Ficus trees lining Robertson Boulevard will remain in place under an injunction. A new legal hearing on the trees is scheduled for Jan. 30. (photo by Edwin Folven)

A court hearing in litigation over the removal of ficus trees on Robertson Boulevard in the city of Beverly Hills was moved this week from Nov. 28 to Jan. 30.

The Nov. 28 hearing was for a trial-setting conference. Attorney Jamie T. Hall, who is representing community members opposed to the ficus tree removal, said the hearing was postponed at the request of both sides. He said he is engaged in settlement discussions with the city, and the delay will allow negotiations to continue.

“There is no change to the status quo,” Hall said. “The city still has to keep the [remaining] trees up. We are engaging in dialogue with the city.”

The city of Beverly Hills confirmed the hearing was postponed but declined to provide any further comment, including whether settlement negotiations are underway.

The issues surrounding the Robertson Boulevard trees began in January when the city of Beverly Hills began a sidewalk improvement project that required the removal of 48 ficus trees along the commercial corridor. The $7.7 million sidewalk improvement project was approved by the city in December 2022. The tree removal was deemed necessary because roots had damaged and uplifted sidewalks in the area, causing a trip-and-fall hazard for pedestrians, according to the city.

Shortly after the project started, local residents and activists called for the city to stop cutting down the ficus trees. The city refused to halt the project, and the opponents hired Hall, a managing partner at Channel Law Group, LLP, who is a civil litigator in environmental, zoning and land use cases. Hall sought an injunction to block the trees from being cut down and in June, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant sided with the opponents and issued a restraining order prohibiting the city from removing 36 trees that remain.

The city continued the sidewalk repair project, which is largely completed on the west side of street. Mexican fan plans and crepe myrtle trees have been planted in the place of ficus trees that were removed. The remaining ficus trees, which are estimated to be approximately 100 years old, primarily line the east side of Robertson Boulevard, north of Olympic Boulevard.

Hall said he could not provide specific details about the settlement negotiations, but added that the dialogue has centered on the city conducting an environmental impact report on the impact of removing the remaining trees.

“The city says it’s going to do an environmental impact report and the discussion has been about what’s going to be in it,” he said.

Hall added that he is optimistic that an agreement will be reached soon, but is prepared to go to trial if necessary.

“I think the city can see the writing on the wall and knows it has to talk about what it’s going to do,” he added.