On Februaqry 11 2010, Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge and officials from the San Francisco based Trust for Public Land temporarily covered the wordwide famous “Hollywood” sigh with the words "Save the peak". New sigh was visible throughout the Los Angeles Basin, until February 16 when it was dismantled.

The Trust for Public Land wants to buy Cahuenga Peak in order to stop the developers from purchasing and subdividing the land to build mansions around the Hollywood sign. This would change the entire hillside and the sign would be between mansions. By purchasing the property, TPL and other environmentalists, wants the land around the Hollywood Sign to remain untouched. Chicago area-based Owner of the land agreed to sell the land for $11.7 million, which is about half off the $22-million asking price (in 2008, they put it on the market for $22 million, but it hasn't sold). Then only original condition was : money has to come before April 14 2010. It was extended to April 30 by which all needed funds were raised with the help of $900.000 donation from Playboy founder Hugh Hefner –who also cosponsored new sign letters in’78- to close the gap.

The sign itself is owned by the city of Los Angeles, but the 138-acre property around it belonged to a group of investors who acquired rights to build four luxury mansions along the ridgeline.

Trust for Public Lands (part of larger environmental coalition to save prevent building in the area) bought the land, so it could be incorporated into the adjacent 4,200-acre Griffith Park. Since 1972, the Trust has conserved 2.8 million acres of land across the country-including more than 11.000 acres in LA county- to be used for parks, gardens and other natural spaces. As Sierra Club members note, out of the largest cities in US, LA has the lowest green acreage per capita -about 15.000 acres of park space as of May 2010.

There are specific habitants on this property that don’t accrue anywhere else in the area, because it s the last nature stands around. Coast horned lizard (1 of 8 horned lizards in US) lives here.

TPL President Will Rogers announced that during the time of covering the sigh with the “Save the Peak” letters, about $ 1 million has been raised to save the Hollywood sign. Prior the spectacular beginning of campaign, the Trust already collected about 7 $ million toward the purchase goal. About a year-long effort began with $1 million gifts each from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation and Aileen Getty. The money also came from Hollywood Chamber of Commence, LA county and private sector. By the time of removal “Save the Peak” cover, environmentalists needed about 4 millions to buy the property. By April 15 almost all money was collected, but about 1.5 million were still needed. The deadline was extended to April 30th by and the goal was achieved by April 26 2010.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzengger, said, "Of all the iconic landmarks in the world, the Hollywood Sign is truly one of the most recognizable symbols of the California dream and land of opportunity. It called to me when I left Austria and made my way to the U.S., with a few dollars in my pocket and the dream of becoming an actor.”
"This is a great day for all of us," said Los Angeles Council Member Tom LaBonge. "I have climbed Mt. Hollywood every morning for over 30 years and look forward to hiking Cahuenga Peak with anyone who wants to join me.
"I thank Hugh Hefner and Aileen Getty for their critical contributions, along with everyone whose generous spirit moved them to join the campaign to save one of America's most famous urban spaces," said Michael J. Kowalski, chairman and CEO of Tiffany & Co. "The threat to its existence underscores the need for partnerships like ours with TPL who can work together to protect our cultural assets for future generations."

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The History of the Hollywood Sign

The movie producer and industrialist Howard Hughes bought the mountaintop in the 1940 and planned to build a love nest there for actress Ginger Rogers (his intended bride), who wanted no part of it.

In 1932 a new subdivision in the Hollywood Hills was advertised by a giant sign “Hollywoodland. The intent of the new development was to create a Mediterranean Riviera in the Hollywood Hills. The real estate group on this project included Harry Chandler, the publisher of the Los Angeles Times, General H.M. Sherman, the founder of West Hollywood, and developer Sidney Woodruff. The sign has gone through several incarnations since 1932. For many years it was neglected and several of the letters were down or falling down. In 1949 the city of Los Angeles wanted to tear down the sign, but the residents strongly opposed that and the sign was repaired and only the last four letters were removed. It gave beginning of “Hollywood” sigh.

In 1978 the letters of the sign were replaced with new letters. The funds for new letters came from: Terrence Donnelly, the publisher of the Hollywood Independent Weekly, Italian movie producer Giovanni Mazza , Les Kelly, the creator of the Kelly Blue Book, Gene Autry for the second, Hugh Hefner, Singer Andy Williams, Alice Cooper , Warner Bros. Records, and businessman Dennis Lidtke.

Fox River Financial Resources purchased the mountain site from the estate of Howard Hughes in 2002 for about $1.7 million and had it zoned into four home sites. Under the current deal, after owning it for 8 years, FRFR sold the property for 22 million. Before the sale, It was zoned for four luxury homesites, but now it will remind the open space.