Occupy LA organizer says lease deal fell apart

By Christina Hoag

Associated Press

Published: Tuesday, Nov. 22 2011 11:10 p.m. MST

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A protester burns a one dollar bill during a protest outside the Federal Reserve Bank in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, as part of the "Occupy Wall Street Movement". Los Angeles officials have offered Occupy protesters a vacant office building and two empty lots for a community garden if they dismantle their tents from the City Hall lawn.

Jae C. Hong, Associated Press

Summary

An Occupy Los Angeles organizer says city officials have pulled back on an offer that would have given protesters a downtown office space in exchange for their removal of encampments.

LOS ANGELES — An Occupy Los Angeles organizer says city officials have pulled back on an offer that would have given protesters a downtown office space in exchange for their removal of encampments.

Occupy organizer Ryan Rice told the Los Angeles Daily News (http://bit.ly/vhQHtZ ) Tuesday that staffers in Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office were unhappy about the media attention the offer got.

The offer would have leased a 10,000 square foot office space in the Los Angeles Mall to the protesters for $1 a year.

Rice says other departments were also unhappy because they hadn't been briefed in advance of the offer.

The mayor's office declined comment.

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