, which is responsible for the city's streets in public areas.  

Los Angeles Police Cmdr. Andy Smith said the department had had no reports of cars crashing into it, and the massive branch was brought down by its own weight.

[Updated at 5:12 p.m.: It's unclear how the tree fell. But  L.A. District Attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said she saw a car under some of the branches on Monday evening.]

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-- Richard Winton

Photo: A large tree outside the L.A. County criminal courts building has split in half and its fallen limbs are partially blocking Broadway near the intersection with Temple Street in downtown Los Angeles. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times