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A group of yoga practitioners makes use of the concrete slabs left behind from the former neighborhood before the landslide in the Sunken City area near Point Fermin. Sunday, May 3, 2015. (Steve McCrank / Staff Photographer)
The apocalyptic-looking tourist mecca off San Pedro known as Sunken City would be officially opened to the public during daylight hours under a proposal pushed by Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino.
Buscaino formally asked city parks officials this month to study the possibility of legally allowing visitors into the 6-acre property next to Point Fermin Park rather than forcing them to trespass. Local residents last year launched a campaign to reopen the area for the first time in decades.
"As you are aware, the rich history and scenic views from Sunken City in San Pedro tend to attract many visitors from throughout the region on a daily basis," Busciano wrote in a May 1 letter to Michael Shull, director of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. "It is one of the only areas along our coastline that remains closed to the public."
The proposal being explored would not remove the 1987 wrought iron fence around Sunken City, but instead would add an automated gate allowing entry only during the day. It would automatically lock from the...